A Note from Cyndi Stearns-Estes,| NEW NEWS April 1999 |
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The Nevada Empowered Women's (NEW) Project
is a grassroots, multicultural organization whose mission is to further the rights of
low-income women and children by addressing relevant issues such as welfare, child care,
child support, housing, and health care, and by changing negative public perceptions.
Taking Back the Night, In the Spirit of Survival
by Lisa Appelrouth Guzmán
By the time you finish reading this newsletter, two women will have been raped, many more will be battered, and one will probably be killed. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and with statistics like these, it is imperative that we all educate ourselves on the epidemic of violence against women.
As part of this awareness process, the University of Nevada, Reno Women's Resource Center organized a "Take Back the Night" event on April 1. The event, like many of those taking place around the country this month, included an opportunity to participate in the Clothesline Project, a display of personalized T-shirts representing women's experiences as victims of violence.
The Clothesline Project began in 1990 in Hyannis, Massachusetts, when members of the Cape Cod Women's Agenda hung a clothesline with 31 shirts made by survivors of assault, rape, and incest. Other women began contributing to the process, and the Clothesline Project has now achieved nationwide and international status as a symbol of speaking out against violence against women.
Similar to the AIDS Quilt, the Clothesline Project puts a human face on the statistics of violence against women. In addition, it encourages strength, survival, and courage to break the silence of being a victim of sexual assault.
Shirts are loosely color-coded and draw their power from their messages, rather than their artistic design. White shirts are used to remember women who have been murdered; yellow or beige for women who have been battered; red, pink, or orange for survivors of rape or sexual assault; blue or green for survivors of incest or child sexual abuse; purple or lavender for those attacked due to sexual or perceived sexual orientation; and grey for those who have experienced the fear of attack or assault.
With at least one rape occurring every five minutes in the United States (FBI, 1996), it is unfortunate but likely that many of us will at some point fall into one of the categories above. For those who are "fortunate" enough to escape direct violence, the fear of being victimized is never far away. Learn how to protect yourself. Educate your friends, family, and neighbors about the prevalence of violence against women. And if you are the victim of an assault, find out where to go for help. There are many organizations throughout the country that are there to help you. Northern Nevadans needing assistance can call the Crisis Call Center at 784-8090 / (800) 992-5757 or Committee to Aid Abused Women (CAAW) at 329-4150. Southern Nevadans can contact Community Action Against Rape at 366-1640 or (880) 752-4528.
The UNR Women's Center has T-shirts and materials for those who would like to make a shirt for the Clothesline Project. Call 784-4611 for more information. Thanks to the Women's Resource Center staff for giving our community a forum to speak out against violence against women.
A Note from Cyndi Stearns-Estes,
Las Vegas Advocate / Organizer
It has really been a pleasure for me to work in the capacity of NEW Project's Advocate / Organizer for the last six months. However, I will soon be making some life changes including going back to school and possibly leaving the area, which means I will be leaving my position with NEW Project as well.
NEW Project came to Las Vegas in October of 1998. I am proud to say that I had a big part in getting the organization started down here and have enjoyed the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people. Lisa Guzmán, Paul Brown and Adriana Varela of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN), Deanna White of the Sierra Club, and my friends at Citizen Alert all gave me the support I needed to get NEW Project's southern Nevada branch off the ground. There are many others I would like to name but it would take a whole newsletter to do so, so I would just like to say THANKS to all of you who have worked with me during the last six months. I wish NEW Project all the best and will continue to support and believe in your important work.
[We will miss Cyndi and appreciate everything she has done for NEW Project in her short time with us. We hope to continue the momentum we have built in Southern Nevada and will be looking for a new Advocate / Organizer who can keep us moving forward. If you are interested in the Advocate / Organizer position or know someone who may be, please see our job announcement below.]
Are You an Advocate for
Social and Economic Justice?
NEW Project Needs You in Las Vegas!
Position: Advocate / Organizer, full-time
Responsibilities Include: Help NEW Project expand its membership base and outreach efforts in the Las Vegas area; organize monthly meetings and other activities relevant to low-income women and families; provide direct advocacy services to women needing assistance in securing resources such as welfare benefits, housing, food, clothing, etc.; educate low-income families and the community about issues affecting them; work with professionals and other service providers in the community to insure that low-income women and families receive needed services in an appropriate manner; other duties as assigned
Qualifications: High School diploma or equivalent; experience working with poverty issues and issues affecting low-income women; excellent "people skills" and ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds; computer literate; good oral and written communication skills; ability to work independently and professionally, and a strong commitment to social and economic justice; bilingual a plus. Preference given to those having direct experience with the welfare system.
Salary: Depending On Experience; health
insurance and paid vacation
To Apply: Call (775) 348-9566 to request an application and job description. Submit application and resume to:
NEW Project, 428 Hill Street, Suite 200, Reno, NV 89501, postmarked by May 1, 1999. EOE.
Message From the President
Teresa Benitez
Hello NEW Project members,
I hope all of you are doing well. I have some great news to share with you! I have just earned a $750 scholarship and the title of Miss Reno! The Miss America Organization is the largest source of scholarship dollars in the world, and I have just acquired a good chunk of it for myself. As a titleholder, I have the opportunity to speak about NEW Project to a variety of people, many of whom are uneducated about the realities of welfare and poverty in our country. This has been a great opportunity to heighten awareness about our issues and gain support for our cause. Our message must be heard, and the Miss America Scholarship Program offers a great vehicle for delivery. I will compete for the title of Miss Nevada in June and hope to be traveling to Miss America in September. So, look for me on TV and be proud that NEW Project has gone "mainstream"!
The
Countdown Has Begun in Carson City!
By the time this newsletter reaches you, the 70th Nevada Legislative Session will be half over. Following is an update on bills previously mentioned in the NEW NEWS:
AB (Assembly Bill) 4 (elimination of assets
test for Medicaid), AB5 (presumptive eligibility for children and
pregnant women to receive Medicaid), and AB6 (single application for
Medicaid and Nevada Check Up) have all passed the Assembly Health & Human Services
Committee and are now in the Assembly Ways & Means Committee. These bills all have a
fiscal note, which means they will cost the state money, so your support is needed to help
them pass. AB60 (contraception equity) and SB (Senate Bill) 89
(utility assistance for low-income families) have both passed their first committees and
are moving along. SB150, the one wanting to recalculate the formula for child
support if a noncustodial parent has additional children, was heard in the Senate
Judiciary Committee but had no action taken. Hopefully it has "died", but we
need to be prepared in case it receives attention before the end of the session.
Other bills of interest are:
AB302 will allocate $50,000 to child care quality improvements. AB540, introduced by Sheila Leslie (D-Washoe), offers a tax credit to casinos who provide low-income housing. With the shortage of affordable housing in Nevada, this is a much-needed bill that could help a lot of families. AB 562 offers a tax credit to businesses who provide on-site child care. It will have a hearing on April 6.
The legislative process might sound confusing and intimidating with all of these different bills and committees, but it's easy to have your voice heard on any bills that you support or don't support. All it takes is a phone call to your Assemblyperson or Senator, and NEW Project will be happy to give you more information so you can take action. As you can see, each of the bills listed above can have a big impact, positive or negative, for families in Nevada. To find out who your representatives are, you can call NEW Project or your Voter Registrar at 328-3670 (Washoe) or 455-8683 (Clark). Once you know who your representatives are, you can leave a message for them at the Legislative Hotline (800) 978-2827. More bill information is available at the Nevada Legislature's website, www.leg.state.nv.us.
