The Women's Fund of Greater Milwaukee

Images of Us Sports gives new meaning to "Drop It Like It's Hot"

Last week Images of Us Sports brought together a group of high risk teenage girls to talk about violence and sex through a concept that most teens can relate to—popular culture. The video clip posted here says it all. You may recognize the tune “Drop It Like it’s Hot”--the 2004 rap number-one hit single by Snoop Dogg. Now if you know what the phrase Drop It Like It’s Hot symbolizes, you will understand the irony behind hosting a violence prevention forum by the same name. The idea here was to bring fun into an otherwise dreary topic and to bring about behavioral and attitudinal change that sticks. Bernell Hooker, founder of IOU Sports, wants to empower these girls and she knows that almost all of them are voracious consumers of popular culture.  But what do they see when they turn on the television or watch the Drop it Like it’s Hot video? They see vulgarity, guns and violence, and plenty of profanity.  More often than not, they see role models who are not worth emulating.

Dominique Howse, a journalist who got her start covering hip hop stars like Kanye West, hosted a session at the forum on media and violence. Through her tale of growing up in the southside of Milwaukee and then hanging out at hip hop parties attended by Mary J Blige and Kanye West, she was able to talk about negative stereotypes in popular culture. She said, “Think of positive images that motivate. You and you alone can make what you see. What you see and what you become does not have to come from BET [Black Entertainment Television].”

JoCasta Zamarripa, community outreach coordinator for Planned Parenthood Wisconsin, delved into hard facts on the value of abstinence, the different kinds of sex, and explained how safe sex does not have to be "boring."

A group from the Center for Peacemaking at Marquette University demonstrated through hands-on exercises ways to resolve conflicts and ways to keep from fighting. This peer to peer group at Marquette works with high school students to reduce the number of suspensions that result from fighting. Surprisingly this group found that relatively more fights occur between girls than between boys. 

Who would have thought that you can actually bring together 20 multiracial teenagers from various schools in Milwaukee on a Saturday morning to a talk about violence prevention--and that they would have fun while they were doing this? Thank you to our grant partner, Images of Us Sports, for its work in bringing about social change through women and girls.

Julie Gilbert gives sexism a one-two punch

 Julie Gilbert was the keynote speaker at our Women & Public Policy Luncheon.  She told the fascinating story about her rise through the corporate ranks through the sexist attitudes of both men and women that would have limited her.  She spoke candidly about how she had once held the view that men and women had already achieved parity and there was no glass ceiling to stop her.  And she talked about the system she created to shift corporate culture to get everyone's voices heard resulting a dramtic increase in profit and increased employee loyalty.   

The challenge is to understand the role of sexism and how it impacts us--both men and women.  Without that understanding, women will continue to complain about how they are treated by other women and men will continue to feel blamed instead of understanding the impact of male privilege. 

Learn more about Julie's approach at Wolf Means Business. 

Leading the Way

Huffington Post just ran an article by Marie Wilson, the founder of The White House Project. She includes a story from Vel Phillips, the first woman and African-American elected to Secretary of State in Wisconsin. It’s a great read, and it highlights the important work of one of our grant partners. The story also reminded me of something that happened in my childhood that illustrates the importance of women in politics and other leadership positions.

When I was eight, my mom would sometimes help out with my Brownie troop. I think we were making crafts one night, but somehow the conversation turned to what we wanted to be when we grew up. My mother engaged one of the quieter girls by saying. “You could be anything when you grow up. Why, Tara, you could be president of the United States!” Tara responded, “I ain’t a MAN!”

 While “I ain’t a man” has become a joke for my family, it’s actually a sad statement on our attitude toward women as leaders. That girl was only eight years old and already had a clear picture in her head of what a president should be, and it wasn’t her. Sure, nothing is technically keeping women out of leadership positions, but cultural attitudes can clearly influence a woman’s decision to pursue those positions.

We all know that women can lead. But they don’t. That’s why seeing women like Vel Phillips is a benefit to everyone. So tell the women in your life to take the next step toward leadership, just like Phillips’ husband did. A simple “Why don’t you do it?” can mean all the difference.

Investing in Women to End Poverty

The status of women—here in Wisconsin and around the world—comes under scrutiny in October as we mark the observance of World Poverty Day on October 17.  Poverty remains one of the most challenging problems in Wisconsin and across the globe and women and girls are disproportionately impacted. 

Being deeply affected by poverty, women also hold great potential to eliminate it.  When women are afforded equality of opportunity the potential for economic growth is striking.  Women remain the missing piece in solving the poverty puzzle. 

Throughout childhood, U.S. poverty rates are the same among boys and girls, but once they enter the childbearing years 20.6% of women live in poverty compared to 14% of men.  Elderly women are 70% more likely to be poor than elderly men.  In Wisconsin, more than 589,000 people (247,031 of who are women) and 28% of single mothers live in poverty.  The numbers get a lot worse in Milwaukee county where 38.8% of families led by single mothers live in poverty. For women and their families, poverty means more than having little or no income.  It means missing opportunities because they lack power and voice.  It means missing out because they are undercounted, undervalued, underserved and underrepresented.  As long as social, cultural and economic barriers exclude women form full participation in public life the solution to the poverty puzzle remain elusive.

Investing in women and girls is the answer.  According to an article in the New York Times magazine, “There is a growing recognition among everyone from the World Bank to the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to aid organizations like CARE that focusing on women and girls is the most effective way to fight global poverty and extremism.  …The world is awakening to a powerful truth:  Women and girls aren’t the problem; they are the solution.  (Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, “The Women’s Crusade,” New York Times Magazine, 8/23/09)

The Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee understands that investing in women-led organizations and creating long-term solutions to problems in our communities is an important step to eliminating poverty.  We prioritize investments in programs that build economic opportunity for women and girls and combats poverty.  Since 1986, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee has invested more than $2 million in nonprofits working on the frontlines to improve the economic status of women and create a brighter future for girls.  Engaging women in organizing and advocacy efforts toward economic self sufficiency, promoting employment through housing mobility, leadership development, and reducing teen pregnancy are among the programs we have supported through.  

On World Poverty Day the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee calls on local, national and world leaders to empower the women that power the global economy—we can’t afford not to.  There is no such thing as a “gender-neutral budget.”  The impact of every fiscal policy, be it taxation, or resource allocation, must be assessed in terms of its impact on the lives of both women and men.  Furthermore, our leaders must eliminate the gender gap in wages, improve childcare options and flexibility for working mothers, and facilitate women’s access to fair credit and finance.   

Investing in women and girls is the new black

I usually get a blank stare when I try to explain what the Women's Fund of Greater Milwaukee is all about. It's complicated to explain social change and that's assuming your listener already knows it's important to invest in women specifically. A little harder than your every day elevator speech.

So that's why I was excited to read a recent article on Jezebel.com last week. Investing in women and girls is a fad?  Apparently women and girls are getting lots of attention as the "it" way to address poverty and other global issues. While the article questions whether this is just lip service that doesn't lead to real change, I find it gratifying to know that at least the concept of investing in women and girls is being acknowledged. And think about it, this is a conversation on a blog often devoted to fashion and celebrity. This is positive exposure.

I am encouraged to continue to evangelize about the Women's Fund and the important work of our grant partners. Not every conversation ends in a blank stare, and the more we talk about what it means to "invest in women and change the world" the more people are going to finally get on board.

I'll leave you with this quote from the comments section of the article:

The good thing is, once women and girls get a taste of empowerment, they start realizing what they deserve and are more likely to seek it, find it, demand it. Sometimes, fads leave some worthy things behind.

Carmen Murguia's thoughts about homophobia in sports

Last week, IOU Sports presented an incredible panel of women who are working professionally in the sports industry.  "It Takes a Team" was as much about motivating women and girls to pursue sports careers as it was to challenge homophobia in sports.  I've written about this topic before but not anywhere nearly as poetically as Carmen Murguia who attended the event.  Enjoy:

On Thursday night, I sat in an audience with my black and white sisters listening intently about women and girls in sports and the myths and lies that are told about us, the truths about our successes and contributions to sports, and how to be an ambassadora of this dialogue.  We were asked by a show of hands, "Who knew who they were by the age of 12?"  Immediately I shot up, shit I thought to myself: can we stand up for this question and do it proudly, like I would have when I was 12.  When I was a 12 year old girl I knew this to be true:  I am a proud Mexican.  I am a lovely girl.  I am a girl who likes girls.  I am a proud South Sider from Milwaukee.  I am a basketballer with a sweet hook shot.  This is how the stream came out of my head when I, at 42, was sitting in a room of women, girls, and professionals in sports.  

That pride is in me and it has never left. 
 
I wondered would we get an opportunity to elaborate about this knowledge we held within, because you know at 12 I got into nothing but fights about who I was - fights with someone who had a problem with me because I was Mexican, fights with boys who would call me a girl as a slur, fights because someone who got in my way on the court and fouled me out (I wouldn't take full responsibility for this one) and finally, fights with girls or boys who would talk behind my back or try and out me before I was even ready. 
 
My parents instilled in me that Mexican and American pride, to hold onto it with love and admiration and to share it with others wherever I walked.  That Thursday night was no exception. I was so ready to not hold back because who was gonna fight me now?  Nobody. Why?  Because we were in a supportive environment of women empowering and inspiring women -- we had each other's backs Latina, Black and White.  I wanted to share all those reasons I felt pride at 12 that I couldn't then, however could I speak it without crying through it because the emotion is so great even as I write.  I'm sure I could manage through the happiness of what it feels like every morning I wake up and say thank you God for making me Mexican.  Thank you for this beautiful Brown skin you blessed me (even though in Wisconsin it comes out when I'm sun-drenched in the summer months), Thank you for the skills to hoop and recite, the women you have sent me to love, Thank you for making me find that self-love for being a woman in this world, and for the ability to walk into a room with my head up high even at the toughest moments. 
 
These thoughts flooded me in a sports symposium for women and girls on a Thursday night.  Thank you Bernell Hooker, founder of IOU Sports (whose mission is to provide a unique, educational, cultural and athletic experience for girls and women) for the opportunity to reflect on what it felt like at 12 to know who I was, even though sometimes I was afraid of all that I knew, but acted tough through it anyway and still do.  Celebrating National Latino Heritage Month begins with me, and inside the party is off the hook!

"They care about us and they don't even know us!"

This is a quote from a Somali woman participating in the Muslim Women's Coalition's program to help the recent refugee group.  Janan Najeeb, head of the Coalition, said that they were talking about how their work is funded and the concept was outrageous to the Somali women.  They couldn't get over the fact that people who don't even know them care about what happens to them.  That's what philanthropy is really all about isn't it?  Caring about people that you don't know and will never meet. 

Muslim Women's Coalition Gets Coverage for their Work With Somali Bantu people

Check out this article in the Milwauke Journal Sentinel about the Muslim Women's Coalition, a grant partner of the Women's Fund's Reproductive Justice Donors Learning Circle.  The Muslim Women's Coalition saw how the Somali Bantu immigrant community in Milwaukee was struggling and reached out.  Because the Somali Bantus are Muslim, the Muslim Women's Coalition is far more likely to have a positive impact than any mainstream social service organization.  It's a clear example of the importance of cultural competence.  The grant was made with matching support from the Tides Foundation's Catalyst Fund.

Making good granting decisions is a tougher process than you think

The grantmaking process is tougher  than most people think.  I know when I was a young fundraiser I used to think I'd know exactly how to prioritize and distribute the wealth.  "Just ask me!"   But that's not how it works.  We were presented with preliminary proposals from 67 worthy organizations which is almost twice the number we received last year.  

I'm thankful that we have a diverse volunteer team of smart and insightful women, the Grants Advisory Committee.   They are donors, volunteers, activists, and local business people.  Meet the team:  Natalie Harlan, Jackie Herd-Barber, Sarah Noble, Marci Pelzer, Ellen Bravo, Beth Weckmueller, Ava Hernandez, Diana Redlich, and Peggy Rozga. 

The group is charged with screening applicants for meeting the criteria of social change, having a gender lens, fitting into one of the three focus areas--economic justice, social justice, or leadership development, meeting a critical need, and providing a unique funding opportunity for the Women's Fund meaning that it isn't already well funded by mainstream funding sources. 

Yesterday the Grants Advisory Committee met to decide which organizations to invite to submit full proposals.  They decided to invite 21 organizations to submit full proposals but it was painful to bring it down to that number.  We could have easily invited 40 proposals because there is so much important work that needs to be done that just isn't getting attention or support elsewhere. 

But as painful as that was, the 2nd step of this process will be even more difficult.  We only have $100,000 in this pool to spend and our typical grant size is $10,000 which means that less than half of the proposals invited will be funded.  Some of the ones we are unable to fund are likely to get support from other sources.  Sadly others won't and they just won't happen.  But think, just think of the positive changes we could make in our community if we had all the resources we needed to fund and support well thought out women-led solutions to persisent issues like poverty and teen pregnancy.

The White House Project Uses a Gender Lens

Over 40 people gathered at the home of Joseph Pabst for a special White House Project networking training.  It was great.  We arranged ourselves in an inner circle and an outer circle facing each other.  First, we introduced ourselves to each other and talked about what we are passionate about.  The outer circle takes one step to the right and you do it again with someone new.  Then, Catherine Gray, our White House Project facilitator, asked us to tell each other what we want.  What we want!  All I could think of was that I wanted to sit down.  And we weren't allowed to talk about stuff like peace and justice for all.  The assignment was to talk about what we want for ourselves.  Much more difficult.  But it's typical for women to talk and talk and never share the thing they really need.  Like an introduction to someone.  Like a contribution to a campaign.  Like a vote! 

This is what we mean by a gender lens.  There are plenty of organizations that provide candidate training.  But none that I know of that really address the gender issue.  Because for women, it's not really about skill training.  It's about addressing the fear that challenges us from being the leader we could.  The fear that we're not smart enough, that we can't raise money, that our families will be exposed, and on and on.  We need to get passed that and embrace the fact that not only are we capable, the world needs us.  

See more photos from this great event on Flickr.