Tallahassee Monthly Meeting
2017-03-12 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York)
Sunday, March 12, 2017 @ 4:00 – 6:00 pm
The Plant, 517 W Gaines St, Tallahassee, Florida
The National Women’s Liberation Tallahassee Organizing Committee is hosting its fourth monthly meeting in Tallahassee! Join us to learn more about NWL’s politics, history and guiding principles, and how we are carrying them forward in the current political climate.

NWL-Gainesville General Meeting
2017-03-14 18:30 - 20:00
Join NWL at our monthly general meeting.
When: Tues, March 14, 6:30-8:00pm
Where: Civic Media Center, 433 S. Main Street
Abortion and reproductive rights are under attack in Florida and the US. We must fight back! To guide our resistance, we will look to lessons learned from the abortion struggle of the 1960s and 1970s.
At this month’s general meeting, we will also discuss:

Updates from our community Consciousness Raising sessions + Women’s History Month events
Upcoming Women of Color Caucus meeting (3.21.17)
Plans for organizing on the UF campus

Please read: Jenny Brown & Erin Mahoney, “Abortion Without Apology,” Jacobin Magazine, December 12, 2015.

Community Meeting for Women of Color
2017-03-21 19:00 - 21:00
Tuesday, March 21st at 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
This meeting is open to all women of color.
RSVP for Meeting Location

Join us for a reading discussion and consciousness-raising meeting to discuss what you think the feminist movement should be fighting on right now.

In the words of human rights activist Loretta Ross, “Our ability to control what happens to our bodies is constantly challenged by poverty, racism, environmental degradation, sexism, homophobia, and injustice in the United States.”

The current administration, with the Republicans and Donald Trump at the helm and the ineffectual Democrats on the side-lines, is determined to cut reproductive health services for women and to expand criminalization of black and brown people. We want to fight for justice and genuine respect, and we understand that individual solutions will not fix collective problems, or change the power structure.

In the words of Black Lives Matters founder Alicia Garza, “If our movement is not serious about building power, then we are just engaged in a futile exercise of who can be the most radical.” Join us for a reading discussion and consciousness-raising meeting to discuss what you think the feminist movement should be fighting on right now.

We will answer the following questions:

What are your thoughts now on what has to be done to win women’s freedom? Has your thinking changed, and if so, how and why has it changed? What are you doing now to make this happen?
Are you currently involved in organizing? Are you currently involved in an organization? Why or why not, and which one and why?*

We will be reading and discussing the following reading: National Women’s Liberation: What We Want, What We Believe. We borrowed the formulation “What We Want, What We Believe” from the Ten-Point Program of the Black Panther Party (1966).

*CR question courtesy of Redstockings.

Mobilize Women In Higher Education
2017-03-27 17:30 - 2017-03-28 19:00
No matter your affiliation: undergraduate, graduate student, staff, faculty: meet us on UF’s campus for the first NWL Campus Committee Meeting.
Where: University of Florida Campus, Little Hall, Room 117
When: Tuesday, 3/28/17, from 5:30-7:00pm
Please read:
NWL’s, What We Want, What We Believe
Carol Hanisch’s, The Personal is Political

Loretta Ross Weekend
2017-03-31 - 2017-04-01
The Women of Color Caucus (WOCC) of National Women’s Liberation is thrilled to bring reproductive rights pioneer and human rights activist, Loretta Ross, to Gainesville this weekend for multiple events! (Visit the facebook event for additional information.)
3/31, 5:00pm, UF Speaking Event: Pugh Hall, Ocora Room
3/31, 7:00pm, Reproductive Justice Book Talk and Signing, at M.A.M.A’s Club, 435 South Main St., Gainesville, Florida 32601
4/1, 1:00pm, No! The Rape Documentary: Break the Silence, Stop All Forms of Sexual and Gender-based Violence Film Screening and Panel Discussion featuring Dr. Zohorah Simmons and Loretta Ross brought to you by Women’s March Gainesville in partnership with National Women’s Liberation Women of Color Caucus at M.A.M.A’s Club, 435 South Main St., Gainesville, Florida 32601

Grassroots Feminist Theory Discussion
2017-04-09 08:00 - 17:00
Topic: ‘Pro-woman Line’ and ‘The Personal is Political’
Location: Sunday, April 9, 2017: 1pm – 3pm at NWL’s office, 200 NE 1st Ave., Suite 201
Please read ahead and come with your thoughts, questions, and experiences about this theory of how we are kept down as women and what this has to do with building a feminist movement.
Also we will get some NWL chapter work done in the meeting and help you figure out a role organizing in NWL if you are looking to get more involved.
Readings we will discuss:

Carol Hanisch, “The Personal is Political,” February 1969. From Notes from the Second Year. Distributed online with commentary by the author, January 2006.

Kristy Royall, The Personal is Political Lecture with personal consciousness-raising testimony from the Spring 1996 Gainesville Women’s Liberation class.

Additional Recommended Reading:

“Toward a Female Liberation Movement,” Judith Brown and Bev Jones; selection of Part I, by Bev Jones, pp. 9-18. 1968.

RSVP here. For more information, email nwl@womensliberation.org.

Tallahassee Organizing Committee Monthly Meeting
2017-04-09 11:00 - 13:00
The National Women’s Liberation Tallahassee Organizing Committee is hosting its fifth monthly meeting in Tallahassee! At this meeting, we will be discussing women as an oppressed class.
Also, we will get some NWL chapter work done in the meeting and help you figure out a role organizing in NWL if you are looking to get more involved.
Please read ahead and come with your thoughts, questions, and experiences about this theory of how we are kept down as a class and what this has to do with building a feminist movement.
Reading we will discuss:
“Toward a Female Liberation Movement,” Judith Brown and Bev Jones; selection of Part I, by Bev Jones, pp. 9-18. 1968.

Feminist Meeting: Growing the Movement
2017-04-11 18:30 - 20:00
When: Tues., April 11, 6:30-8:00pm
Where: Civic Media Center, 433 S. Main Street

Join us for our monthly general meeting to find out how to plug in to committees and upcoming action, including:

Updates from our community Consciousness-Raising sessions
Organizing plans for the Campus Committee
Legislative Updates

Community Meeting for Women of Color
2017-04-27 19:30 - 21:30
Thursday, April 27, 2017, 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
This meeting is open to all women of color.
RSVP for Meeting Location

The Republicans in Congress and the incoming administration quickly got to work trying to undo the Affordable Care Act. Though the repeal was defeated, the attack on public health care continues at the federal level and in many states. Meanwhile, the New York State Senate is considering a health care bill that would cover all residents, regardless of income, marital status, employment, or citizenship status. If passed, no one who needed care would go without it.

At this month’s Women of Color Caucus meeting, we will use consciousness-raising to explore our own experiences with health care by answering the following questions:
1. What have you and/or your family gotten from the current health care system that you needed?
2. What have you needed that you haven’t gotten from the current health care system?
3. What do you want your health care to be like? Why?

*CR questions courtesy of Redstockings.

NWL Joins Day Without an Immigrant Strike
2017-05-01
Join Cosecha’s Day Without an Immigrant Strike
On May 1st we are joining the “Day without Immigrants” strike for liberty and justice for all in the U.S.—no matter our religion or ethnicity or where we were born—and for an end to deportations and anti-immigrant attacks. We stand with International Women’s Strike US/ Paro Internacional de Mujeres EUA and all other signatory organizations to say: No Ban. No Wall. No ICE. Solidarity is our weapon! Read the full statement here.
From Cosecha: “Immigrant Rights Organizations, Workers Centers and Unions launch a national strike billed as a “day without immigrants” to demonstrate that the country depends on the labor of immigrants and working class people of color. Hundreds of thousands of workers have already pledged to strike in what organizers expect to be the largest national strike since the Megamarches of 2006.” Sign up to strike here.

Gainesville May Day Celebration
2017-05-01 16:00 - 17:00
Join labor and immigrant groups in a celebration of International Workers’ Day and immigrants’ rights. There will be a march followed by live music, speakers, and tabling by social justice organizations. To march with NWL, meet us at 4:15p.m. at the corner of University and 13th to Bo Diddly Plaza. After the march, stop by the NWL table at Bo Diddley Plaza. More information available here.

Grassroots Feminist Theory Meeting
2017-05-17 13:00 - 15:00
Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 1:00pm-3:00pm
NWL office: 200 NE 1st St, Suite 200 (enter from back garage)
Topic: The Pro-Woman Line & The Personal is Political, Part 2 (RSVP here)

What keeps women down? Do we oppress ourselves and other women? Do we have a common struggle? How do we make advances together?

We will dig into ideas raised in the last grassroots theory meeting’s discussion. You are welcome to attend even if you missed the last discussion; you can see the previous readings here.
Please be prepared to discuss:

False Consciousness, by Jennifer Gardner, 1969 (2 pages)
Resistances to Consciousness, Irene Peslikis, 1969 (2 pages)
Editorial by Judith Brown, 1970 (2 pages)
Anger in Isolation: A Black Feminist’s Search for Sisterhood, by Michelle Wallace, 1975 (4 pages)

NWL-Gainesville General Meeting: Showing of La Operación & Discussion
2017-06-13 18:30 - 20:00
Tues., June 13, 6:30-8:00pm
Cyclops Cinema, 10 E University Ave
Join us for a showing of La Operación: a documentary on the social policy of female sterilization in Puerto Rico. The film was directed by Ana María García in 1982; at that time, Puerto Rico had the highest rate of sterilization in the world. Over one-third of its women had undergone what is commonly referred to as “la operación” (the operation).
The film includes interviews with working-class and middle-class women from different racial and ethnic backgrounds who went through the procedure, discussion on women factory workers being pressured to be sterilized, as well as Puerto Rico functioning as a testing ground for U.S. pharmaceutical companies working on the effectiveness of the birth control pill.
Discussion to follow.

Tallahassee Organizing Committee Monthly Meeting
2017-07-10 18:30 - 20:30
Our NWL Tallahassee Organizing Committee monthly meeting will be Monday, July 10th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Plant, 517 W. Gaines St, Tallahassee, Florida. RSVP here.
In this meeting, we will discuss the topic the ideology of “False Consciousness” and reading “False Consciousness” by Jennifer Gardner and “Resistance to Consciousness,” Irene Peslikis.
Please read ahead and come with your thoughts, questions, and experiences.
Please note that NWL Monthly meetings are now the second Monday of each month. We took a survey and based on results concluded weekdays may work best for members. We will see how this adjustment works and welcome your feedback!

Campus Committee: Roots of Plan B in Gainesville
2017-07-17 17:45 - 19:15
Monday, July 17th, 5:45 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
Little Hall Room 117 – on UF campus, plenty of free parking in the lot behind Tigert Hall

Did you know that NWL was foundational in getting Plan B over the counter? Come to campus committee to learn about the decades long fight and important milestones as we move toward a Plan B vending machine on UF’s campus! This meeting is open to women who are interested in mobilizing women in higher education, not just students.
Here are some readings to get familiar with NWL’s past work and be ready for discussion. There are very short and easy to read. Don’t stress too much about reading it all and/or reading it in great detail.

Victory! A flier showing an overview of the morning after pill (MAP) work.
UF pharmacist protest in 1997
MAP Conspiracy Pledge, 2004
National NOW Conference speech by one of NWL’s attorneys during this process, Andrea Costello, 2013
Miami Herald article – “Florida women play key role in emergency birth-control case”, 2013

Grassroots Feminist Theory Meeting
2017-07-23 13:00 - 15:00 | NWL-Gainesville Office, 200 NE 1st St, suite 201, Gainesville, FL, 32601
Topic: National Health Care and the Social Wage, Part 1
Sunday, July 23, 2017, 1pm – 3pm (RSVP here)

NWL office: 200 NE 1st Street, Suite 201 (entrance from the back garage). Gainesville, FL 32601
Does America have the best health care system? Why is health care a feminist issue? What can we learn from other countries that have universal health care?

This will be the first in a series of discussions on the topic of national health care. Please read ahead and come with your thoughts, questions, and experiences.
Also we will get some National Women’s Liberation chapter work done in the meeting and help you figure out a role organizing in NWL if you are looking to get more involved.

Readings we will discuss:
“Myth America, Women’s Liberation & National Health Care,” Lecture by Jenny Brown from April 1999 Gainesville Area NOW meeting. Excerpted from Women’s Liberation & National Health Care: Confronting the Myth of America A Redstockings Organizing Packet, pp. 1-20. (20 pages)
Jenny Brown, Remarks on Health Care, from Left Forum panel: Turning the Tables: How the Attempts to Repeal the ACA are Strengthening the Medicare for All Movement, 2017. (3 pages)
___________
Note on the readings: Brown’s “Myth America, Women’s Liberation & National Health Care” is excerpted from Redstockings Organizing Packet, Women’s Liberation & National Health Care: Confronting the Myth of America which is available to download from Redstockings Women’s Liberation Archives for Action. www.redstockings.org

Community Meeting for Women of Color
2017-07-31 19:30 - 21:00
At this month’s Women of Color Caucus meeting, join us as we continue last month’s discussion on how to move our work forward as activists and as a woman of color think tank. During last month’s meeting, WOCC advisory board member Zoharah Simmons presented on her experience at the Words of Fire Conference: Sex, Power and the Black Feminist Call for Social Justice. If you missed last month’s meeting, it is not too late to join in this discussion. We will provide a highlight of the discussion points from our last meeting so we can continue and dive deeper into some of the points raised.

We will continue discussing two readings from “Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought,” ed. by Beverly Guy-Sheftall:
1. “A Feminist Statement,” by The Combahee River Collective
2. “Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference”, by Audre Lorde

Crisis Pregnancy Center Protest & Prep
2017-08-05 17:00 - 18:00
Women facing an unintended pregnancy deserve information that is medically accurate, comprehensive, and unbiased. Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) are not health clinics and use misleading tactics to lure women in. Join us in warning our community about the misinformation that these “clinics” provide, and to protest that our tax dollar are used to lie to women.

Sign Making Meet-up for the Protest

Sat., August 5th, 5:00-6:00pm
NWL Office, 200 NE 1st St, Suite 201 (enter from back garage)

Crisis Pregnancy Center Protest

Tues., August 8th, 12:00-1:00pm

For additional information or to rsvp for the sign making or protest, visit us on Facebook.

National Consciousness-Raising Training Call
2017-08-27 20:00 - 21:30
National Women’s Liberation is expanding our Consciousness-Raising (CR) initiative to learn from women across the country and use what we learn to guide future actions. CR is a powerful tool used throughout the Women’s Liberation Movement, and on September 10 we hope to use it to raise consciousness around health care and to build momentum for women’s liberation and a single payer health system.
We’re leading training calls for women who want to host a Consciousness-Raising session with friends and family about health care in their hometowns.
Upcoming training call: Sunday, August 27, 8PM EDT / RSVP to Call In and Spread the word on Facebook!
What is Feminist Consciousness-Raising?
Consciousness-Raising (CR) is a tool that the Women’s Liberation Movement adopted from the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement’s practice of “telling it like it is.” In a CR, women answer proposed questions using examples from their personal lives. The group draws conclusions based on that testimony to better understand the political root of problems that women face. Learn more about NWL’s use of CR here.
Suggested Reading
To learn more about the history and theory of CR, read Kathie Sarachild, “Consciousness-Raising: A Radical Weapon,” Feminist Revolution (Redstockings, 1975).

Campus Committee Meeting
2017-09-06 18:00 - 19:00
Join NWL for our first campus committee meeting of the semester. The objective of this committee is to mobilize women in higher education.
This month our format is consciousness raising. Please read Kathie Sarachild, “Consciousness-Raising: A Radical Weapon,” Feminist Revolution (Redstockings, 1975). We will continue our work on getting Plan B vending machine on campus. Prepare a response to the following question:

“Have you ever felt embarrassed when buying personal items like birth control, tampons, condoms, etc.? What happened?”

At the meeting we will each have 3-5 minutes to share our responses in order to develop conclusions that reveal similarities and differences in our experiences.
We will also have time to discuss upcoming plans surrounding the potential arrival of Richard Spencer and white nationalists in Gainesville.

National Consciousness-Raising
2017-09-10
On Sunday, September 10, women across the country will gather to answer the question, “How would my life be different if we had guaranteed health care?”
National Women’s Liberation is expanding our Consciousness-Raising (CR) initiative to learn from women across the country and use what we learn to guide future actions.CR is a powerful tool used throughout the Women’s Liberation Movement, and on September 10 we hope to use it to raise consciousness around health care and to build momentum for women’s liberation and a single payer health system.
Interested in hosting a Consciousness-Raising in your community? We developed a CR Tool Kit and Reading Materials to get your started.

Abortion & Birth Control Committee Meeting
2017-09-25 18:00 - 19:00
When: Monday, September 25, 6:00-7:00pm at the NWL Office
Where: NWL Office, 200 NE 1st, Suite 201
Join us to plan our next action against Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPC) in October, and for a report back on first picket at local CPC, Sira, held on August 8.
We are picketing CPCs because they are impostor clinics that attack women’s self-determination by lying to women about their options to scare them away from choosing abortion, using birth control, and if they are unmarried – having sex. These fake clinics are also funded by our state. If you’re angry, join us to push back. For more information or to RSVP for meeting, visit our Facebook event.

NWL General Meeting
2017-10-25 18:30 - 20:00 | NWL-Gainesville Office, 200 NE 1st St, suite 201, Gainesville, FL, 32601
Wed., Oct 25th, 6:30pm-8:00pm
at the NWL office, 200 NE 1st St, Suite 201 (enter from garage)
Join us this month for a discussion on what should be done at UF to combat sexual assault, in response to Betsy DeVos’ announced changes to federal policy on campus sexual assault, including now allowing accused perpetrators to cross-examine sexual assault survivors.
We will also provide an update on budding work to advocate for the Morning After Pill in vending machines at UF; work that can be done in coalition with current effort by Gators Matter, Period which is demanding that UF provide free tampons and pads to students and staff as a Title 9 school. (Click here to sign the petition to demand that UF provide free tampons and pads to students and staff at the UF.)

Reading we will discuss:

Blame The Rapists and Those Who Protect Them- NWL News Spring 2013- by Kendra Vincent
Emergency Contraceptives Now Available in Old Union- The Stanford Daily, 09/25/17
Students Look to Vending Machines for Better Access to Morning After Pill- NY Times, 09/28/17
Betsy DeVos, Title IX, and the “Both Sides” Approach to Sexual Assault- The New Yorker, 09/28/17

NWL Roe v. Wade 45th Anniversary Benefit Show
2018-01-20 19:00 - 2018-01-21 01:00

NWL-NYC February General Meeting
2018-02-05 19:30 - 21:30
We will answer these CR questions:

What parts of the reading resonate with you and why?
What are your reasons for wanting children or not wanting them?
Has your thinking changed?
If you do care work (care for the young, old, or sick or injured) when does this work feel like an individual responsibility? When does it feel like a collective (community, society-wide, national) responsibility?

For the general meeting, please read Florence Rush’s Woman in the Middle.

Meeting Location: Commons Cafe – 388 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217

NWL believes that women should lead the fight for our liberation, so our meetings are for self-identified women only.

Joint Meeting of the Abortion and Birth Control Committee & Campus Committee
2018-02-07 18:30 - 20:00
When: Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: NWL Office, 200 NE 1st St, Suite 201 (enter from garage)
This month we’ll be combining the Abortion & Birth Control Committee meeting and the Campus Committee meeting. Join us to plan the next crisis pregnancy center informational picket at #fakeclinic Sira and learn about our work to get Plan B vending machines on campus. We’ll also be discussing the following article, “We need 24-hour access to the UF Infirmary’s $10 Morning After Pill.” For more information or to RSVP for the meeting, visit us on Facebook.

About Crisis Pregnancy Centers:

So-called Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) use misleading tactics and spread misinformation to steer women away from choosing abortion, using birth control, and if they are unmarried – having sex. Help us expose these imposter clinics!

Check out NWL members Kerri and Erica speaking about CPCs on The Straw Hat Podcast
Read about HB 41/SB 444 which seek to appropriate state funds for CPCs

Tallahassee Organizing Committee Meeting
2018-02-09 19:30 - 21:00
The NWL Tallahassee Organizing Committee will be meeting on Friday, February 9, 2018 at 7:30pm at All Saints Cafe, 903 Railroad Ave., Tallahassee, FL. Visit us on Facebook for more information or to RSVP.

Gainesville Monthly Meeting
2018-02-28 18:30 - 20:00
Wednesday, February 28th, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
NWL Office – 200 NE 1st St, Suite 201 (enter from garage)
We will report back on the Constitution Revision Commission meeting, the Roe v. Wade Benefit, and our campus organizing. Come to find out how you can get involved.

Tallahassee Monthly Meeting
2018-03-05 19:00 - 20:30
Join us this month to learn about the history of NWL and the Women of Color Caucus (WOCC) as well as membership and recruitment. We’ll also be discussing our upcoming campaigns, including raising awareness and consciousness both locally and nationally about the hidden war on women’s work and bringing the morning after pill to vending machines at FSU & FAMU! Come see where you can get plugged in, and join us in our fight against white male supremacy and for women’s rights! For more info, visit our facebook event.
Where: Collins Main Library, Magnolia Room, 200 West Park Avenue Tallahassee, FL

Gainesville NWL's Campus Committee Meeting
2018-03-14 17:45 - 18:30
Wednesday, March 14th @ 5:45pm
Little Hall Room 119 on the UF Campus…plenty of free parking outside building

NWL’s campus committee meeting is open to all self-identified women interested in organizing women in higher education. NWL was the grassroots group behind getting the Morning After Pill (MAP) over the counter, and we’re continuing to push for more access to MAP. We’re now demanding a MAP vending machine at UF. Come learn about what we’ve accomplished so far, the work ahead of us, and how you can get involved in this campaign! To RSVP or for more information, visit us on facebook.
