Posts from — November 2009

Here’s a great article about $1 million Opus Prize winner Aicha Ech Channa, founder of the Association for Women’s Solidarity in Casablanca, Morocco, to help unwed mothers become self-sufficient. She is the first Muslim to win the Opus award, an annual humanitarian award which goes to “unsung heroes for their faith-based acts of compassion….”

In the 1980s, she was working for the Moroccan Ministry of Social Affairs, where unwed mothers came seeking help, even though little help was available. Under [local] law, the women were considered prostitutes, and many had their babies taken away over their objections.

Considering that unacceptable, Ech Channa launched her program in 1985. It offers women legal counseling, job training and medical and psychological support with a goal of making them self-sufficient so they can raise their children….

Despite criticism from Muslim clerics, she is committed to her faith, which she approaches from a humanist standpoint.

Humanism is about individuals and the love they have for one another,” she said. “Every human being has a flame [of love] inside them that must be fanned.”

Found this article via Muslimah Media Watch, a terrific blog worth checking out further….

I’m re-posting this entry because Ms. Martin followed up with some terrific responses she got from a host of men’s groups.  Check out the second part here.

And the original post:

Courtney Martin of the American Prospect writes about a new generation of men rejecting “traditional and toxic notions of masculinity…but they’re still figuring out what should replace it.”

While it’s thrilling that there is also a movement of young men all who want to tear down the patriarchy right alongside women, it’s dangerous that they don’t have a clear picture of what they want to build in its place. At the conference, one young man spoke up against the notion of a new “feminist masculinity,” explaining that he feared it would be one more box that young men felt they had to fit into. There’s a lot of validity to his argument, but I fear that the old adage is true: We can’t be what we can’t see. Models help us try on various identities and find one that is truly authentic. The more publicly feminist-aligned men we have, the more opportunities the next generation has to find a positive, masculine gender identity that actually fits.

Continues at What’s the Alternative to Tucker Max? | The American Prospect.

El PAIS, the Queer Latino student organization on campus, is cordially inviting you to attend our panel on the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Transexual) Latin American Community on campus.

WHEN: The panel will be on Monday, November 23rd
from 5:30 to 6:30 in the Pacifica Room (top level of the Student Union).

El PAIS stands for “Estudiantes Latinos y el Proyecto Arco Iris,” which translates to “Latino Students and Project Rainbow.” Our Mission Statement is, “To unite the LGBTQQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Questioning, Intersexed, Ally) Latino community at SJSU and to spread awareness of Queer Latino identities to the campus community, including awareness of the issues that affect LGBTQQIA Latinos.” We will be hosting this event in order to inform the campus community of the diverse experiences of LGBT Latino students, whose lives and identities are often affected by a web of gender, class, and ethnic norms. Most importantly, we want to share how Latino Students on the campus embrace their LGBT identity.

So come support us! We welcome faculty, staff, and students who identify with the LGBT community, support the community as allies, or want to know more about LGBT Latino identities and issues. Please spread the word and let anybody know who may be interested.

“From this day forward, I promise never to commit, condone, or remain silent about violence against women, sexual violence, and dating/intimate partner violence.”

Tuesday thru Thursday, 11/17-11/19

The White Ribbon Campaign is rallying all male-identified students of SJSU to come and sign the pledge to be aware and be a part of the solution.

Pick up your ribbon and sign the pledge at the Campaign table from 10am-2pm on 11/17, 11/18, and 11/19 outside the Student Union in the Art Quad as well as from 5pm-8pm on 11/17 in the Dining Commons!

You can also come to the Office of Student Conduct & Ethical Development at any time from 8am-5pm M-F to get a pledge card and pick up your ribbon!

97% of violence are committed by men.
97% OF MEN ARE NOT ASSAILANTS.
A minority are responsible for the problem.
THE MAJORITY CAN STOP IT.

Sponsored by SJSU Men Creating Change,
Office of Student Conduct, and cool guys everywhere

The Assyrian Student Association would like to invite you to our Documentary Screening on Wednesday, November 18th at 3:00pm in the Student Union, Guadalupe Room.

The short documentary, Transient, is about the millions of Assyrian Iraqis who have been displaced from their homes. Their stories have been largely neglected. The goal of this project was to better understand the plight of these refugees, their living conditions, their medical issues, their access to health care, and how the war has affected their lives. We would be so delighted if you could attend.

S. Bear Bergman

author of the book Butch is a Noun, performing…
“Sing if You’re Glad to Be Trans”

from the new book The Nearest Exit May be Behind You

Monday, November 16 | 7:30 pm
Ziff Center for Jewish Life
Student Lounge of the Taube Hillel House
565 Mayfield Avenue, Stanford University
Copies of the new book will be available at the event.

Here’s an amazing graphic that illustrates how different the economy looks when we consider race and gender…..click on the image to see the original at the NYT (courtesy of Prof. Ochoa)

Saturday November 7, 2009 3:45pm
SJSU Engineering Auditorium

Malalai Joya has been called the bravest woman in Afghanistan. Elected to the Afghan parliament in 2003 and 2005, she was suspended in 2007 for challenging the presence of warlords in the Afghan parliment. She has been compared to the symbol of Burma’s democracy movement, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Malalai Joya will talk about her memoir: ” A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of An Afghan Who Dared Raise Her Voice”.

Dia de los Muertos Pre-Medical Conference (DDLM)
Stanford University
Nov 07, 2009 (Sat) | 8:00 AM -5:30 PM, $ 12
Check in: Braun Auditorium (located in Mudd Chem building) :

The 17 Annual Dia de los Muertos Pre-Medical Gross Anatomy Conference will be taking place at the Stanford School of Medicine on Saturday, November 7, 2009.

The goal of the conference is to provide premedical students of color with information about applying to medical, public health, and dental schools. The conference serves to inspire students through a series of workshops, panels, and medical-student run gross anatomy demonstrations. The conference draws attention to health issues prevalent in the Latino and other underrepresented communities. The first 150 people to register will receive FREE t-shirts on the day of the conference. If you purchase multiple registration tickets at once, provide a list of the attendees via email

Here is the link
http://egroups.stanford.edu/p-128-pre-health-conference.aspx