Save Women Now – Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

The Choice Americans Must Make for Human Rights

On November 6, 2012 in the United States, Americans will have elections throughout the country. They will be voting on many important issues of human rights at a state level and at a national level, they will vote in elections for their national representative and their next president.

Whatever choice you make as an American on Election Day, there is one choice that Americans must make in terms of Human Rights.

That is to choose one person to be committed and really make a difference for human rights in our nation: YOU.

Of all the candidates, all the speeches, all of the campaigns, none of them can really make a difference without your support. While we will vote on November 6, the human rights campaigns for our nation and our world will continue on November 7.

On November 7, no matter which campaign is successful, we will continue to have the continuing campaigns for human rights to lead.

On November 7, no matter which cause is advanced, we will continue to have the continuing cause of human equality, liberty, and universal human rights to complete.

On November 7, no matter who is elected into office, we will have one person that we need to look to for responsibility in our future – that person is YOU, and we will need you to continue to be Responsible for Equality And Liberty.

On November 7 (and every day), it will always be a good day to be responsible for human rights, a good day to be responsible for women’s rights and Constitutional equality, a good day for racial harmony, a good day to work for equal rights for people of every sexual orientation, a good day for freedom of religion and conscience, a good day to show respect to our brothers and sisters in humanity of every identity group, a good day to work for equality without question and without exception….and a good day to be responsible for equality and liberty – in America and around the world.

Make the Choice – to be the one committed to equality and liberty for all.

Darfur Women Action Symposium Promotes Women’s Dignity, Rights – “It’s Not Over” in Darfur

On Saturday, October 27, 2012, the Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) began a two day Darfur Women Action Symposium at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., with a goal to continue to empower women in Darfur and Sudan. The event was led by Niemat Ahmadi, who created the DWAG organization to work with Darfur women, advance human rights, and continue public education on the human rights issues on Darfur. The symposium had panelists on women’s rights and Darfur issues, as well as individuals testifying on their personal accounts. The symposium also included films shown on Darfur, activism training, and a women’s empowerment concert performed by “Midnight Child.” It concluded on Sunday, October 28 with a round table discussion to discuss strategies for change.

As stated in their vision, DWAG “works with victims and survivors of the Darfur genocide in the Diaspora and back home in Sudan, providing them with more access to the tools that will enable them to lead the effort to combat violence, address massive human rights abuses in their society and work with others to prevent future atrocities and promote global peace. The core priority for Darfur Women Action Group lies in advancing human rights and supporting Darfuri to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.”

DWAG maintains a website and a Facebook page which provides ongoing information about its programs and activities. DWAG founder and president Niemat Ahmadi has spoken on CNN, at numerous functions and rallies to educate the public on Darfur, and has also appeared in Human Rights Day events led by Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) to speak on Darfur issues, including comments in December 2010 and December 2011 (part 1, part 2) at the National Press Club.

On Saturday morning, the symposium speakers included representatives from the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), WE ADVANCE, Darfur Interfaith Network (DIN), Women Empowering Women, and other activists. Attendees included supporters and activists from George Washington University, American University, and activists from One Million Bones and other human rights organizations, including Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.). Some attendees traveled from Los Angeles, CA, Philadelphia, PA, and New York City, NY, including high school students who were working to promote awareness of Darfur women’s issues among their fellow students. Attendees included members of the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG), which posted their own summary on the Saturday morning portion of the symposium.

Emira Woods of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) served as the moderator for discussions. Ms. Woods stated that the public needed to continue to become aware of the oppression of women in Darfur, and the ongoing problem of and that she urged everyone work towards helping internally displaced people (IDP) who have been forced to flee Sudan. Ms. Woods spoke out against rape and violence against women, speaking about how women in society must continue to challenge such violence and hate. Emira Woods stated “you strike a woman, and you strike a rock.”

emira-woods-ips — Emira Woods, Director of Foreign Policy in focus, Institute of Policy studies, speaks at DWAG conference: "Strike a woman, and you strike a rock."

Emira Woods introduced a DWAG film describing the problems of continuing rape and abuse of women in Darfur. The DWAG film urged the public to help the cause of Darfur women acting to rebuild their lives and to end the genocide and oppression against women. In the film, DWAG founder Niemat Ahmadi spoke about the oppression of women and the fears for her own safety, but that “for me to die is no different than those people who are dying.” Niemat Ahmadi remembered those oppressed and those “imprisoned in the IDP camps,” urging the public “let us promise ourselves and hold ourselves back that there is still something we can do to save others, to give hope and to give life to others.” The DWAG video recounted details of the millions killed, the 25 million displaced, the 4 thousand villages burned, the use of the Janjaweed militia to kill children and others, and the use of rape as a weapon of war.

dwagvideostill1 — DWAG Film: Founder Niemat Ahmadi urges the public to give hope and life to others

Darfur Women Action Group leader Niemat Ahmadi spoke at the symposium. Niemat Ahmadi expressed her thanks to the many people working to support Darfuri women and promote change for human rights and dignity in Darfur and Sudan. She praised the resilience and courage of the Darfuri women in their efforts to reclaim their position of respect in society. She pointed out that we must not allow people to tell us that the genocide is over in Darfur and Sudan. “It is not over,” Niemat Ahmadi stated, and she pointed out that there continues to be violence, killings, and oppression of Darfuri women and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP).

Niemat Ahmadi explained how women were previously treated with more respect in the traditional Darfur and Sudanese society. She explained how rape was used as a weapon of war to attack Darfur society, where chastity was an important value among the predominantly Muslim women in Darfur, and was intended to divide families, villages, and society. Niemat Ahmadi had worked with women who were raped to provide counseling, support, and courage; she encouraged Darfuri women to take a stand against such violence against women. Niemat Ahmadi urged such Darfuri women to use their talents and their strengths, and reject being viewed as victims. In addition, she noted that the issues for Darfuri women were not unlike problems for women in Nuba region, South Kordofan, and Khartoum. She urged that women continue to be part of the peace process in Sudan and Darfur.

Her influence in organizing the Darfuri women was viewed as a threat by the Sudanese government. As a result, she explained how the Sudanese government sought to prevent meetings of groups of Darfuri women. Niemat Ahmadi then how she used the concept of “movable meetings,” with two women meeting at a time, to share information and to spread the word on ways to combat the violence and oppression that they faced. Niemat Ahmadi described her desire to stay and continue to help those women in the IDP camps, but she was urged to come to the United States to use her influence and voice here to help Darfuri women. She urged women to end the stigma and silence regarding the violence against Darfuri women, and urged people in the United States and the world to use their influence to help change the future for women and children of Darfur. She thanked the various individuals who came to the symposium from various parts of the country, and the groups represented there.

niematdwag — Niemat Ahmadi, Founder and President of Darfur Women Action Group

Human rights activist Maria Bello, and co-founder of WE ADVANCE, addressed the issues of women’s rights around the world, including the efforts to help the women of Haiti. She discussed her efforts in helping women in Haiti was focused on what local people needed. Based on understanding the people, the WE ADVANCE group focused their efforts on promoting women’s clinics, educational classes, and digital educational platforms. Maria Bello stated that WE ADVANCE developed an interactive university, promoted women’s centers, and supported the development of women’s radio stations to empower women. She stated that the women’s centers had a way to also alert women as to instances of rape, so that they could respond to such violence. She indicated that the digital educational platforms could be used in other countries as well. Maria Bello also described the importance of foreign aid goals to focus on deliverables that include stories of empowerment and strength. On a broader level, Maria Bello described what she called a “revelation revolution,” which seeks to end the idea of women as victims, but focuses instead on women empowering themselves around the world – economically, in human rights, and in their societies.

Human rights student activist Charlotte Nguyen spoke of her family’s role as Cambodian refugees, whose family had been attacked by the Khmer Rouge, so she had personal experience in understanding the need to stop those committing genocide. When she was a 16 year old student, she attempted to create an anti-genocide petition, but it was rejected, and she held a sit-in, which resulted her being suspended and failing calculus (since her suspension prevented her from taking high school examinations). In promoting human rights, she became a part of a U.N. human rights organization traveling to Sudan, and she learned of the “profound disconnect” between activism here and on the need of the people in Sudan. She came away with the realization that the Darfuri people were not voiceless, but had their own voice and wanted to fight their own battles. But at the heart of the human rights efforts were strong Darfur women. She urged the public to move from charity to engagement, recommended that the public listen more rather than offer our own solutions, and since women are at the center of the war zone in Sudan, she stated that they must also be at the center of any peace and resolution in Sudan.

Hawa Mohamed came forward to testify on her personal account of violence against women in Darfur, and how she sought to speak for those left behind. She told of how over 20 people had been raped in her village. She stated that even young children were being raped. She urged the world to continue to hold Omar Al Bashir responsible for his actions. She stated that now that she is in the United States, she is learning English so that she can gain employment and hoped that the next time she spoke it would be in English. Niemat Ahmadi joined with Hawa Mohamed to provide a translation of her story into English.

A leader of the Darfur Interfaith Network (DIN) spoke about the efforts of that group, and their continuing efforts working with the Sudanese diaspora, which meets once a month at the Washington Hebrew Congregation. The group is also affiliated with Act for Sudan. She stated that she was inspired by a discussion of the Darfur genocide in 2000 at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, recognizing that it is a “modern day Holocaust,” and feeling that she had to get involved in some way to work to end these crimes against humanity.

She explained how the Darfur Interfaith Network (DIN) had a public rally every third Sunday of the month at the Sudan Embassy in Washington, D.C., from 1:30 to 2:30 PM. She stated that the group’s activities were described at a Facebook page for “Hope for Darfur Justice in Sudan,” which was the basis for beginning such interfaith rallies. She urged the public to contact their government officials and their Congressional representative to call for change in Sudan. [NOTE: In addition to the monthly DIN rallies at the Sudan embassy, the next “Hope for Dafur – Justice in Sudan” rally is scheduled for Spring 2013, according to the group’s Facebook site.]

Several individuals involved with DWAG spoke to tell about their involvement and support:

— One Darfuri woman spoke about her appreciation for the organization and its activities, who “are like my family,” and who provide an opportunity to “share my stories.”

— Another activist spoke about how the group taught “people how to grow”

— Human rights activist Carol Nezzo spoke about her joy in being involved in any effort to empower women, and she spoke about the importance of people learning about African cultures and people. She blew a whistle and said that she sought to “call foul” on those individuals who sought to oppress Darfuri women and any women around the world.

Mr. Khalid Geasis spoke about his appreciation of efforts to restore Sudan’s culture, which traditionally had great respect and honor for women. He stated that traditionally women were the center of the culture, and Sudan was ruled by queens, prior to invasion by outside patriachal influences in the Sudanese culture, which have since sought to marginalize women and women’s rights.

Human rights activist Carol Bluer-Bate spoke about the Women Empowering Women movement, and focused on issues of channeling activism for positive goals and human dignity. She spoke about her efforts to help survivors of torture, and her efforts to bring women together for discussion and support. She spoke about the need not to allow oppression to gain power over human beings, and she urged her fellow human beings to “love your enemies” as their brothers and sisters in humanity.

darfurphotos — Darfuri Photos - shown at the symposium

darfurgroup — Photo of Darfuri People - displayed at symposium

Responsible for Equality and Liberty (R.E.A.L.) looks forward to the opportunity to host the Darfur Women Action Group to speak at our December 10 Human Rights Day event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. this year.

Our Response to the World War Against Women

This year on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2012, we find a growing World War against Women.

Some expected the next world war to be between nations, but it is clear that the current world war is by misogynists, extremists, groups, and men with a common cause: to oppress, degrade, dehumanize, and kill women. Such a coordinated attack by such an axis forces of misogyny is nothing less than a World War against Women.

In every part of the world, women are struggling for their universal human rights of dignity, equality, liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of conscience. Women are struggling against human trafficking and slavery. Women are struggling against misogyny, violence, rape, and murder. We see women attacked by acid, women raped for seeking freedom, women sexually abused due to poverty, women raped and killed as a military tactic by sadists, women oppressed and abused, women denied education and opportunities, and women treated with disrespect and gutter language around the world – including by extremists in various areas within the United States of America.

Recognizing the World War Against Women

The World War continues on a daily basis against women. In too many parts of the world, women continue to resist those who claim they deserve death in so-called “honor killings” or by stoning. This is not merely a series of “isolated incidents” in different parts of the world, different nations, and different cultures. We must recognize this for the world war against women that it is.
— In Africa, we have seen women the target of genocide in Sudan, rape in the Congo, stonings in Somalia, religious-rationalized violence in Nigeria, and violence and oppression in many countries.
— In Egypt, even after the loss of the dictator Mubarak in Egypt, we have seen our sisters in humanity raped, beaten, attacked and denied rights.
— In Communist China and North Korea, the government forces there have long oppressed women’s rights to have children, their lives, and their freedom, with women of conscience forced to deny their faiths, and women imprisoned, beaten, and worse in concentration camps that harken to the Nazi era.
— In the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, we have seen minority women the target of abuse, murder, rape, harassment, killings, prison, not just of those with minority religions, but also majority Muslim women targeted for oppression, beaten, and killed, simply because they ARE women.
— In Iran, we have seen women targeted by bully forces that seek to deny their freedom of speech, their right to protest against political regimes, and we have seen the sentencing of women to public stoning.
— In Israel, we see young girls and women harassed by religious extremists who seek to deny them the very right to walk in public, to deny them the right to sit where they want on the bus, and who spit on little girls.
— In the United States, we see so-called “honor killings,” and we see a culture where rape and murder – even of little girls – is too widespread and common. We see sexual harassment and abuse, efforts by extremists to seek to deny freedoms to women, and we see too many who tolerate words of hate and disrespect towards women in private and in public – with America’s so-called leaders in every corner choosing to selectively turn their head when it is not convenient. In America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, we see those who still seek to deny women Constitutional equality and we see bullies degrading women without readily felt consequences.
— These parts of the world are not the only ones with such problems; they are merely examples of the world war against women.

Our Response to a Coalition of Misogyny Against Women

The misogynists against women use different rationale for this world war. Some argue male supremacist views, some claim cultural reasons, some claim religious reasons, and some claim political reasons. But across their different rationales, their different identity groups, and their different nationalities, they have a consistency and an informal coalition – united under the disease of HATE.

Our response to this war against women must NOT be to match the violence and hate of those axis forces aligned against women. We must not offer an upraised fist, but an outstretched hand in our strength of LOVE for one another as sisters and brothers in humanity.

A response to the war against women begins with accepting RESPONSIBILITY. It requires a commitment to recognize that this is not just “someone else’s problem,” but it is our shared struggle. This war will not only attack someone else. Ultimately this global struggle will reach us personally – and it will reach our daughters, our sisters, our wives, our mothers, our friends, and our neighbors. This is no place to hide from or ignore this war against women. Unstopped, it will find its way to each of our front doors.

Our shared responsibility also must realize that we have different gifts, different skills, and different opportunities to end the war and free all of our sisters. We must take whatever personal action we can, appropriate to who we are and what we can do. Some will write. Some will petition. Some will speak. Some will march. Some will ensure existing laws are enforced. Some will create new laws. Some will simply provide comfort and courage to our sisters under attack. Whatever we can do, we must do. A war against women is a war against humanity itself, and we cannot afford to lose.

We must methods that reject hate and violence to seek change. We must demand that existing laws to protect women are enforced. Where laws don’t yet exist, we must build such new laws and new relationships to build love, dignity, respect, and equal rights for our sisters around the world.

We must convince the misogynists of this generation of the errors of their ways, and we must set an example for all of our children – boys and girls – to show them that misogynist views are consistently wrong and unacceptable – no matter who they are directed at. No exceptions.

Where misogynists are united in hate, so we must be united in love. Where they destroy, so we must build. We must build relationships based on mutual respect, dignity, and commitment to our shared universal human rights. But the burning flame of hate requires that act swiftly and with conviction. To reverse the destructive power of misogyny, for every relationship the powers of hate seek to destroy, we must build two new relationships. The relationships we build must be based on our shared universal human rights and our shared love for one another as sisters and brothers in humanity.

We Will Win Individually and Together as One Human Race

This brutal war against women is not simply a series of statistics and news stories. This is personal. The faces and the pain. The tears and the sorrow. In this world war against women, it is essential to remember in the vast statistics of global abuse that these women on the front line in the attack by misogynists are our fellow human beings. We know them. They are people we love and care about. They are family. They are neighbors. They may even be our children.

We will win this war by reaching to defend women around the world – INDIVIDUALLY one woman, one girl, at a time. We must try to change one life, then another, then another. Our efforts to support grand schemes and great ideas are meaningless – if we don’t put them in action for individuals.

But we will also win TOGETHER. While we make change one life at a time, we must not neglect the opportunity to also create new laws, change ways of thinking, and stand in solidarity together against outrageous attacks against our sisters in humanity.

Never in the history of humanity has there been a greater threat, and never in such history has there been a greater opportunity to organize, to work together, and the pool our resources to effect change.

While the misogynists have created their unwitting coalitions of hate against women around the world, we must create conscious, deliberate coalitions of love to defend women around the world. We can find solidarity, strength, shared ideas, and great courage in such coalitions. Our numbers exist, but most of us are fragmented, isolated, and frustrated. Imagine what we could do for women if we ORGANIZED. While any coalition is always difficult with diverse groups having different priorities and issues, if we can agree that we must end the war against women – end the misogyny, end the violence, end the killing, and end the hate – we will be on the right path.

Our group, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.), will be working to help build a new coalition for human rights this summer, and we will be glad to work with any other coalition that is United for Women’s Rights and Dignity.

When we see the waves of hatred against women in America and around the world, it is often daunting; we can wonder if there ever a chance to really change things. But we must never forget that such change comes one person at a time, one imagination at a time, and one commitment to human rights and dignity at a time. We will turn the tide in the war against women. We must be responsible, consistent, and courageous.

A great American president once said: “In the long history of the world, a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility. I welcome it.”

Those of us united for women’s rights and dignity will accept such responsibility.

To those who have declared war on women – know this – every day that war will be coming to an end.

Our sisters will be free.

American Men: Speak Out on American Women’s Dignity and Rights

To the men of America – we need to demonstrate moral courage for our daughters, our sisters, our wives, and our mothers in America today.

We need to speak out and make it perfectly clear as men that we do not accept and we will not tolerate this type of despicable language and treatment of women in America, from any political corner or media figure – whether it is Rush Limbaugh or Bill Maher.

Women’s human rights and women’s inherent dignity as our sisters in humanity are not negotiable in political and public debates of any kind.

There is no political excuse, there is no rationale, there is no argument that justifies or rationalizes anyone in America or anywhere else treating our sisters in humanity without a shred of human decency and dignity.

This type of uncivil, gutter level discussion that we continue to hear about our sisters in humanity has no place in any type of dialogue on political, policy, religious, or public matters of any kind.

Yes, we know there will always those who express hatred and even misogyny.

But for every upraised fist of hatred, we must offer an outstretched hand of compassion and dignity to both our sisters and brothers in humanity — to show both our solidarity and our commitment to defending their universal human rights and their universal human dignity. We choose love, not hate.

When we reflect upon ourselves as human beings and as men, one of the essential elements that we must always be seeking is our conscience, and the courage to never let any circumstances and any conflict in our nation, our society, and our lives undermine the courage to keep that conscience a priority in our lives.

What are our lives worth without our conscience? What are all the things we do, all the things we build, all the things we obtain, if we lose the essence of what it means to be a human being, what it means to be a man, and what it means to be – an American.

Imagine how the rest of the world looks on American men today and wonders – will the men of America have the human decency to speak out in support of their daughters, their sisters, their mothers? Will the men of America have the courage of their conscience?

So I ask the men of America today – you have a voice, you have imagination, you have strength, and you have WILLPOWER. You can change the world. You can find time in your lives to stand up a moment to say to those who would attack, demean, and degrade the women of America.

You can find time to say to those who would dehumanize the women of America – and say ENOUGH.

We might differ on our political views. But we should never differ on the TRUTHS that we hold self-evident – that define us as Americans – that our sisters in America deserve the same equality, the same dignity, and same decency that any American deserves – without question, without reservation, and without exception.

Be responsible for equality and liberty – not just for us men, but also for our sisters in America and in humanity.

Show the world that we American men are NOT represented by the vulgar, disgraceful comments by media and political agitators attacking American women.

Put your name on the line – as one of the many millions of American men respecting women’s equality and dignity….

…simply because it is the right thing to do, it is the human thing to do, and it is the American thing to do.

Sign an online petition showing your support for American women – or make your own statement of support on Facebook.

Jeffrey Imm
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

American Women’s Equal Rights Must Be Part of Our Constitution

To my fellow Americans – on behalf of the human rights coalition Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.), we stand in support of Constitutional rights for women and all Americans, and support the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.), which Americans have been struggling to pass for over 40 years, and there continue to be efforts to extend the deadline to get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified.

So it is astounding to us to hear, from an organization that calls itself the “National Constitutional Center,” that women do not need the Equal Rights Amendment. Nothing could be further from the truth. I would urge the leaders and the Board of Trustees of the “National Constitutional Center” to reconsider this position on the Equal Rights Amendment designed to ensure equal Constitutional rights for all American women.

Our Constitution guarantees rights and liberties consistently everywhere in America – without exception, without caveat, and without question. Our Constitution is intended to be an expansion on the DECLARATION of what it means to be an American – the truths that we hold self-evident. But we are not and we will not be complete as a nation, until our Constitution recognizes these truths not just for men, but also recognizes these truths for women and ALL AMERICANS – as ONE NATION, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

Constitutional equal rights for women is not a left-wing or a right-wing, a liberal or a conservative issue. Constitutional equal rights for women is not a women’s or a men’s issue. Constitutional equal rights for women is an AMERICAN issue. It is our inherited obligation and responsibility to fulfill the truths we hold self-evident for ALL Americans. It is a historic opportunity to pursue the great dream and the great vision that America is and must be not only for us, but also for the world.

Yet I have sat and listened to the stories and tears of American women, whose rights have been abused in different parts of this great nation, and it makes my heart sick. I have heard and I have seen how they been treated as second class citizens, in business, in court, in government, and even by law enforcement. I have seen the uneven application of law and fairness that are basic fundamental principles of those truths that we hold self-evident. I have seen, especially in these days of great poverty among many of our citizens, how they can abused – even sexually abused because they are women, and people in business and people in law-enforcement have not made it a priority to defend their RIGHTS AS AMERICANS.

Perhaps you have not heard such stories; you have not seen such instances of abuse and disgrace across our great nation. But even those who have not heard or seen such shameful violations of American women’s rights have certainly heard and read the public dialogue over the past week. One only has to read the recent news stories and hear the interviews of those who think it is acceptable political dialogue to call American women “prostitutes” (and even more vulgar terms) to get the message of the level of intransigence against women’s rights and dignity. The timing of this latest attack on American women could not be a clearer indication of the threat to American women’s rights and dignity today. It should speak volumes to those who question the need for an Equal Rights Amendment to America’s Constitution.

We cannot and we will not complete the building of our great nation, by neglecting the Constitutional rights of half our country. We cannot and we will not become the nation that we were destined by failing to guarantee the Constitutional rights for our daughters, our sisters, our wives, and our mothers. We cannot and we will not become an American beacon of hope to oppressed women around the world – when we fail to give Constitutional rights to American women at home. We cannot and we will not ever truly become the UNITED States of America that we must be, when we allow and tolerate a division among our Constitutional rights for men and the Constitutional rights that all women should enjoy without question – simply because they are Americans – one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL.

United We Must Stand – as Americans in support of Equal Rights for all women and men in America.

Jeffrey Imm
Founder
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)
https://www.realcourage.org
usa@realcourage.org

==========================

Equal Rights Amendment

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

==========================

Virginia Vote on Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) 2/7 – Call Legislators – Rally Sunday

Time for Virginians to contact their legislature! I have been told Virginia’s Senate Votes on on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) on Tuesday February 7.

Sunday February 5 Event
United 4 Equality LLC also has a pro-E.R.A. rally scheduled for Sunday, February 5 at 1 PM on the walkway on the Key Bridge between Washington DC and Virginia. See their Facebook rally event!. For more information on the Sunday event, contact Holly Joseph 301-325-4740 OR Carolyn Cook 202-309-1963. According to the group “OPTIONAL: Bring a Red Heart balloon (for VA’s state motto – VA…Lovers, a Ratify ERA, VA’ sign and/or your organization’s sign. Parking is free on Sundays but it’s probably just as easy to hop on the Blue/Orange Line Metro to Rosslyn. On the street level, head towards 19th Street and turn right at US Rt. 29 and the first left on N. Lynn Street which takes you to the bridge. We will be gathered on the bridge awaiting your arrival.”

Call Virginia Legislators on E.R.A. Vote!!
— How to Find Your Virginia Legislator
— Virginia House HJ 115 on the E.R.A.
— Virginia Senate SJ 130 on the E.R.A.

Below is a posting from ERA Virginia Facebook website:

“ALERT! ACT NOW!!! First vote is Friday, Feb. 3.We have just learned that the first vote on our ERA bill is tomorrow morning!!! Please send your emails or make your calls NOW!!!Two important committee votes are scheduled for the Virginia ERA bill. Your help is needed to get the Virginia ERA bill through this first hurdle.”

“The bill will be voted on in the House Privileges and Elections Committee at 9:30 am on Friday, Feb 3 and in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Tuesday, Feb 7 at 4:00 pm.”

“This is an important step in the “Three State Strategy” for the Equal Rights Amendment to be ratified in the US Constitution. Last year the Virginia State Senate approved the ERA bill with a bipartisan vote — the first legislative action on the ERA in over 30 years! Unfortunately six men in the House committee killed the progress of this legislation. This year, Virginia NOW is going at it again.”

“Please call or write the following Senators who are on the Senate Privileges and Elections to request that they vote for SJ 130.”

Mark Obenshain (chairman): 804-698-7526; district26@senate.virginia.gov
Janet Howell: 804-698-7532; district32@senate.virginia.gov
Stephen Martin: 804-698-7511; district11@senate.virginia.gov
Creigh Deeds: 804-698-7525; district25@senate.virginia.gov
Phil Puckett: 804-698-7538; district38@senate.virginia.gov
John Edwards: 804-698-7521; district21@senate.virginia.gov
Donald McEachin: 804-698-7509; district09@senate.virginia.gov
Chap Petersen: 804-698-7534; district34@senate.virginia.gov
Ralph Smith: 804-698-7519; district19@senate.virginia.gov
Ralph Northam: 804-698-7506; district06@senate.virginia.gov
Jill Vogel: 804-698-7527; district27@senate.virginia.gov
Jeffrey McWaters: 804-698-7508; district08@senate.virginia.gov
Bill Carrico: 804-698-7540; district40@senate.virginia.gov
Bryce Reeves: 804-698-7517; district17@senate.virginia.gov
Tom Garrett: 804-698-7522; district22@senate.virginia.gov

“Please write or call the following delegates who are on the Privileges and Elections Committee to request that they vote in favor of HJ 115.”
House Privileges and Elections Committee MembersCole (Chair); 804-698-1088, DelMCole@house.virginia.gov
Cosgrove: 804-698-1078; DelJCosgrove@house.virginia.gov
Hugo: 804-698-1040; DelTHugo@house.virginia.gov
Scott: 804-698-1053; DelJScott@house.virginia.gov
Dance: 804-698-1063; DelRDance@house.virginia.gov
Putney: 804-698-1019; DelLPutney@house.virginia.gov
O’Bannon: 804-698-1073; DelJOBannon@house.virginia.gov
Cox, J.A.: 804-698-1055; DelJCox@house.virginia.gov
Alexander: 804-698-1089; DelKAlexander@house.gov
Spruill: 804-698-1077; DelLSpruill@house.virginia.gov
Ingram: 804-698-1062; DelRIngram@house.virginia.gov
Bell, R.B.: 804-698-1058; DelRBell@house.virginia.gov
Ramadan: 804-698-1087; DelRRamadan@house.virginia.gov
Joannou: 804-698-1079; DelJJoannou@house.virginia.gov
Jones: 804-698-1076; DelCJones@house.virginia.gov
Miller (Vice Chair): 804-698-1050; jackson@jacksonmillerva.com
Ransone: 804-698-1099; DelMRansone@house.virginia.gov
Sickles: 804-698-1043; DelMSickles@house.virginia.gov
Albo: 804-698-1042; DelDAlbo@house.virginia.gov
Landes: 804-698-1025; DelSLandes@house.virginia.gov
O’Quinn, Israel: 804-698-1005; DelIOQuinn@house.virginia.gov
Howell: 804-698-1090; DelAHowell@house.virginia.gov

“The Equal Rights Amendment simply states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.” The ERA was passed by the Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification. Thirty-five states ratified it before it stalled in the 1980’s. The non-ratifying states are Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.”

Human Rights Day Event 2011 – Activists Call for Rights, Dignity for All

At the National Press Club in Washington DC, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) coordinated a Human Rights Day event on December 8, inviting co-sponsors from various groups to speak on behalf of human rights issues important to their organizations. The groups remembered the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations on December 10, 1948 and the inherent human rights, human dignity, respect, and social justice that all of our fellow human deserve – of any identity group and in any part of the world.

* Jeffrey Imm, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

* Ahmar Mustikhan, Senior Journalist and Area Expert, Balochistan

* Carolyn Cook, United for Equality

* Jared Pearman, Spokesperson of Falun Dafa Association of Washington DC

* Husain Abdulla, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

* Niemat Ahmadi, United to End Genocide

(For each individual, we have provide Internet links to their Human Rights Day Event remarks.)

The speakers discussed the need to consistently show respect, compassion, dignity, and human rights to people in different parts of the world and in different identity groups.

Human-Rights-Day-300x200 — Human Rights Day – Remembering the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

============

R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm spoke on the need to emphasize respect, instead of arrogance, in recognizing human rights, stating that it was arrogance by those who believe that they had superior rights to others that is a key problem in human rights around the world. He urged the world to make a “declaration of love” towards their fellow human beings, and to Choose Love, Not Hate, in our lives and the lives of others in our communities, our nations, and our identity groups. Jeffrey Imm spoke of the dire situation of poverty around the world and the impact on such poverty on human rights, stating that such poverty can undermine human rights for many, including individuals in the United States of America who he was working to support. He urged people to give to charities and to people in need.

R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm also spoke on the future of human rights being defined by the example we set, and the way we treat our children. He spoke on the continuing disgrace of abuse, rape, kidnapping, and murder of children around the world, as well as by those in institutions and society who have not made chidren’s rights a priority. Jeffrey Imm urged the United States to adopt the Convention on Rights of the Child.

He also spoke on atrocities against children in the United States of America (the murder of 7 year of Jorelys Rivera, the murder of children in Texas), in Pakistan (the brainwashing of children by terrorists, the rape and murder of young girls, and the killing of Christian minority girls, including the recent killing of Amariah Masih), in Sudan and Dafur (rape of young girls, killing of children, and loss of their culture and innocence), in Balochistan (over 168 children have “disappeared” with teenage boys killed by authorities in a “kill and dump” campaign), in People’s Republic of China (the lack of concern of about a 2 year old child killed in the street, the government-sponsored forced abortions and infanticide, and the killing or abandonment of minority children such as children of Falun Gong practitioners), and in Bahrain (five children killed and hundreds of children subjected to excessive force by anti-protest authorities). Jeffrey Imm also spoke on the institutional willingness to accept such abuses of children, including an Afghan girl released from prison on the condition she marry her rapist, and the reports of child abuse at the Pennsylvania State University and other institutions in America. He also decried the so-called “honor killings” of young girls and boys by those who believe their cultural or religious views justified abuse and murder of children, and called for an end to these, noting that there were 3,000 such cases in the United Kingdom alone, according to stophonourkillings.com. He spoke of the oppression against children in the United States of America, and his own efforts to stop such abuses.

Jeffrey Imm stated that these “are all OUR children,” who “are our common bond and bridge to the future.” He suggested that in this season of reflection and gift-giving in much of the world, that we should first reach out to help the children and the less fortunate among us. He stated that our greatest gift to children from adult human beings must be in making a renewed commitment to protect our vulnerable children around the world. Jeffrey Imm stated, “We must give the gift of our courage, our consistency, and our commitment for the universal human rights and dignity to all of our children around the world…. We must set an example for our children. We must provide a beacon and symbol of hope for our children. We must show that by our words and more importantly by actions, in the United States and around the world – to our children – and to each other… We are Responsible for Equality And Liberty.”

A more detailed description of Jeffrey Imm’s remarks can be found at this web link.

A YouTube video of his remarks is online.

Jeffrey_Imm_HR_Day_2011 — Jeffrey Imm, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.), Human Rights Day Event 2011

============

Ahmer Mustikhan, a senior journalist and Balochistan area expert, spoke on the issue of supporting democracy and human rights for the Baloch people, and called the end to abuses against Pakistan minorities. Regarding the challenges within the Pakistan government, Ahmer Mustikhan called for the United States and the nations of the world to prevent the Pakistan military from interfering with the democratic government in Pakistan. “It is true the democratic government of President Asif Ali Zardari gave the Baloch 300 bodies in the last four or so years, but still we would support it against the military generals. Democracy does make a difference in the lives of people and we can not remain oblivious to this fact,” Mustikhan said. Mustikhan, who founded the DC-based American Friends of Balochistan and co-founded the International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, also asked the world community to intervene in Balochistan on the same lines as they did in Libya to stop the genocide there and safeguard the right to self-determination of the Baloch people. He said scores of Baloch teenagers have been made victims of enforced disappearances and killed. He narrated the story of a Baloch minor boy Abdul Wahid Baloch, aka Balaach Baloch, who gained fame after his picture showing him clad in a Balochistan flag was posted on social websites last year. Ahmar Mustikhan also spoke on the issue of Pakistan minorities, including Pakistan Christians, and urged the Pakistan government to free Asia Bibi, who has been imprisoned on trumped-up charges of the “blasphemy law,” which has been used to target and oppress religious minorities in Pakistan.

A more detailed description of Ahmer Mustikhan’s remarks can be found at this web link.

A YouTube video of his remarks is online (Part 1, Part 2).

Ahmar_Mustikhan_HR_Day — Ahmar Mustikhan, Senior Journalist and Area Expert, Balochistan – regarding the oppression and abuse of the Baloch people and Pakistan minorities on Human Rights Day Event 2011

============

Carolyn Cook, founder and CEO of United for Equality, spoke at the National Press Club in Washington DC on December 8, as part of a Human Rights Day Event, calling for a renewed commitment by Americans in support of the Constitutional rights for all American women, as part of our global human rights goals. United for Equality is a social justice enterprise seeking the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) by 2015. Carolyn stated that we must change the way people think and what we tolerate in our culture regarding the rights and dignity of our fellow Americans and fellow human beings. Carolyn spoke out against the discrimination and the efforts to deny full equality to women in America, in every aspect of their lives. She stated that we need to take our system back and make it ours. Carolyn Cook stated that United for Equality’s coalition successfully introduced a bill to the 112the session of the United States Congress calling for Congress to remove the time limit on the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.), as the United States previously had the ratification of the E.R.A. in 35 states, and it requires ratification in 38 states and by 2/3s of the House and Senate. She pointed out how previous U.S. government officials sought to halt the efforts to ratify the E.R.A. after 10 years when nearly all of the required states but 3 had ratified this Constitutional Amendment, and pointed out that women have no desire to “start over” the ratification of the E.R.A.

Carolyn Cook also spoke on the paradigm of options we have as activists and participants in defending human rights. Carolyn urged a more holistic approach towards addressing human rights as lifelong causes. She discussed lessons learned from the Occupy movement and other social activist efforts to bring change to the world. Her discussion on lessons from the Occupy movement are detailed in the YouTube video of her speech beginning at 6:36 minutes in on Part 1 and continuing and concluding in Part 2 of her remarks.

A more detailed description of Carolyn Cook’s remarks can be found at this web link.

A YouTube video of her remarks is online (Part 1, Part 2).

Carolyn_Cook_HR_Day_2011 — Carolyn Cook, CEO and Founder of United for Equality, Speaks on Behalf of American Women’s Constitutional Rights – on Human Rights Day 2011 Event

============

Jared Pearman, Spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Association of Washington, DC, spoke on behalf of human rights and human dignity for the Falun Gong / Falun Dafa. He provided information about the Falun Gong as “a peaceful spiritual practice rooted in traditional Chinese culture,” which “consists of meditation, five gentle sets of exercises, and a moral philosophy centered on the values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.” While pointing out that Falun Gong is not political, Mr. Pearman stated that “as Falun Gong grew in popularity throughout the 1990s, China’s communist leaders began to view the practice and its moral philosophy as ideological competition.” For the past 12 years, he indicated that “China’s rulers began a campaign to eradicate Falun Gong. Since then, like underground Christians and Tibetan Buddhists, millions of Falun Gong adherents have been denied the right to peacefully practice their faith.” Despite massive arrests, torture, killings and denial of human rights for the Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party, Mr. Pearman stated that “Falun Gong has not been crushed, and reports from China indicate that the number of practitioners is instead growing. Ordinary citizens are increasingly standing up in defense of Falun Gong and are refusing to participate in the persecution.” He called for the Chinese government and the world to recognize and defend the human rights of the Falun Gong. Mr. Pearman offered “an alternate vision of what China could be — an alternative way of conceptualizing Chinese national identity”…. that “connects with China’s moral and spiritual traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, and holds that the cultivation of virtue, honesty, and humanness are the true sources of national greatness.”

A more detailed description of Jared Pearman’s remarks can be found at this web link.

A YouTube video of his remarks is online.

Jared_Pearman_HR_Day_Falun_ — Jared Pearman, Spokesperson of Falun Dafa Association of Washington DC, oppressed in the PRC and denied their most basic human rights and dignity by those who view their practice and support for traditional Chinese values as a threat to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) – Speaking at 2011 Human Rights Day Event

============

Husain Abdulla, leader of Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), spoke on behalf of Bahrainis oppressed by government forces that seek to deny democracy. He spoke of the initial protests on February 14, 2011, of those who sought to join the “Arab Spring” movement for democracy, and the brutal oppression of the Bahrain government. Since March 2011, Husain Abdulla stated that Bahrain protesters have been subjected to torture and death. 45 were killed, over 2,000 arbitrary arrests, 1,866 cases of documented torture, 5,000 prisoners of conscience, destruction of 40 places of worship, and 3,000 fired from their jobs, 500 forced out of Bahrain, 3 on death row, 477 students expelled from universities, and 300 students had scholarships taken away — all in retaliation for the willingness to protest against the Bahrain government. He stated that over 500 doctors have been detained. He noted that Bahrain is a close ally to the United States, and he urged Americans to call for the American government to end the “blind eye” to Bahrain human rights violations.

A more detailed description of Husain Abdulla’s remarks can be found at this web link.

A YouTube video of his remarks is online (Part 1, Part 2).

Husain_Abdulla_HR_Day_2011 — Husain Abdulla, speaking at National Press Club on Human Rights Day Event – Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) — speaking on behalf of Bahranis oppressed by government forces that seek to deny democracy

============

Niemat Ahmadi spoke at the National Press Club Human Rights Day Event on December 8, 2011, to address the abuse of Darfuris and Sudanese. Niemat Ahmadi represents the United to End Genocide group. She spoke about the Genocide in Sudan which has been ongoing for over 8 years, and that have driven 4,000,000 out of their homes. Niemat Ahmadi spoke on the need for Americans to call for justice regarding Omar Al-Bashir. She noted that the efforts of Al-Bashir regime have changed their tactics and seek to use rape against women as a weapon of war against the Darfuri people. Niemat Ahmadi spoke of the continuing attacks on Darfuri cities, homes, and attempts to stop safe travel of people of African nationalities who have been fleeing to displaced persons camps. Niemat Ahmadi urged those in Arab nations seeking democracy in their nations to stand up to dictatorial Arab regimes who have supported the brutal Al-Bashir regime.

A more detailed description of Niemat Ahmadi’s remarks can be found at this web link.

A YouTube video of her remarks is online (Part 1, Part 2).

Niemat_Ahmadi_HR_Day_2011 — Niemat Ahmadi, with United to End Genocide, Speaks Out on the Darfur Genocide in Support of Human Rights – at Human Rights Day Event 2011

===============

In R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm’s concluding remarks, he urged the human rights activists to continue to work together in the coming year on joint activists. He noted that after the winter comes the spring, and in the spring, he often goes to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum during Holocaust Remembrance Days to participate in the reading of the names. Even if there is only one or two people there, Imm noted, there is someone to remember, and it is done simply because it is the right thing to do.

He urged human rights activists to remember that in their work of spreading hope, reaching out to offer dignity, justice, freedom, and consistent universal human rights to all. That is the vision and the mission of being collectively…

Responsible for Equality And Liberty….

Choose Love, Not Hate, Love Wins.

real_ribbon_v — Orange Ribbon for Universal Human Rights – Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

Carolyn Cook Calls for American Women’s Rights on Human Rights Day

United for Equality has the symbol of the three women, symbolizing the three waves that it has taken for women to struggle for equality in America. Carolyn stated that we must change the way people think and what we tolerate in our culture regarding the rights and dignity of our fellow Americans and fellow human beings. Carolyn spoke out against the discrimination and the efforts to deny full equality to women in America, in every aspect of their lives. She stated that we need to take our system back and make it ours.

Carolyn Cook stated that United for Equality’s coalition successfully introduced a bill to the 112the session of the United States Congress calling for Congress to remove the time limit on the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.), as the United States previously had the ratification of the E.R.A. in 35 states, and it requires ratification in 38 states and by 2/3s of the House and Senate. She pointed out how previous U.S. government officials sought to halt the efforts to ratify the E.R.A. after 10 years when nearly all of the required states but 3 had ratified this Constitutional Amendment, and pointed out that women have no desire to “start over” the ratification of the E.R.A.

Carolyn Cook also spoke on the importance of human rights activists to work together in our common causes of universal human rights for women, men, and children, and people of all identity groups. She also spoke of learning from other activist groups, and identifying how we can grow as human rights activists, by first identifying where we are on the paradigm of activism and learning how we can reach further as individuals committed to human rights and social justice.

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) stands united with our good friends in United for Equality and all American women seeking the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and both Constitutional and social justice for women in America.

The video and audio of her full speech can be seen on YouTube, which is in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.

Women’s Equality Day Event: DC Area Gathering

On Women’s Equality Day, August 26, a Washington DC area gathering in the Maryland suburbs of Rockville, remembered the historic granting of women the right to vote, and activists called for full Constitutional Equality for all women in America! Supporters gathered at the La Tasca Restaurant, remembering the 163rd Anniversary of the Women’s Rights Movement and the 91st anniversary of women winning the vote.

Activists also called for continuing efforts to PASS the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) for full Constitution Equality of women in America. Activists also discussed progress that they were making in the campaign for the E.R.A. Activists continue to work in Congress and among state legislative bodies to continue to work to pass the E.R.A.

House Joint Resolution 47 for the E.R.A. seeks to remove the deadline for the ratification of the E.R.A. to leverage the past ratification of the E.R.A. by states that have already accepted it in the past. That bill was sponsored by Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin.

R.E.A.L. urges all to support our universal human rights by demanding Constitution Equality for all women through the passage of the E.R.A.

Hosting the organization of the gathering and remembrance of Women’s Equality Day included:
— Montgomery County Business & Professional Women
— United for Equality LLC – Facebook
— Montgomery County Maryland National Organization for Women (NOW) – Facebook
— American Association of University Women
— Women Back to the Future
— Women Business Onwers of Montgomery County
— Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation Ltd
— Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

At the gathering, there were speakers from these organizations, including:
— Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio
— State Senator Jennie Forehand
— Kate Campbell Stevenson
— United for Equality’s Carolyn Cook
— Montgomery County NOW
— R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm

Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio spoke of her own inspiration of an early career challenge, seeking her to pursue women’s equality issues. Senator Forehand spoke of the challenges of women suffragists and equality for women in politics.

Montgomery County Business & Professional Women (BPW) Secretary Susan Horst was a major organizer of the event and deserves our thanks. An article on the event was also posted in the Rockville Patch.

A reporter from the local Gazette newspaper also covered the event, and we look forward to their story.

Women’s Equality should never be a question.
It must be a declaration.
It must be a Constitutional Right for ALL American Women.

======================

Photos from the DC / Rockville Area Women’s Equality Day Event – August 26, 2011

(As we get better photos, we will share links to them – these are just spontaneous photos captured from Jeffrey Imm’s iPhone.)

082611-003 — United for Equality's Carolyn Cook Speaks to Gazette Reporter Chris

082611-016 — R.E.A.L's Jeffrey Imm Speaks

United4Equality Social Justice Enterprise

United4Equality

Carolyn Cook leads the social justice enterprise United4Equality, LLC, dedicated to ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) by 2015, and in support of other social justice issues for women.

Carolyn Cook has invested three years pro-bono on a new strategy for E.R.A. She lobbied Congress and secured a House sponsor to introduce a proposed bill for the E.R.A.

Carolyn works with Maureen Gehrig in support of the United4Equality social justice enterprise, and has been an activist in many public events including Women’s Equality Day, International Women’s Day, and in support of human rights groups challenging the barbaric practice of stoning against women.

To contact United4Equality and find out more about its organization, see their Facebook or Twitter sites, or email them at united4equality@realcourage.org