Unite against the war on women, April 28

On April 28, women will march and rally in state capitals and major U.S. cities against the recent attacks on women and in defense of women’s rights. This initiative, started by two women on Feb. 19 with a Facebook page titled, “Organizing Against the War on Women,” has caught fire with angry women all over the country.

Karen Teagarden in Michigan, one of the April 28 co-founders, told Workers World, “Desi and I met working on the Obama campaign in 2007, and we stayed in touch. We vent about our daughters and politics when something crazy is going on. First, it was the ‘Personhood’ amendment in Mississippi, then the trans-vaginal ultrasound bill in Virginia, then about no coverage for contraception. We kept asking: ‘Why isn’t anybody doing anything?’ So we said, ‘We should just do it. You build it and they will come.’”

The response was immediate. By the next morning, almost 500 women had asked to join and organize for April 28 in their states. As of April 15, the group has 21,300 members and organizing centers in all 50 states. “We’ve done it all virtually, using social media. It’s just wild,” added Teagarden.

Desiree Jordan in New York state, the other co-founder, summarized the goals of April 28 for Workers World: “We’re demanding privacy, access, choice and equality for all women in all spheres of life.” Even though the founders were moved to act because of attacks on reproductive rights, they envision a much wider, ongoing campaign.

In the statement of purpose on unitewomen.org, the campaign is devoted to defending and advancing women’s rights and civil rights, women’s economic equality and workers’ rights, voting rights, protecting women and children from violence and abuse, and women’s wellness, health and safety, in addition to reproductive rights.

Among its four basic action goals are “to inform women and men, the public, policymakers and media about issues from our life experience as women” and “to nurture intergenerational networks of women, so we can recognize and respond to the range of issues women experience across their lifespan and fulfill our full potential as women and as human beings in our society.”

National endorsements for the April 28 mobilization include such groups as the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, Catholics for Choice, the National Organization for Women, Code Pink — Women for Peace, and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

To find out more about the April 28 event in your state, visit unitewomen.org.