Raising Our Voices: Letters and Workshops Letters: To the Editor, The New York Times (1/14/01) By Florence Edwards, STAND The powerful legacy of groups such as the Indigo Girls may not be directly political; rather it is one of increased social awareness which in turn may serve as a catalyst for political action. Conscientious singers educate the public, and while this may not spark move-ments in the same way protest rock did in the 60’s, it can affect votes and combat prejudice. That their is-sues range far and wide, from nuclear responsibility to police brutality, cannot be seen as negative: as artists sing about their individual concerns, collectively they raise consciousness on a broad range of issues. And no one should underestimate the power that artists have when they lend their names and time to a particular organization. In supporting Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) and now Students’ Action for New Directions (STAND), the Indigo Girls have helped us reach out across the coun-try with our message of peace and empowerment for women. As a member of STAND, I appreciate what they and other artists are doing. STAND member Rachel Dougherty addresses the Arkansas WAND Community Forum, testifying to the need for funding of the Arkansas schools. To the Editor, AR Democrat Gazette (3/6/01) By Jean Gordon, Arkansas WAND Yesterday Arkansas WAND (Women’s Action for New Directions) held a community forum entitled “Children Ask the World of Us—Can We Deliver?” attended by 77 women representing many different social organizations and political persuasions. Susan Shaer, WAND’s Executive Director, questioned the priorities of our nation at a time when 78% of Arkan-sas’ schools are in need of repair and 16.7% of Ar-kansas’ children live in poverty while the pentagon is given free rein to spend billions on untried exotic weapons to fight enemies who don’t exist. We are concerned about the recent request for sig-nificant increases in pentagon spending recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Prior to the projected sur-pluses they testified before Congress that the penta-gon was well funded. What happened? WAND has pledged to support our legislators who are working for women, children and families during this session. And we are letting our representatives in Washington know that we’re tired of cuts in programs that help families, while the military gets more and more. We want health care and education for all our children—not more exotic weapons systems. To the Editor, Asheville Citizen Times (1/16/01) By Mary Edwards and Lori Girshick, Asheville WAND To the Editor, Naples Daily News (1/19/01) By Jean Prokopow, Metro Detroit WAND To the Editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1/21/01) By Abby Hickcox, Atlanta WAND To the Editor, The Buffalo News (1/31/01) By Jayne Murray, Buffalo WAND To the Editor, Hopkinton Independent (2/1/01) By Louise Falkoff, Dale Road, Margo Roman, Carol Esler, Metro West WAND WAND members in five states (listed above) submitted this model letter from the WAND email bulletin to their local newspapers. To the Editor, Donald H. Rumsfeld, the prospective secretary of de-fense, in his January 11 confirmation hearing, stated that today’s threats require significant increases in mili-tary spending. Rumsfeld suggested that the new ad-ministration would not wait until the next fiscal year, which begins October 1, 2001, but would seek an im-mediate infusion of money shortly after taking office. (Source: NYT, 1/12/01, A1) Some Pentagon officials suggest shortfalls in Pentagon budgets of well over $100 billion per year. (NYT, 1/8/01, A1) This is simply wrong. The current U.S. military budget is $310 billion, $21 billion higher than last year, and twenty-two times the combined military budgets of the seven nations considered to be our greatest en-emies (Iran, Iraq, Lybia, Syria, North Korea, Sudan, Cuba). Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb suggests that the military budget could be cut by $62 billion with no risk to U.S. security. Such a cut would be a good first step toward rewrit-ing the federal budget to reflect our real needs, priori-ties and values. Workshops: Women’s Leadership Workshops 2001 Speaking Out on the Federal Budget * Excellent Materials * * Information & Discussion * * Effective Speaking Tips * * Speech Writing Exercise * * Videotaping * * Radio Interviews * Since 1996, WAND Education Fund has presented Women Take Action! programs on the federal budget in communities across the country. Women attending these presentations have requested materials and training so that they can share this vital information with their own communities. In response, WAND has trained over 200 women! Recent workshops were held in Columbia, SC (1/23), Asheville, NC (2/10), and New York City (2/17). Five more states will host workshops this spring. Dorothy Rogers enjoys a small slice of the discretionary budget pie at the Asheville, NC workshop in February. Women have had very little voice in determining na-tional policy and budget priorities. But we are changing that, workshop by workshop, one voice at a time. We invite you to become a part of this change. For information about hosting a workshop in your area, contact WAND Field Director Bobbie Wrenn Banks at (404) 524-5999. Spring Workshop Schedule Eugene, Oregon March 6 Atlanta, Georgia March 21 Raleigh, North Carolina April 5 Ohio Series April 30 to May 4 Little Rock, Arkansas TBA Columbia, SC WAND leaders Dottie Garrick, left, and Leslie Minerd, right, at the Columbia Women’s Leadership Workshop in January. Return to index

Pull out your pens! Join the growing number of WAND members who can no longer sit silently and watch as others shape our lives and our world. The Circle of Scribes is a new WAND program of writing and sharing model letters to the editor when news breaks on Capitol Hill. Join us today! For more information contact WAND program Associate Abby Hickcox at 404-524-5999.