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By: Suewayne Burke, YWTF-ATL’s Project Manager, Spelman College, c/o 2013

As a woman, I was a little disappointed in myself for not being aware that April is sexual assault awareness month.  Fortunately, it is never too late to get informed. Take Back The Night is an international event held to raise awareness about sexual violence against women and I must say on the night of April 10^th, 2012 Georgia State University did a phenomenal job. Along with the Younger Women’s Task Force, several other non-profits like the Feminist Women’s Health Center and the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center attended this in event and each organization did its part in providing the audience with personal accounts both solemn and triumphant, of women and children making it through these unimaginable situations. With alarming statistics like “97% of rapists will never go to jail” I imagined everyone in the audience was as shocked and appalled as I was.

Listening to those stories of survival was inspiring. I almost wanted to put on a cape and fight these crimes against women all by myself, but taking the law into your own hands is frowned upon. Nevertheless, this rally put a little more fuel to my fire when it comes to service. Sitting there in the audience just listening instantly made me want to do more. The march following the rally was just as inspiring. Georgia State University’s sprawling campus twists through downtown Atlanta which made spreading our message of anti-violence that more valuable because we were not only engaging students, but pedestrians and drivers as well. We took back the night, for victims who were survivors and for those who still need to be rescued.

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Happy Spring Everyone!  We’re well into April and YWTF-ATL is quite busy this month.  So we hope to see you at any and all of our upcoming events this month!

Tuesday, April 10th, 7:00-9:00pm:  GSU’s Take Back the Night

Board members, Trang Nguyen and Amber English spoke on sexual violence prevention at the event.  Our intern, Suewayne Burke was also in attendance and will be blogging about her experience.  Stay tuned.   Together we rallied with GSU’s students around campus, chanting “Break the silence, NO MORE VIOLENCE!” April is Sexual Violence Awareness Month!  

Friday, April 13th, 1:00pm: The Voice of Younger Women: Breaking the Silence

Listen Here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ywtf-atl-/2012/04/13/the-voice-of-younger-women-breaking-the-silence-with-9to5#

Tuesday, April 17th, 2:30EST:  Equal Pay Day @Georgia State Captiol, Room 230

Our wonderful partners, 9to5, is rallying for Equal Pay!!!  Because unfortunately, we’re still struggling in 2012!  Be a part of this conversation!

Do married women in the labor force make more money than single women?
Do African-American women with a college degree make as much as white men with a college degree?
How much does the 20 cents wage gap between men and women amount to over a lifetime?

http://www.9to5.org/local/atlanta/ourwork/events/equal-pay-day

Wednesday, April 18th, 7:00pm-8:30pm, CNNDialogues@ Rialto Center for the Arts

Our partners at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights have two wonderful talks this month.  This first one is entitled, “Today’s Other America: Living in Poverty”  Should be great, y’all.  Join us in the conversation!

http://www.civilandhumanrights.org/Act/Programs/CNNDialogues_Tickets.html

Wednesday, April 25th, 7:00pm-9:00pm:  Education Under Fire Film Event @Carter Center

We’re very excited about this film!  We can never stop talking about education!!http://www.civilandhumanrights.org/Act/EventCalendar/Education_Under_Fire_Film_Event.html

Saturday, April 28th, 10:00am-12:00pm:  Legislative Review with League of Women Voters of Atlanta-Fulton County (LWVAFC) @Roswell Library

YWTF-ATL is co-sponsoring this event with the League of Women Voters.  Come join us in the conversation and learn more about the policies that are impacting your life, Atlantans!

Phew!  A busy busy month filled with important issues and causes.  We’re all the more thankful to be a part of this community!

FB: http://www.facebook.com/ywtfatlanta

Twitter: @ywtfatlanta

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Written by Amber English, YWTF Atlanta’s Policy and Advocacy Director

We’re finally all rested up after the whirlwind that was the 2012 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly. Although this year was a “shorter” session calendar-wise (they usually run well into April), just about everybody agrees it felt way too long.

Even with a short session, there were some tough blows dealt to Georgians, particularly young women. The bill you may have heard most about was HB 954, the controversial bill that bans abortions after 20 weeks regardless of a woman’s individual circumstance. During the final week of session, many news reports considered the bill all but dead. But in  final hours of session the bill was revived and passed through both chambers–despite testimony from doctors, legal scholars, and women all in opposition to the legislation.
 

The reason so many groups opposed the bill is that the consequences–both to women and the state– are far too great. First of all the bill is unconstitutional because it provides no exception for the health of a woman. So if a woman is diagnosed with cancer later in her pregnancy, her physician would be unable to provide abortion care to allow the woman to begin life-saving cancer treatment.  An unconstitutional bill also increases the chance that the state will spend lots of money defending the law in court. Money we all know Georgia doesn’t have a lot of.
Speaking of money, another bill passed in the final hours of session cut unemployment benefits from 26 weeks down to 20 weeks. With the average job search taking longer than ever in this economy, this will only tighten the strap around families facing unemployment.

There were some good measures proposed this legislative session, unfortunately some of them didn’t make it to the governors desk.  One bill that YWTF-ATL followed would have allowed employees to use sick leave to care for sick children or family members. HB 432, which was sponsored by Rep. Katie Dempsey, made great progress this session but ultimately stalled in committee.

Just about everyone can agree on the importance of this bill–especially anyone who has had to take time off from work to care for a sick family member. It’s also worth noting that many of Georgia’s top employers already follow this practice.  A colleague described the lessons of this session best: all elections have consequences. As much as we pay attention to presidential elections we really have to watch our state and local races too. The laws made at these levels are likely to affect us right away, and if we aren’t careful, they are likely to be passed without us knowing about them,
Speaking of elections, another good bill that was introduced but didn’t pass was a measure that would expand the use of college ID’s for voting. Right now, only students at state schools can use their school ID to go vote. HB 707 would have expanded that to include a set list of private institutions. We already know how hard it can be to get young voters to the polls, and this is just one more barrier to that. Hopefully, we’ll see that legislation revisited in 2013.

In the meantime, as young women we need to be watchful during the upcoming election season. It’s not enough to simply vote for “the same team”. Where do the candidates stand on the issues? Does your candidate see your issues as a priority? If we want to see legislative sessions with better outcomes for the younger women of Georgia, these are the questions we have to ask.

Please don’t delay to keep the pressure on by contacting your own Senator and Representative  – to ensure that private medical decisions remain with the woman, in consultation with her doctor and her trusted family members. 

TAKE ACTION.  To find your Georgia State legislators, please visit Project Vote Smart.  Your Georgia State Senator and Representative are listed under the State Legislative category. You will need to enter your complete address or 9-digit zip code to find your district.

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YWTF-ATL supports our partner, 9to5.org, in their efforts to improve the lives of women in the workforce.

JOIN US or CONTACT your representatives:

Tuesday, March 6 10am CLOB Room 415 We need your show of support by attending this hearing!  Please also take a moment to call the Committee members listed below, who have agreed to vote yes on HB 432.  We will need them present for this vote! Rep Dee Dawkins-Haigler        dee.dawkins-haigler@house.ga.gov Rep Pedro Marin                     marinstatehouse@aol.com Rep Margaret Kaiser               mkaiser2@comcast.net Rep Doug McKillip                  doug@dougmckillip.com Rep Kip Smith                        kip.smith@house.ga.gov Rep Hugh Floyd                      hughfloyd@mindspring.com Rep Terry England                 englandhomeport2@windstream.net

Sponsored by Rep. Katie Dempsey (R-Rome), HB 432 will allow employees to use their own sick days for care of immediate family members. The bill has bipartisan support, including cop-sponsorship by Reps. Manning, Smith, McKillip, Sims and Kaiser.

Employers, classrooms and workplaces all benefit when working family members are able to keep sick children at home and ensure that ill family members get the care they need.

The Need
Today, women make up more than 50% of our workforce. Over 65% of mothers work outside the home. Where both parents work and in single parent households, a sick child creates a crisis. No one can ‘plan’ for a child’s illness. Without flexible use of sick days, parents resort to sending sick children to school, spreading germs to other students and teachers.

A Realistic, Cost-Effective Policy
Allow use of existing employer-provided sick days for illness of an employee’s child, spouse or parent. Eight states currently have laws providing access to sick days for ill family members.

Proposed legislation would require no expansion of the benefits provided under the employer’s sick leave policy. It would simply allow employees added flexibility by using sick days that they have already earned, through existing company policies, in cases where the illness of a family member requires them to remain with a child, parent or spouse.

The Family Care Act will Benefit Employers and Families
 A study conducted by Wake Forest University shows that increased work flexibility reduces absences for illness and improves job commitment. Workers also were less likely to indicate that health issues affected their job performance. (Grzywacz & Casey, 2008).

How can workplace flexibility promote the health of your organization?
 Reduce health care costs  Improve job performance
 Increase commitment and loyalty  Reduce hiring and re-training costs
 Lower absenteeism  Decrease employee turnover
Source: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Effective Workplace Series

We commend local employers who are good citizens and provide family care days for their employees, including Delta Airlines, the State of Georgia, Federal Home Loan Bank and SunTrust Bank.
Georgia Job/Family Collaborative
www.gajobfamily.org
404/222-0037
gajobfamily@yahoo.com

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We’ve been working on different ways to engage young women in the on-going dialogue that is critical to women of all ages, reproductive health!

So we were so very excited to be at Spelman College for their Market Friday this past Friday, Feb. 24th.  It was even more exciting to have our board members, Terica Scott and Trang Nguyen, our policy intern and current Spelman Junior Suewayne Burke, along with one of our favorite partners, Planned Parenthood, who had their national campus organizer in town to join us, Ms. Kersha Deibel!!!! And more importantly, we were talking to students about saying NO to HB954!

Here are a few pictures!

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Your voice is always important to us.  Join YWTF-ATL and the Feminist Women’s Health Center so we can collectively tell our legislators NO on HB954!

Tuesday, February 28  ( TOMORROW)

9 am SHARP!!

Where: Coverdell Legislative Building, Room 328

18 Capitol Sq SW

Atlanta, GA 30334-9059

Note: You will need a photo ID to be admitted, and the security guard will scan your bags!

Please dress professionally – we will go to the Capitol to lobby after the training in Coverdell.

What to know: Meet us in Coverdell 328 at 9 am for the training, which should last about an hour before we walk over together to the Capitol.

We anticipate being done between noon and 1pm, but you can stay as long as you can!

Parking: You can park in the decks surrounding the Capitol, but prices range from $3-10 so arrive early and choose wisely! See the attached map for a guide. We do recommend you at least carpool or take…

Light breakfast and coffee  will be provided.

  

Can’t make it out tomorrow?

YWTF-ATL still need your help to advocate this session:  

• Join the YWTF-ATL Policy and Advocacy commitee today and become a Advocate -At-Large! 
• Write a blog and share a story on how legislation has impacted your life.
• To get involved, email us today at ywtfatlanta@ywtf.org! 

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Legislators continue to forget that WOMEN know what is best for their OWN bodies.  At a recent panel hearing on birth control requirements, women’s voices were excluded.  This is getting personal!

Here in Georgia, we have our very own battle to fight.  Let your voices be heard and present.  Join YWTF-ATL and the Feminist Women’s Health Center along with Planned Parenthood Southeast, who have been tirelessly working to collectively raise our voices in saying NO to HB954!!

What would be like for women if HB954 were to pass:

• HB 954 leaves no exception for serious fetal anomalies that would present during the middle weeks of a pregnancy. Most pregnant women undergo an anatomy scan ultrasound at approximately 20 weeks. Often, when a scan indicates a potential, serious complication, the physician may ask the woman to wait an additional week before returning for additional testing. Thus, in many instances, HB 954 would force families to make premature decisions regarding whether or not a pregnancy termination is necessary, as well as it would force a woman to carry a fetus to term in cases where there are serious physical deformities, injuries or a fatal condition.

• Later abortions are rare. Nationally, less than 1.4% of abortions occur past 20 weeks.

• It is vital that physicians have the ability to protect their patient’s health by providing an abortion when medically appropriate. For ex., if a woman is diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy, or who becomes pregnant when she has cancer, she must have an abortion in order to receive lifesaving cancer treatment. Women can also experience health conditions related to the pregnancy itself, such as preeclampsia or high blood pressure, conditions that could threaten her health.

• HB 954 contains no exception for rape or incest.

• Passage of HB 954 would require a fiscal note and revenue budgeted in order to fulfill the reporting requirements of the bill. HB 954 requires the Dept. of Community Health to collect substantial data from physicians who perform abortions and to issue a public report providing statistics from all the reports from the previous calendar year. Such requirements will affect more than obstetricians, gynecologists and peri-natalogists, as E.R. doctors will also be burdened.

• HB 954 does not require protection of the identity of the physicians, who performed or attempted to perform the abortions, in the public report to be published by the Department of Community Health. There are a number of cases of murder and violence against physicians who perform legal abortions in the U.S. This would place OB/GYN’s and Emergency Room Physicians in Georgia at serious personal risk when complying with HB 954

So stand up Georgia, lend your voice, say NO to HB954!!! Contact the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee Members here.

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Younger Women’s Task Force Atlanta Metro Chapter
Legislative Agenda and Policy Platform 2012

Support Reform of Economic and Employment Legislation for Younger Women
Help YWTF by supporting work/life balance and reducing barriers to women’s success and safety in the workplace.
• We support the Family Care Act (HB 432), which would allow workers to use sick leave to care for family members as well as to care for their own illness.
• We advocate for best practices that help low-income families leave poverty, including: increasing childcare subsidies, providing education and training to low-wage workers, and raising the state minimum wage.

Support Ending Sexual Prostitution and Human Trafficking for Young Teens in Georgia
Up to 500 girls are prosecuted in the City of Atlanta for illegal prostitution per month. Help YWTF by supporting amendments to current state laws to end the exploitations of young women in Georgia.

Support funding for health and social services for younger women:
Help YWTF by supporting an increase in government funding to support family planning services in the FY 2011 Supplemental Budget and FY 2012, for community health and social services in Atlanta and Georgia.
• We support HB 345, which would extend Medicaid coverage to children and pregnant women who are lawfully admitted aliens, provided they meet program eligibility requirements.

Support Healthcare for younger women:
Help YWTF by supporting affordable health care options for younger women to make better health choices, and maintain current insurance coverage for monograms, pap smears and birth control.

Support Ending Violence against Women in Georgia:
Help YWTF by supporting legislation to end violence against women in Atlanta and Georgia. Any violence against women that is unlawful is considered a basic violation of human rights. Help YWTF by supporting FY2012 funding to fund programs to help women victims of violence to have access to services, shelters and other resources to live independently from prior environments of violence.
• Violence against women is a learned behavior, and early education is key to preventing this violence in our youth population. We support legislation that would incorporate a program for preventing teen dating violence into rape prevention and personal safety education programs. (HB 283)

Support Environment Protection and Reconstruction
Help YWTF by supporting legislation to preserve the natural resources of Georgia and to end global climate change.
• We support legislation and policies that protect our environment and improve the quality of air and water in the metro Atlanta area and limit toxic exposure.

Chapter Purpose
The purpose of YWTF-ATL is to translate, transform, and improve systems, policies, and cultural imperatives to create, promote, and sustain an empowering, enriching, and enterprising community for young women aged 20-39 who live and work in the Atlanta area.

The vision of the YWTF-ATL is to enrich the lives of younger women, through the following efforts:

1. Promoting Consciousness Among Members and Community
2. Advocating for Diversity and Inclusion
3. Promoting the Empowerment, Education, and Integration of Younger Women in Atlanta Society
4. Establishing Opportunities for Mutual Mentoring and Sharing
5. Advocating for Economic Justice
6. Promoting Strategic Resource Sharing and Building
7. Promoting Relationship Building
8. Exemplifying Sisterhood and Sisterly Relations
9. Participating in Community Building Efforts
10. Maintaining a Local Focus for Activities and Projects
11. Organizing and Executing Grassroots Efforts and Collaborative Approaches

Chapter Mission
The Younger Women’s Task Force, a project of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, is a nationwide, diverse, and inclusive grassroots movement dedicated to organizing younger women and their allies to take action on issues that matter most to them. The Atlanta Metro Chapter is committed to promoting and implementing programs and policies for the benefit, empowerment, and growth of women aged 20-39 so that they may thrive as productive, active, healthy, and prominent contributors in their communities and personal lives.

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