STILL MISSING IN THE U.S.: WOMEN’S COLLECTIVE AUTHORITY (Part C)

STILL MISSING IN THE U.S.: WOMEN’S COLLECTIVE AUTHORITY – Part C
Resources for Inspiration and Action (3 parts)
Posted: November 27, 2016

Part A. Events
Part B. Current Messages for Inspiration
–Reactions to U.S. Election
–Standing Rock
–Waging Peace
Part C. Creating New Foundations for Life: Practical 21st Century Initiatives

C. CREATING NEW FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE:  PRACTICAL 21ST CENTURY INITIATIVES
These are on-going and growing areas of practical activism that are
— attracting women and/or being led by women
— but that are largely being ignored by politicians, officials, and media

There is no way that this can be a comprehensive list of all the good people and projects that are happening. I offer this as a giant and multi-faceted symbol of hope and optimism for replacing a wounded human society with a beautiful and united one — and for identifying real places of positive action in which anyone can engage.

1. Food-and-farm councils
—  Women, Food, and Agriculture Network – WFAN (Ames, Iowa)
— Food Policy Network (FPN) – Johns Hopkins University, Center for a Livable Future
— National Family Farm Coalition  (Washington, DC)
— Real Food Challenge – college student network

2. Public banking, public money
— Public Banking Institute – Ellen Brown, founder
— Debt or Democracy: Public Money for Sustainability and Social Justice – 2015 book by Mary Mellor (UK)
— NEED Act HR 2990 (U.S. House of Representatives): looking for a new Congressional sponsor
— American Monetary Institute (NY)
— Black Church Center for Justice and Equality – Rev. Delman Coates, The New Abolitionism (MD, DC)

3. Participatory democracy, civil discourse, creative conversations
a.  Participatory budgeting
— Participatory Budgeting Project (NY, Chicago, other cities)
— Documentary film about PB in Chicago: Count Me In (Ines Sommer, Sommer Filmworks)
b.  Dialogue & deliberation
— National Coalition of Dialogue & Deliberation (Sandy Heierbacher, PA)
c.  Citizen ballot initiatives (state, local)
— Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, BISC (DC)

4. Cooperative economic models, gift economies
— Gift Economy  – Genevieve Vaughn (TX)
— Cometrics.com (Boston, NYC)  Rosemary Mahoney, Senior Advisor – dubbed the “Queen of Co-ops”
Individual food co-ops (Chicago area):
— Dill Pickle Co-op
— Sugar Beet Co-op
— Rogers Park Food Co-op (a mother-daughter collaboration)

5. Independent and diverse media
— The OpEd Project (NYC)

6. Women’s legal & governance models – historical North America
Barbara Alice Mann – Seneca Bear Clan (Univ. of Toledo) books
— Editor:  Make a Beautiful Way: The Wisdom of Native American Women (4 essays)
— Author:  Iroquoian Women: The Gantowisas

7. Women’s legal & governance models – 21st century U.S.
— Women, Peace and Security Bill of 2016 — U.S. HR5332
Sponsor, Rep. Kristi Noem – SD; co-sponsor, Rep. Jan Schakowsky – IL (my congresswoman)
— Jeannette Armstrong – Okanagan (En’owkin Centre, British Columbia)

8. The Earth: Natural resource conservation & restoration
— Great Lakes Commons
— Derrick Jensen – books, radio podcasts, YouTubes (CA)
— Tree Sisters  (UK)

9. Health (personal & community): Wise women traditions
— Unveiled Wellness – Venessa Rodriguez (Chicago)
— Wise Woman Center – Susun Weed (NY)
— ReVisioning Medicine Council – Deena Metzger (CA)

10. Education (youth): Hands-on, living skills
— National Farm to School (Chicago, DC + 50 state chapters)
— Wisconsin Farmers Union Kamp Kenwood (WI)
— Nature’s Farm Camp (IL)
— Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center (CIADC) – for adults, too

11. Education (adult): lost histories, practical citizenship
— Suppressed Histories Archives: Restoring women to cultural memory, political analysis, spiritual awareness – books, articles, presentations, archives by Max Dashu (CA)
— An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States – book by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (CA)
— Grassroots groups of all kinds

12. Spiritual technologies
— Birthing paint:  Sacred Link – book by Kay Cordell Whitaker (Santa Fe, NM)
— Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Wisdom: The Feminine Face of Awakening – book of interviews by Rita Marie Robinson (CO)
— The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise – book by Martin Prechtel (NM)
— Victor Oddo – 21st Century Lightseeker

13. Peace-making: restorative justice, mediation
— Institute for Circlework – Jalaja Bonheim (Ithaca, NY)
— The Sacred Ego: Making Peace with Ourselves and Our World – book by Jalaja Bonheim
— Inclusive Security trains and advocates for women peace negotiators
— International Institute for Peace – program on women, peace, and security