Strollerderby : activism

Lose the Guilt and Shame, Lose the Pain: Open Adoption Records

Shannon LC Cate — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:33:00 GMT

Last week, I attended the American Adoption Congress's annual conference in Cleveland. There I met many fabulous people and learned more about adoption. The conference was full of adoptive parents, adult adoptees, mothers (and the occasional father) who placed their children for adoption and a bunch of social workers. We were uniformly on board with the movement to open the "sealed" records of adult adoptees, granting them the right to their original birth certificates, which most of them do not have today.

The frustrating thing about this movement is that few people outside what we call the "adoption triad" (birth parents, adoptees, adoptive parents) know much about the issue, so when state legislatures consider open record bills, they don't hear from many people but insider activists.

Here's a short briefing of the issue:

In most U.S. states, when an adoption occurs, the child's birth certificate is locked away in a vault and a new fake birth certificate is issued with the adoptive parent(s) in place of the birth parent(s). The adoptee is not allowed to ever see the first, real, original birth certificate.

My children, though in open adoptions, have no right to the birth certificates issued at their birth. Rather, even more oddly than other adoptees, they have birth certificates saying two women are their biological progenitors.

This is a lie. I don't want my children's origins to be obscured by a lie. Even if they know who their first mothers were, I want them to own the piece of paper documenting their entry into this world. They have a fundamental, basic human right to the government's paperwork about their very existence.

I blogged here last week about Darryl McDaniels (DMC) of Run-DMC and Zara Phillips, a British singer-song writer and their advocacy work to open the records in New Jersy, where a bill to that effect is before the state legislature this year. To assist in this basic human rights effort, you can do a simple thing. You can download "I'm Legit," the song McDaniels and Phillips wrote and recorded together to raise awareness. I had the exciting opportunity to hear both Phillips's and McDaniels's stories told at the AAC conference and to see them perform the song live.

Whether you're a member of the triad or not, please support open records. As DMC says, "If we lose the guilt and shame, we can lose the pain." Listen to the song and download it here.

Image: Phillips and McDaniels sign cds in Cleveland

Eight-Year-Old Petitions Mayor Over Inane Pet Laws

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:00:00 GMT

An eight-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida is proving that activism is alive and well in the younger generation. She has taken on the cause of her neighbors who lost their cat to Animal Control officers for what seems to me like a completely inane reason. Apparently, neighbors saw the cat playing outside and complained to Animal Control because the pet was not on a leash.

News flash: cats and dogs are not the same animals. Having had outdoor cats all my life, I can tell you that trying to put a leash on a cat would be much more dangerous to humans than letting a cat roam outside by its lonesome for a few hours. Fortunately, third grader Brianna Davey understands this and she's not going to let Animal Control take away her neighbors' cat without a fight. She has written a letter to her mayor stating, among other things, that the cat was not "running wild" and the decision to take her away was "crazy and unfair."

Brianna's mother Alicia is understandably impressed with her daughter's compassion. "She's got such a big heart and I am so proud of her," Alicia said. Hopefully, the mayor's office will be equally moved by Brianna's plea.

Photo: Jezebel

Two Girl Scouts Won't Sell Cookies Because of the Orangutans

Kelly Mills — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:32:00 GMT

Okay, for the record, I was a Girl Scout. I sold the cookies, I got the badges, I went to the camp. I was never super into it, nor did I hate it. It was just one of the activities I did growing up. I'm saying this because I want you to know I have no personal vendetta against the Girl Scouts, even though I keep reporting on the downsides of their damn cookies.

So two Michigan Girl Scouts are refusing to sell cookies, because they care about endangered orangutans. The cookies have palm oil in them, and the production of palm oil is contributing to deforestation and the destruction of the Indonesian orangutan's habitat. The girls, Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen, learned about palm oil production while doing research for a project, and since their project aims to raise money to help the orangutans, they felt selling the cookies would go against their goals. Madison says, "We've seen pictures of orangutans set afire and beaten. You really want to reach out and do all you can to help save them." So far these girls have done more to save the endangered animals than most adults, bless their hearts.

Pregnancy Discrimination Complaints On the Rise

Kelly Mills — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:31:00 GMT

The Wall Street Journal reports that pregnancy-bias job complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission were up by 14 percent this year, and up by 40 percent from a decade ago. Employers aren't allowed to discriminate against the with child in hiring, firing, and lay-offs--which doesn't mean they can't do all those things to you, it just means they can't treat you worse than men. So essentially you have to prove that the actions were motivated by the fact that you were pregnant, which isn't always easy.

While many women also assume they get maternity leave, the truth is that only a couple states guarantee the leave must be paid. And though some ladies do pursue claims against employers, many opt to drop claims because of the time and hassle entailed. With a pregnancy or newborn, I'm sure you have all kinds of free time to work with attorneys and amass evidence and so on. But ultimately some women are successful, like the HR manager who was laid off as part of a reduction-in-force, only to discover the reduction encompassed only her. And if we can do anything to encourage women to pursue action, we'd damn well better do it, or employers will be able to continue to shut out those that are in a family way.

The Internet is Not the Devil

Kelly Mills — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:31:00 GMT

It seems that every generation views bashing the up-and-coming one as a kind of sport, and this one is no exception. Where older folks once lamented rock music and long hair as markers of the end of civilization, now we have teenagers who are ignorant and narcissistic and spend so much time online that they can no longer interact with real people in the real world. Well, Emily Goldwasser at Salon isn't buying it, and she says the internet is not a danger and a disaster for our kids. She's responding in part to a phone survey of teens that showed a "stunning ignorance" of history and literature.

Boy, does she make some good points in this excellent article: She highlights that with blogs and social networking sites, we now have a generation of kids who are (gasp) voluntarily writing. The internet has "created a generation, perhaps the first, of writers, activists, storytellers" and all our screaming isn't going to stop that juggernaut. In addition, the kids today also know how to find information online, and therefore google has freed up their brains to dig deeper into topics. The real problem, it seems, is that this makes us very nervous. "We're afraid. Our kids know things we don't. They drove the presidential debates onto YouTube and very well may determine the outcome of this election. They're texting at the dinner table and responsible for pretty much every enduring consumer cultural phenomenon: iPod, iTunes, iPhone; Harry Potter, 'High School Musical'; large hot drinks with gingerbread flavoring." You know, I do believe she's right. I just hope when my kid is a teen, she'll have my back.

Family Issues B-I-N-G-O

Madeline Holler — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:57:00 GMT

Tonight's Democratic debates (which won't include candidate Jesus, whose platform is yet to be determined) should be some good, old-fashioned fun. Only two candidates and loads of acrimony.

However, will Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton get the chance to talk about issues? They won't, say the organizers over at Moms Rising, the grassroots organization that works to get family matters at the top of every political leader's agenda. They've even made up a Moms Rising Presidental Debate Bingo cards, a kind of check list for you to verify which, if any, of these issues gets addressed.

The group also encourages everyone to cast a vote for the following question to be asked at tonight's debate:

All developed nations except for the USA provide paid time off for mothers who give birth. As a father living in Spain, I even get 2 paid weeks off when I have a new child born. I believe this reflects a larger problem where we have not reconciled life/work balance in a 2-income-household economy. What would you do as president to begin reconciling our 21st economy with our 20th century approach/options to family care?

Go here to vote.

Happy Meals Flunk Out of School

Madeline Holler — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:39:00 GMT

On the one hand, I think it's great that a Florida McDonald's is withdrawing from a "Made the Grade" program, in which it rewarded Happy Meals to kids who got good grades. On the other hand, why was this going on at the school in the first place? The decision to end the program came all the way from the executives at corporate headquarters half-way across the country -- not the school leaders.

In a nutshell, here's what happened: a parent saw the jacket of her child's report card had the McDonald's golden arches, the "Made the Grade" program details and menu items like McNuggets printed on it. She complained to an activist organization that opposes marketing directly to children at schools. Under pressure, McDonald's agreed to end the program and pay for reprinting the report cards.

The decision was made “because we believe the focus should be on the importance of a good education,” William Whitman, senior director for communications and public affairs at McDonald’s USA in Oak Brook, Ill., said Thursday. “McDonald’s, not the school district, will cover the cost to reprint the report-card jackets,” he added, and “remove our trademarks.”

That's great that McDonald's took responsibility in ending this practice, particularly after recent promises to cut back on advertising to children. But still, the school leaders who entered in to the "Made the Grade" arrangement have some responsibility here too. They're the ones who offered up the kids to be marketed to (in exchange for much-needed money, I'm sure. Still.)

Here's what the organization that fought to end this sponsorship said:

“In the absence of needed government regulation to protect schoolchildren from predatory companies like McDonald’s,” she added, “the burden is on parents to be vigilant about exploitative marketing aimed at children.”

Sad but true.

I'm no junk food purist -- we stop at McDonald's plenty on long car trips. Sometimes, there's no other option. (And who doesn't love a fat, blisteringly hot bag of those fries? Those fries!) But I don't like rewards for grades for sure (topic for a different post). And I especially don't like advertising in schools. There, I am a purist. If corporations want to help schools, they can make a large donation without anything in return -- no naming rights, no nothing. Just give the schools the money and feel good. But they don't get to come in and have their logos and tastes and smells and smiling happy clowns and gushing, awesome candies and cool refreshing drinks become a part of kids' daily lives without a fight from those who have their best interests in mind: the parents and schools (or so I thought).

What do you think? A free meal's a free meal?

Colorado Mom Takes on Big Food

Adrienne Martini — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:30:00 GMT

Parents of kids with food allergies know a type of terror that most haven't experienced. Watching your bundle o' joy turn beet red, stop breathing and, probably, convulse is a sight it's hard to get past. And you start to organize your life so that you never have to see it again.

Lafayette, Colorado's Robyn O'Brien knows that fear. When her youngest developed an allergy to eggs, O'Brien leapt into action, marketing products, speaking out about food allergies and writing a book.

Which is great. Nothing like a little grassroots activism to spur more research into this potentially fatal condition.

But -- how far is too far? O'Brien's site, in addition to selling allergy-branded items like sticker and lunchsacks, goes one step further, linking diverse conditions like autism, ADHD and allergies to food and vaccines.

These connections offer hope to many parents looking for solutions but appear to be based on anecdotal research rather than actual scientific data. And some of it -- like O'Brien's assertions about Celiac Disease (her claim is that it's a wheat allergy) -- are just plain inaccurate.

Still, it's hard to toss out the public awareness baby with the nebulous information bathwater. O'Brien's motivations appear born of a desire to inform people about a serious problem but at times her execution raises more questions than it answers.

Armchair Activism: The MOTHERS Act Needs to Pass

Alisyn — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:33:00 GMT

Read carefully, because this affects all of us: 800,000 American women each year suffer from the debilitating and horrible effects of postpartum depression. Eight hundred thousand. That is a staggering number, isn't it? Equally shocking is that only 15 percent of these women will receive any assessment or treatment for postpartum depression.

That's why BlogHer, Postpartum Support International and Postpartum Progress are joining together to host a blog action day (next Wednesday, October 24th) in support of the MOTHERS Act - The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act. Women in this country are demanding that new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms and provided with essential services. To show your support by the bill, call your senator next Wednesday (the more calls the better!), and blog for the cause.

The women of American need this bill to pass, and we need the acknowledgment and support of lawmakers to make that possible. All it takes is a phone call and a blog post to do your part.

Blog Action Day: Calling All Mommy and Daddy Bloggers

Alisyn — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:38:00 GMT

On October 15th, bloggers around the net will form a united front to publicize a single, important issue for Blog Action Day. This year that issue is the environment, and every blogger will write a single post, putting their own unique spin on the topic. The goal? To get as many people as possible talking and planning and working together, to find new ways of moving towards a better future for our planet.

Blog Action Day is about mass participation, and we already know that mommy (and daddy) bloggers are a force to be reckoned with - when we talk, people listen. Putting Blog Action Day and parent bloggers together can only mean one thing - success! Here are 3 ways in which you (and you, and you) can participate:

Post an environmentally-related piece on your personal blog.

Donate your day's earnings to the environmental charity of your choice.

Publicize Blog Action Day! Get the word out - via your blog, your friends, your family, your coworkers...

Register your blog, and tell the world what you are doing to make the planet a healthier place, or what you think about global warming, carbon footprints, or the rise of eco-friendly consumer products - anything. You don't have to be an activist to blog for this worthy cause.

Tired of Toy Recalls? Sign a Petition!

Karen Murphy — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 19:04:00 GMT

By now you know about the latest in a wave of toy recalls, one of which surely has affected you and your kids. There's a growing concern combined with a certain helplessness over the situation. What can we as consumers do?

Aside from making all of our own toys what can we do? One thing would be to sign this petition by MomsRising.org. MomsRising is an activist organization interested in establishing and protecting the rights of U.S. families. They've been involved in wage discrimination and breastfeeding issues, which may or may not push your buttons, but toys? I think that's something we can all relate to.

So sign this petition and pass the link along to friends and family, and hopefully you'll then be a little piece of some eventual great changes that will help protect our kids.

Unleash Your Inner Activist: Fight Unequal Pay for Moms

Karen Murphy — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 12:35:00 GMT

I had been working at my last job for about three years when the company hired someone in a peer position. I found out months later that he was making a good $10K more than me. At the time I was ticked off but ended up shrugging and saying to myself, "What can I do about it?"

It turns out there is something you can do about it: MomsRising says "The Supreme Court's ruling in Ledbetter vs. Goodyear that discrimination claims must be made within 180 days after the pay is set is a major setback in women's rights. How many of us know what our co-workers make? In fact, many employers forbid employees from discussing their pay, making it all the more difficult to discover pay discrimination within the short time frame now required by the Supreme Court."

A bill has been introduced in Congress that would reverse Ledbetter: H.R. 2831. It won't completely erase the pervasive discrimination that exists in the workplace, but it certainly will help. And moms need all the help they can get: mothers are 79% LESS likely to be hired than non-mothers with identical resumes! Not only that, but mothers make 73 cents to a man's dollar (as opposed to 90 cents for non-moms)!

It's easy to do your part to fight this discrimination: send a letter to your congressperson by clicking here and tell them to vote YES on H.R. 2831.

Are you experiencing discrimination in the workplace, or do you know someone who is? You can contact the Center for WorkLife Law Hotline at 1-800-981-9495 or send an email.

Car Seats Are Toxic. Oh No!

Karen Murphy — Tue, 22 May 2007 12:24:00 GMT

I'm totally in a quandary now. I've gotten over the news and somehow managed to accept the fact that crib mattresses off-gas yucky chemicals and my son is breathing those chemicals on the off nights he doesn't spend in my bed (which is equipped with a foam mattress from Ikea that's clearly chock-full of its own chemicals), after all he has to sleep somewhere, but now I have to worry about his car seat?

I think I need to go sit down a moment. Hang on.

Okay. I was going to take a couple of deep breaths but I think I'm afraid to now.

But I like me some Huffington Post, and when I read something like "A new report released today by the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center shows that chemicals including PVC, brominated flame retardants, and lead are found in car seats and can possibly lead to developmental and health issues in babies," I can't help but take notice. Say what? What are we supposed to do with this news? Kids have to be in car seats, there's no question about that, but now we have to worry about poisoning them while they're "safe" in their seat?

There's something wrong here.

You could argue that chemicals are already everywhere, so what's a few more? And you'd likely be right. I'm not one to jump on every sky-is-falling scare trend and worry about every little thing, after all I've got four kids and I don't even think twice about the five-second or even thirty-minute rule, if the little one wants it badly enough, but just like with all the toxic lead in kids' jewelry I have to wonder: WTF? Doesn't anyone think about these things before zillions are manufactured and our kids are developing asthma or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or even worse, developmental difficulties, all because we're slowly being poisoned by better living through chemicals?

As I see it, you could have one of ~~two~~ three reactions to all this:

1. Roll your eyes and proceed as per normal. What's a few more chemicals? They're everywhere.

2. OMG CHEMICALS! AGGHHHHH! Pack up and move your family into the mountains and live off the grid.

3. Shrug a little and try to minimize exposure if you can. Think about it but try not to feel guilty. It's a car seat; what can you do? Look out the window and enjoy life. Hug your kid. Consider activism.

Online Activism for LGBT Parents

Karen Murphy — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 12:57:00 GMT

It's so easy to become an activist nowadays when there's a cause you believe in. There are no more signs to make, and very little marching around in small circles is required. But you do have to have something you believe in (or want to fight against), because if you do, then activism is just a click away. Mombian has a bunch of great ideas about making a difference for the LGBT community by becoming an online activist that translate well into almost any cause. Here are some of them:

1. Email your politicians. Whew, that was easy, wasn't it? You can find pertinent addresses (and names, too, if you're like me and you're not quite up on who all your representatives are) at Congress.org.

2. Comment on parenting blogs and forums (like this one!). Use terminology that fits the theme of your particular perspective, if it's LGBT or something else. Help set people straight who seem to be misinformed. Help create community by putting yourself out there.

3. Participate in parenting social networks, like AtHomeDad.org, Café Mom, Dad Daily, Maya’s Mom (for moms and dads), Minti, Mothers Click, Mommy Buzz, and Parents Connect.

By becoming more visible to the mainstream, LGBT parents can close the gap that many non-LGBT people see simply from ignorance. This form of online activism is a great way to bridge this chasm and to help people understand that we're all pretty much the same despite shallow differences.