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 | activism alerts june2005 |
- Sling It Forward!
- In Honor of Allison Crews
- LACTIVISM UPDATE
- Buy a Book, Save aChild
- June 7th - Call In Day to President Bush, Congress, & The First Lady
- CALLING ALL NYC AREA BREASTFEEDERS!!!!!
Please send yours to:
Dayna Martin
The Babywearing Project
196 East Madison Rd.
Madison, NH 03849
Want to serve your local community with a similar project? Dayna is available to brainstorm. Click here to contact her.
The closely affiliated online communities at Hip Mama and Girl-Mom lost a beloved, integral member recently. Allison Crews, a young mother, spirited activist and influential writer died unexpectedly earlier this month. As news of her death spread, websites to which she regularly contributed were temporarily crashed by traffic, as peers clamored to confirm the news and connect in their grief. Allison was widely recognized for her advocacy and unapologetic, outspoken voice. As a teen mother, she refused to accept a maligned and marginalized status, and the course of her radicalization was expressed in her print and online writings. Perhaps the broadest impact of Allison’s life and efforts was realized through her role as producer at Girl-Mom. Allison is survived by a son, and by kith and kin including a family of choice, a family of origin, and countless friends, allies and peers. Donations and remembrances are being gathered on behalf of Allison’s son, click here for more information. To read one of Allison’s early pieces, click here.
LACTIVISM UPDATE Last week, mothering.com posted a breaking activism alert on a rapid response NYC nurse-in. Author Christine Gross-Loh attended, and reported the following:
On Monday, June 5, 2005 around 200-300 breastfeeding, baby-wearing mothers gathered together with their children and supporters in front of the ABC studios in New York City and peacefully protested anti-breastfeeding comments made by cast members of ABC's "The View." The crowd, spread out over an entire city block, was resolute but upbeat, and conveyed a strong sense of community. Following in the tradition of other lactivism events, mothers breastfed their children and carried signs and posters with slogans such as "Shame on ‘View,’” "Babies Were Born to be Breastfed," and "Breasts are for Breastfeeding." Information sheets about the nurse-in were distributed to passers-by. Nurse-ins also took place simultaneously in other parts of the country at ABC-affiliate stations in Tucson, AZ, Redding, CA, Cleveland, OH, Charlotte, NC, and Norfolk,VA. The events were coordinated entirely by volunteers. Many of them met up through online communities including mothering.com - in fact, several women remarked that they had first learned of the upcoming nurse-in at mothering.com.
Barbara Walters, creator, executive producer, and co-host of ABC's "The View," stated after the event that "No one is against breastfeeding, certainly I am not." She claims that protesters had misunderstood prior comments made by herself and other members of “The View”, and was "surprised" that a reaction had ensued. However, a review of her original remarks on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show revealed that in fact, she had originally spoken unfavorably regarding public breastfeeding. In addition to the original negative comments, protesters were also responding to the praise and celebration surrounding the formula bottle-feeding of one cast member’s infant.
With its stop-sign red colored cover, a vital new book is indeed causing readers to halt, and to think. “Evidence of Harm” by David Kirby has earned much attention since its recent release: acclaim from mainstream literary critics, defensive retorts from governmental agencies and corporate interests, and the grateful praise of parents and advocates within the autism community. Why? Because “Evidence of Harm” is an in-depth exploration of the controversy surrounding mercury in vaccines and the autism epidemic. Veteran author Kirby does not approach this subject matter to grandstand, nor does he issue his own verdict. Instead, he organizes an unprecedented amount of compelling, solidly researched information, along with glimpses into the lives and activism of families with autistic children, and lets the story tell itself. The result is a non-fiction expose that reads like an engaging thriller.
Many appreciative groups in the autism community want to increase the book’s prominence and reach more readers. They also want the book to top bestseller lists, and are asking that on June 8th, you buy copies of “Evidence of Harm” from Amazon.com. According to Financial Times, “Big Pharma’s fortunes are tethered…to the Amazon.com sales rank of Evidence of Harm.” So log on and buy a copy (or two or three). Read the book yourself, or give to other parents, physicians, legislators, and journalists. Help spread the word!
Click here to buy the book at Amazon.com
For more information on the book, click here.
June 7th - Call In Day to President Bush, Congress,& The First Lady
At the beginning of May, Mothering alerted readers to a campaign by Unlocking Autism (UA) and the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), asking them to call or fax the White House and demand that mercury be removed from all vaccines. Apparently, so many calls were placed that by 8:45 a.m. the White House asked UA to stop the event. UA replied that they had been talking with parents of autistic kids for years, and thought that the White House could handle it for a day. Having obviously made an impact, UA and the NVIC want to do it again. June 7th is the kick-off for another call/ fax-a-thon. For more information, visit www.unlockingautism.orgCALLING ALL NYC AREA BREASTFEEDERS!!!!!
MAD MOMMIES PLAN TO NURSE IN PLAIN VIEW
Lactating Women Holding A "Nurse-In" As A Response To Comments Made on ABC's "The View".
A Nurse-In is set to take place at 11 AM on Monday, 06 June 2005 outside of ABC's studios at 67th Street and Columbus Avenue in New York City, where taping of the daytime talk show The View takes place.
Lactating mothers and their supporters from the Greater New York Metropolitan Area, including Long Island, Westchester County, New Jersey and Pennsylvania will all be converging on ABC's studio to protest comments made by cast members of The View. The breastfeeding mothers are protesting the general anti-breastfeeding attitude of the co-hosts of The View and comments made concerning their opinions that breastfeeding and nursing in public is "gross and disgusting" in nature. The mothers are also upset about the celebratory nature of an announcement made concerning the first bottle of formula given to the infant daughter of Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the youngest and newest cast member who also gave birth recently.
The lactivists will be promoting breastfeeding and emphasizing its positive benefits for both mother and child, including lower rates of breast cancer, reduced incidences of childhood obesity and asthma, as well as stronger immune systems in breastfed infants and toddlers.
The World Health Organization recommends formula only as a fourth option for feeding infants, behind breast milk, expressed breast milk and donor breast milk (from humans, not animals). Even formula companies include disclaimers in their advertising that breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants. As well, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that "pediatricians and parents should be aware that exclusive breastfeeding is sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months of life and provides continuing protection against diarrhea and respiratory tract infection. Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child."
The Nurse In has been coordinated completely by volunteers.
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