Jessica Yee dropped me an email with this message:

Dear friends, colleagues, and allies in the struggle,

As many of you already know, the ban on abortion is back on the ballot for the upcoming November 5th election in South Dakota. This is a very scary time, not only because we already defeated the ban 60% to 40% back in 2006 (and here we are again!), but because both the state and federal judiciary powers are very close to becoming completely anti-choice with the pending election. This proposed ban will drastically affect individuals, women, youth, families, and communities alike quite significantly, on top of the already harsh conditions and realities they face to obtain an abortion now and access reproductive and sexual health services.

I have been asked to lead an emergency Native American Task Force, in partnership with the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, to be based out of the Standing Rock reservation in Pierre, SD that will focus on mobilizing Native American communities to vote against the ban and start the discussions on how our communities are going to be affected and what we are going to do about it. Currently the only provider in the state comes to Sioux Falls, which is very far for many people to get to living in remote and rural reservation areas. The conditions of Indian Health Service for sexual and reproductive health are deplorable and this ban will in particular affect our people gravely.

The emergency task force will begin October 28 right up until election day November 5th. We are looking for any help you can provide in terms of donations, people-power, or simply looking at some documents I will forward so we can make them culturally relevant.

If you can make a donation, please go here https://secure.sdhealthyfamilies.org/page/contribute/website and let me know that you made it so I can make sure it goes to our Task Force.

Please let me know if you are interested in joining us. I promise we won’t give up the fight!

Some key points to remember about abortion in SD:

*Around half of women seeking an abortion are already mothers (47% in 2006)

*98% of counties have no abortion services

*Women are already subjected to mandatory anti-choice counseling, 24-hour delay, and showing of sonograms, etc.

*Native American women face the highest rates of sexual assault in the entire state. 1 in 3 Native women in the US has experienced sexual violence and this ban’s so called “provisions” for rape and incest force physicians to consider staking their career first if they perform abortions.

In choice,

Jessica

Aaminah Hernández sent me some info on the Winter Scarf Project 2008:

Goal of Project: Provision of winter scarves to the homeless in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, as part of Masjid At-Tawheed’s “Project Downtown”. Excess scarves will be made available to the local needy Muslim families as well, through the masjid, so we hope to have A LOT of scarves available to meet the needs, inshaAllah.

Donations of cash, in any amount, for the scarves available at the masjid will be put in the new masjid building fund, inshaAllah.

Details of Project: Knit or crochet winter scarves. Be creative and colorful, but tasteful. Remember that these scarves will be going to men, women, boys and girls, so we need to have “masculine” designs and “pretty” designs, inshaAllah. J Put love and du’as into your stitches!

If you cannot knit or crochet, but would like to purchase winter scarves to donate for this project, you may do so. Used winter scarves in EXCELLENT CONDITION (please make sure they are also laundered before sending) may also be sent.

“Excellent Condition” means: Would you wear this yourself? Would you give it as a gift to your mother or father or other loved one? If not, please do not give it to a stranger either! [Read More]

Elijah Wong sends news of a cool sounding Open Mic called Witchdoctors and Assassins 2008 A.D:

Witchdoctors and Assassins 2008 A.D. (NYC APIA Open Mic)
October 10th and 24th
6:30 – 8:30 P.M.

A new reading series and open mic for Asian/Pacific Islander-American youth at The Asian American Writers’ Workshop.

***PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE ARE TWO SHOWS: October 10th AND 24th, 2008***

Who are the Witchdoctors and Assassins?

As bodies that have witnessed onslaughts of violence and trauma from
supremacist regimes, we are sounding out for decolonization. We refuse
to play the “victim” in the countless oppressions against us. If you
ask us who we are, we say we are “witchdoctors and assassins”*. By
assuming these roles, we are demonstrating our creative resistance
against the traditional act of “performing” our race, gender, class,
sexual identity, and beyond on the world stage.

We are Axis of Praxis, your resident arts collective, coming to you
with our interpretation of the revolutionary theater. As witchdoctors
and assassins, we will be actors in the conjuring and dispelling of
the violence and trauma that we have witnessed in its most personal
and destructive forms. We invite you not to become only spectators in
this process, but participants with your own stories and revolutionary
fervor. Join us as we don our masks in performance, become puppets,
and transcend the stage with an impromptu dance party. See that the
instances of oppression you have witnessed in your lives on a daily
basis is no less or disconnected from the headlines of Asian America—
whatever and however that body means to us and to you.

* Leroi Jones/ Amiri Baraka. The Revolutionary Theatre. Liberator,
1965

Take the N, R, Q, W, F, B, D, V trains to 34th Street/Herald Square

For more info go to:
AAWW.org,
myspace.com/elijahkuanwong

Axis of Praxis are:
-Krystle Cheirs
-Nafisa Ferdous
-Emmelle Israel
-Muriel Leung
-Jackie Mariano
-Elijah Kuan Wong
-Derek Yung

Also, a last minute reminder for WAM!2009 proposals – deadline is on Friday, October 10th. More information here.