Happy
Holidays!
Whether
you are celebrating a particular holiday, or just
celebrating the semester finally being over, remember
to relax and take some much needed TLC out for yourself. Holiday
season, and especially the New Year, are a time
to both reflect over the year that has passed and
contemplate about what the next year will bring. I
hope in the midst of your festivities and sleeping
in late, you take some time out to participate in
a little political cheer.
1. An
Activist's Story
2.
New Years Resolutions: What did you do on your Winter
Break?
3. Anniversaries
4.
Announcements
1.
An Activist's Story
"My
final assignment for the day came in at around 5:15pm.
A lady 10 miles south of the airport needed a ride.
Off I went. Upon approaching the address given,
several women standing near the front of building
stiffened and inquired as to my presence. I got
it, been there, done that. I explained I was there
to take so-in-so to the polls to vote. A very vibrant
and excited 35 year old lady jumped into my car
and proceeded to give the directions to her polling
place. She didn't think she would get to vote, but
had heard about the free rides on the radio. She
spoke of her 9 year old son and how he had voted
in school and was encouraging his mamma to vote
for the both of them.
After
voting, she let me know how proud she was of herself,
she had never voted before in her life. Tears streaked
down my face instantly. She explained why I was
greeted with such reservation, and I told her I
already knew. My mother and I had been in a similar
spot. Transitional housing for abused and battered
women and their children. She gave me the biggest
and most purest of hugs I have experienced in a
long time, once again, tears streaked down face.
I chuckled at the irony how Americans, by majority,
believe gay marriage is the single biggest threat
to the 'institution' of marriage. Try the fist of
a husband striking the face of his wife, and then
tell me what biggest threat to marriage is."
-
My Election Day, as experienced by JT Arbuthnot
2.
New Year's Resolutions: What did you do on your
Winter Break?
When
the holidays are over, the small talk of the season
will inevitably focus around "What did you
do over your Winter Break" and "What's
your New Year’s Resolution?" Wouldn't it be
nice to have some sharp answers to those questions?
Instead of focusing on impossible diets or idealistic
notions of getting more sleep, why not try something
different this year? Here are some easy ideas for
your activism schedule:
1)
Volunteer at a local food drive.
- Local Women's Shelter/Crisis Center
- Local Community Kitchen
- Conduct a Coat Drive with your local school or
church
- More Ideas for Volunteer Opportunities in your
area:
www.volunteermatch.org
2)
Use the winter holiday to apply for some political
charged internships.
- Get a Head Start and beef up your resume.
- Check the announcement section of the Holler for
internship opportunities.
3)
Entertainment: Read a political book or watch a
political documentary.
- Book suggestions: Nickel and Dimed
- Movie suggestions: Control Room
3.
Anniversaries: Struggles to ponder.
1)
VOTING RIGHTS ACT of 1965: 40th Anniversary:
This act passed during the Johnson Administration
banned the use of literacy tests in voting procedures
and also gave the federal government the power to
directly protect against discrimination in voting.
2)
ROE vs. WADE, January 22, 1973: The
Supreme Court rules in favor of a woman's right
to choose, as a matter of privacy. They found that
this ruling was not in conflict with the protections
of the U.S. constitution.
4.
Announcements!
1)
Applications Available for Talbots Women's
Scholarship Fund
National clothing retailer Talbots has announced
the availability of applications for the 2005 Talbots
Women's Scholarship Fund. Sponsored by the Talbots
Charitable Foundation, this $100,000 scholarship
program annually awards five $10,000 scholarships
and 50 $1,000 scholarships to women seeking a bachelor's
or associate's degree later in life. Deadline is
Jan. 3, 2005. Applications are online at the Talbots
Web site. Additional funding information for women
and girls may be found here.
2)
The Institute for Civic Leadership (ICL)
runs an intensive program for junior and
senior college women each fall at Mills College
(a small liberal arts women's college in the San
Francisco Bay Area). A semester with ICL is
an excellent opportunity for undergraduate women
leaders to develop skills and cultivate their unique
visions of change as part of a diverse community
of women leaders. Financial aid is available.
The program includes rigorous academic classes that
connect scholarship from the social sciences and
humanities to issues of civic leadership and social
change. It also includes an individually-tailored
internship placement in a government office or community
organization (10-15 hrs. per week), skills-building
workshops, retreats, a speaker series and mentoring
from local women leaders. The ICL curriculum
develops students' abilities to critically analyze
social and political issues, while providing them
with concrete strategies for working for social
change in their communities. At the end of their
semester in ICL, the students are eligible for civic
engagement grants of up to $1000, for carrying out
their own civic and academic projects.
THE DEADLINE FOR NEXT FALL IS DECEMBER 15TH
(EARLY DECISION) AND FEBRUARY 15TH.
3)
The Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholars Program
is a unique summer internship experience at the
U.S. Department of Education.
Up
to 10 outstanding undergraduate or graduate students
with an interest in education policy or public policy
and administration will be selected to participate
in the program in summer 2005. Selected students
will be designated as Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholars
and will receive temporary federal appointments
in the excepted service for an eight-week period,
June 13 - August 5, 2005. The corresponding pay
range is $11.32 to $19.19 per hour. Scholars will
be responsible for their own transportation to and
from Washington, D.C., and for their housing during
their internships. Scholars will assist with a variety
of projects related to critical education programs
and initiatives, analysis, policy development, and
legal or other work designed to provide developmental
experiences and exposure to government and public
policy in a cabinet-level department.
Eligibility Requirements
This program is open to continuing college juniors,
seniors, and graduate students. Students must be
enrolled on a full-time basis in an accredited undergraduate
or graduate degree program and have plans to register
for the fall semester. Students may be from any
field of study.
Students must be in good academic standing, with
a minimum grade point average of 3.3. Academic transcripts
as well as two academic references must accompany
the application.
Recruitment
Procedures
The announcement is available on the Martin Luther
King, Jr., Scholars website (click
here), the U.S. Department of
Education's website (click here),
the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's USAJobs
website (click
here), and Studentjobs.gov (click
here).
The announcement will open on December 13, 2004
and close on January 21, 2005.
Happy
New Year!
Wendy
