Outrageous Acts

Ms. Foundation grantee Raising Women’s Voices committed an outrageous act in a successful rally in New York City for just and inclusive health care reform. RWV organized the Women’s Walk for Health Reform, which assembled 14 NYC-based organizations, including another Ms. grantee, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, to advocate for women’s access to quality, affordable health care. (Read a report on our Igniting Change blog.)

If you’d like to commit an outrageous act for health care reform, follow the advice from Raising Women’s Voices and their one-page handout, Four Simple Actions You Can Take for Health Reform That Meets the Needs of Women and Families. [pdf] We share excerpts below:

1. Talk to your friends and neighbors about why women and our families need health reform this year. Some people have become confused by the barrage of media coverage reporting unfounded rumors about health reform. Your personal conversation can help remind them of what we stand to gain from health reform.
2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers. It’s easier to do than you might think. Sample letters [pdf]: no. 1, no. 2, no. 3.
3. Call your Senators and Representatives to tell them we need health reform this year! Use this toll-free number: 1-877-264-HCAN (4226). Don’t know who they are? Use the Roll Call Directory.
4. Join rallies and other actions being sponsored by progressive health reform organizations in your state. Visit http://healthcareforamericanow.org/ to find events.

Tell us about the Outrageous Acts you have taken for health care reform. For more information on the issue and how to take action, see Raising Women’s Voices Action & Events page.

Photograph by Diane Greene Lent.

Be an Outrageous Activist—Recruit Friends, Remember Hurricane Katrina and Win DVD of Academy Award-Nominated TROUBLE THE WATER

Join us in marking the upcoming 4th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Recruit your friends to join the Ms. Foundation Outrageous Acts Facebook Cause and be eligible to win a soon-to-be released DVD of the documentary TROUBLE THE WATER!

TROUBLE THE WATER tells the story of Hurricane Katrina through the remarkable eyes and experience of Kimberly and Scott Roberts, “two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.” This Ms. Foundation grantee project reveals the courage, strength and wisdom of people who were directly affected by the storms and reminds us of the continuing need for recovery and rebuilding.

Help Us Reach 1,000 Members by August 25
TROUBLE THE WATER hits stores August 25. That means there are under two weeks to help the Outrageous Acts Cause reach 1,000 members! The five Outrageous Activists (members of the Outrageous Acts Cause) who recruit the most new members between August 11, 2009 and August 25, 2009 will each receive a DVD copy of TROUBLE THE WATER.

So be an outrageous activist. Recruit your friends. Watch TROUBLE THE WATER. And help the Ms. Foundation expand our reach and support for grassroots activists working to promote real recovery for women, families and communities on the Gulf Coast.

Here’s how you can join us.

What You Can Do:

Recruit Outrageous Activists to Our Cause – Win a TROUBLE THE WATER DVD
Invite your friends and encourage them to invite theirs.

Buy the DVD
To guarantee that you get a copy of this celebrated movie, preorder the DVD online from Zeitgeist Films. They offer a 25% discount.

Visit the Trouble the Water site, sign up for email updates, take action.
“It’s not about the hurricane. It’s about America.”

Become a fan of Trouble the Water
Learn more about the action and commitment the film has inspired and join in.

Ms. Foundation grantee Kentucky Jobs with Justice asks you to sign a petition in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research [pdf]:

Unionization raised women’s wages by 11.2 percent – about $2.00 per hour – compared to non-union women with similar characteristics. Among women workers, those in unions were about 19 percentage points more likely to have employer-provided health insurance and about 25 percentage points more likely to have an employer-provided pension.

Kentucky Jobs with Justice has committed the outrageous act of organizing the Kentucky Social Forum to take place late this week.

‘Hurricane Season’ Run in New York City Begins 10 July

Be an outrageous activist! See the acclaimed The Hurricane Season: The Hidden Messages in Water, and be inspired and informed to take action for simple justice in your community.

Alixa and Naima, the creators of Ms. Foundation grantee Climbing PoeTree, hope “everyone who attends, walks away from Hurricane Season impassioned and empowered, with tools to put their highest visions and most daring dreams into practice.” They use a variety of methods to move participants to action including: a “solutions-cipher” a forum after each performance that “addresses the impacts of the issues surfaced in Hurricane Season on a local level, and illuminates solutions already underway.”

New York City performances of “The Hurricane Season” start on Friday 10 July and run through Sunday 2 August.

“Hurricane Season pounds with intensity and fierceness and love. Naima and Alixa are truly forces of nature, delivering a performance that will move you to tears and to action.”

—-Tia Lessin & Carl Deal, Directors of Academy Award-nominated “Trouble the Water,” Producers of “Fahrenheit 9-11”

Hurricane Season at the The National Black Theatre
10 July — 2 August, Fridays and Saturdays @ 7:30 pm, and Sundays @ 4:00 pm
Admission: $15-35
Information/tickets 212.722.3800 or www.nationalblacktheatre.org
Purchase tickets online.

If you commit an outrageous act for simple justice inspired by Hurricane Season, please share it!

Alixa and Naima on Hurricane Season, the issues it addresses, and the outrageous activists it inspires.