Feature Archives

The Santa Cruz City Council passed a resolution on January 24 declaring Santa Cruz a pro-choice city. Cynthia Mathews, a Santa Cruz City Council member and co-founder of Planned Parenthood in Santa Cruz, co-sponsored the resolution dubbing Santa Cruz a pro-choice city. "...We thought it was important for the city to go on the record" says Mathews.

Saturday, January 20th, 2007 was the third annual day of protest against the "Walk for Life" in San Francisco. Bay Area residents celebrated the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized a woman's right to have an abortion in the US. The kick-off rally began at 10:30 a.m. at Pier 5. This was followed at 11:30 a.m. by a multi-issue counter-demonstration to the “Walk for Life” route along the Embarcadero waterfront which ended with a community rally at Aquatic Park. Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 · Audio · Report

The film "HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" takes an in-depth look at representations of manhood, sexism and homophobia in hip-hop culture. This documentary is a “loving critique” of certain "disturbing" developments in rap music culture from the point of view of a fan who challenges the art form’s representations of masculinity. The film was screened on January 9th at the San Francisco Public Library. That event included a screening of the short "Trendsetters or Fakers," and a panel discussion. The film was also shown on January 17th at the Oakland Museum of California. The evening included performances by Youth Movement Records and Youth Speaks, audio pieces produced by TEMPO, and discussion with filmmaker Byron Hurt and hip hop community activists.

Over a year ago, "Nicole," a 22-year-old Filipina, was gang raped and tossed aside by six U.S. Servicemen outside of a club in Subic Bay, Olongapo City (a former U.S. naval base site). On November 26th, GABRIELA Networkheld a vigil for “Nicole.” Photos People gathered at 4pm at the Dewey Memorial in SF's Union Square, to light candles for "Nicole" and others who have been brutalized by rape and other forms of violence against women. babae sf has called for an action in support of "Nicole" to be held from 5-6:30pm on Monday, November 27th at the SF Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Ave. GABRIELA reports that the alleged perpetrators should receive a verdict in their trial this week.

Nursing mothers and their supporters will be gathering on Tuesday, November 21st at 10am for nurse-ins at Delta airport counters across the country to protest Delta's having kicked a nursing mother off of a flight. Emily Gillette was flying with her husband and 22 month-old daughter on October 13th, 2006 out of Burlington, Vermont on a Delta/Freedom Air flight, when a flight attendant asked her to cover up with a blanket while she was nursing. Ms. Gillette said no, and told the flight attendant of her legal right to nurse her child. Ms. Gillette and her family were removed from the flight. Just in time for the holidays, Delta announced this weekend that it has "disciplined" the offending flight attendant.

Several local hard rock bands have organized a show that will be a fundraiser for Sandra Tellis, the 45 year-old woman from Oakland who was was beaten, tied up, and set on fire on September 1st. She survived, and is reportedly recovering slowly in a Bay Area hospital. The bands will play on Friday night, October 27th at the Uptown, at 1938 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland. Doors are at 8pm for this 21+ event. Participating bands in the show include Placenta, Soul Broker, The Greenhouse Effect, and Stonecutter. The bands' share of admission will go to a fund that has been set up to benefit Tellis.

Free Battered Women presented Our Voices Within: Out of the Shadows, on Saturday October 21st from 2:00pm to 5:00pm, at the Humanist Hall in Oakland (390 27th St. between Telegraph & Broadway). Flyer/Volante This event celebrated the freedom of formerly incarcerated survivors of domestic violence, and honored those who remain imprisoned. Arts and crafts by incarcerated battered women were featured, and battered women who have been released from California prisons were present.