|
|
| Home | Calendar | About Us | Join Us | Contact Us | |
|
Member: Forget the password?
Contact the . MissionTo identify, research and discuss critical issues To mobilize, energize and inspire ourselves and others to action To work as individuals and in community for social justice Help support the work of our organization with a tax-deductible donation: Who We AreWe are a group of ardent, progressive St. Louis area women who finally got fed up.We became so concerned about the direction of this country and where its priorities seem to be that we decided we must do something. From our frustration and determination, Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice was born. We are not fund-raisers. We are not envelope-stuffers. We are not a single-issue group. And we do not want to re-invent the wheel. Therefore, we have built an organization that enables us to study many different issues and take action for a variety of causes. We frequently support other progressive organizations in their efforts. But first, we study and learn about the issues. Our members are curious, creative, competent and caring. We believe in doing something meaningful in support of our values, and we have great fun and camaraderie in doing so. If you would like to add your voice to ours, we welcome you to join us. |
The monthly educational meetings of Women's Voices are not held during June, July and August. General membership meetings will resume on Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Ethical Society.
July 25, 2009 - Jeff Smith Basketball TournamentJoin us Saturday, July 25th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Jeff Smith Three on Three Basketball Tournament and Community Fair at Fairground Park, Natural Bridge and North Grand by the basketball courts. The Community Fair includes free back-to-school supplies and health screenings, and free food and drink for everyone. We staffed a table last year, had a great time, and were amazed at the number of people from the North City neighborhoods that attended.Pride Parade 2009 
Speak Out!
North St. Louis Plan Raises Questions by Barbara Finch
For many thoughtful people throughout the St. Louis area, it's hard to know what to think about developer Paul McKee's proposal to re-make the entire near north side of the city. Like the city itself, McKee has his supporters and his detractors. Now that his dream (or his scheme, depending on how you think about it) has been made public, conversations about the future of north St. Louis are finally being held. Many of these conversations are likely to include the words, "Yes, but" or "On the other hand." It's the contradictions, as well as the massive scope of this project, that make it so difficult to grasp. On the one hand, most of north St. Louis cries out for attention. Many properties, especially those in the 5th and 19th wards, are a mess. On the other hand, many of them are a lot messier now than they were five years ago, when McKee began his buying spree. . So north St. Louis is ripe for development, has been for many years, and no one knows this better than the people who live there. And Paul McKee has stepped up to the plate, investing $46 million of his own money to purchase property to make the area a better place to live and work. But on the other hand, is the proposed plan really the kind of development the area needs? Can someone who has admittedly been successful with huge suburban projects, like Winghaven in St. Charles County, be sensitive to the difference between those and the needs of urban dwellers? Wouldn't it have been simpler, easier and less expensive to start small? Neighborhoods in other parts of the city have been slowly re-developed over time, one store, one church, one home at a time. This gives residents a chance to buy into the plan and it gives the developer a chance to prove himself to the people who live in the area. In re-development projects, as in life, outcomes are usually less successful when one person imposes his own personal vision on others. Paul McKee is well-known and highly respected by many in St. Louis. He is a successful businessman, a community leader, a man who has contributed both time and money to a variety of worthy causes. Yes, but: he has deliberately allowed houses, lots and entire blocks to deteriorate. He has refused to meet with many of the people who live in the area. And his neglect of the historic Clemens mansion on Cass Ave. borders on the criminal. "I can't fix it up overnight," he has said. But the fact is that he has owned it for five years. It's difficult to reconcile this man's personal reputation with his recent actions that put him in the same class as a slumlord. Finally, there is the issue of the men, women and children who live and work in this area. On the one hand, someone is finally paying attention to them. On the other hand, is this attention in their best interest? Many of them have called north St. Louis home for years and have no desire to live elsewhere. Others have invested time, money and energy into rehabbing homes and businesses. Can they endure 15 more years of uncertainty while their homes and businesses are being surrounded by "employment centers," all under the holy grail umbrella of economic development? The most crucial question arising out of McKee's proposal doesn't involve the streetscape or the highway interchange or the rebuilt sewer system. It involves the people, who have been severely damaged just because they live in north St. Louis. As members of the Board of Aldermen begin their deliberations this summer, they need to write some guarantees into this plan to protect these citizens. A Community Benefits Agreement is a starting point, but only a beginning. City leaders should be encouraged to think creatively about how to minimize future financial damage to residents of the area. Perhaps a re-development plan for existing owners could be carved out. Perhaps a fund could be created to provide low-cost home improvement loans (or at least pay for grass mowing and building maintenance that McKee has neglected). Perhaps some of the tax abatement could be passed along to existing owners. On the one hand, Paul McKee's plan for the development of north St. Louis is indeed transformational. On the other hand, if it is executed as planned, without specific financial, civic and environmental safeguards, it will destroy an important cultural sector of St. Louis, and the people who call that portion of our city "home." Community Advocate Award Women's Voices member Amy Smoucha was honored with the Community Advocate Award from Missouri Association of Social Welfare (MASW) on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 6:00 pm at the Forest Park Clubhouse at their annual dinner. Amy has been tireless in her advocacy to bring health care to all Missourians and to all Americans. Her focus, energy, optimism and courage are an inspiration to all who work with her. We are very proud of Amy and proud to have her as a member of Women's Voices.  Members Add Voices to Downtown RallyTwenty members of Women's Voices joined more than 400 others in a rally to "Stop the Bleeding, Start the Healing," protesting cuts in services proposed by the House Budget Committee. Read the full article ...  Rep. Rick Stream, Barb Richter Health Care Focus Group Arranges Meetings with LegislatorsMembers of the Health Care Focus Group (HCFG) were alarmed by the alert from the Missouri Budget Project in mid-March, which indicated that the Missouri House Budget Committee had approved severe cuts to health, mental health, and social services for vulnerable Missourians. According to the alert, 70,000 citizens could lose their services or have them significantly reduced and the state would forfeit $160 million in federal funds, with a loss of as many as 3,700 jobs in the state. Read the full article ...
Speak Out!April 2 Letter to the Editor in the Post-Dispatch by Susan Hayman I'm mystified as to why the Missouri Legislature is rejecting free money. As I understand it, the federal government is offering money to our state for health care. The hospitals will pay the state's share of the funds. I've already paid taxes to the federal government, so part of their share is my money. But the Missouri Legislature is refusing the money. All the General Assembly needs to do is raise the income guidelines. This translates to $11,000 a year for a family of four. Eleven thousand dollars and some change, to support four people? Housing, groceries, utilities, transportation and medical bills - something has to give. But here's money to help pay those medical bills. This feels like partisan politics at its worst, and we need a clear, logical explanation from our legislators about why they will not accept this money. The perceived fear of 'big government' just isn't good enough, when our neighbors are sick and dying. |
Sign LanguageThumbs Up/Thumbs Down Awards
to the St. Louis Preservation Board, which approved the demolition of the San Luis Apartments (formerly the DeVille Motor Hotel) on Lindell Blvd. in the Central West End to make way for a parking lot. Although opinions on the San Luis were mixed, there are many questions about the wisdom of tearing down a city's heritage in order to build one more parking lot.
to Missouri Legislator Cynthia Davis of O'Fallon, who questioned the necessity of a summer feeding program for low-income children in her district. "Hunger can be a great motivator," Davis was quoted as saying. Currently, one in every five children in Missouri lives with hunger.
to developer Paul J. McKee Jr., chairman/CEO of McEagle Properties, owner of the historic James Clemens House on Cass Ave., who has let the property deterioriate to dangerous conditions. The property, a rare antebellum mansion, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And a concurrent ...
to the Landmarks Association of St. Louis, which has named hundreds of McKee-owned properties in north city on the list of endangered sites in St. Louis.
to drugstore giant Walgreens, which is offering free clinic visits to the unemployed and uninsured for the rest of 2009.
to more than two dozen religious leaders in the St. Louis area, who have formed a coalition to protest planned cuts in Missouri's 2010 budget.
to Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, which has received a three year grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to establish the St. Louis Children's Health Advocacy Project (SCHAP).
to a new on-line publication, Pro Publica, an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Their work focuses exclusively on truly important stories, stories with “moral force.” They do this by producing journalism that shines a light on exploitation of the weak by the strong and on the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them.
to supporters of yet another effort to pass a ballot initiative that would ban affirmative action programs in Missouri.
to the Missouri Roundtable, a coalition of anti-choice groups throughout the state, which is attempting to get an initiative petition on the ballot that would prohibit state funding "for abortion services, human cloning, or other prohibited human research." Human cloning was outlawed in Missouri in 2006, when voters approved Amendment 2 and said they wanted stem cell research.
to Judy Arnold, a member of the Health Care Focus Group, and Cathy Blair, a member of the Environment Focus Group. Both had letters to the editor printed in the St. Louis Post Dispatch in January. Judy's letter, titled "In 2009, Let Reason Prevail," addressed the insanity of the Medicare prescription drug plan. Cathy's letter, "Show Them The Faucets," focused on efforts to stop using city money to purchase bottled water.
to Washington University, which is phasing out sales of bottled water on its campus.
to election officials in the state of Missouri, who are still trying to determine which presidential candidate carried the state a week after the election.
to politicans and political campaigns that have launched attacks on community organizers. Community organizers work hard for the benefit of the most disadvantaged in our society. They deserve blessings, not brickbats.
to the St. Louis American newspaper, which has been named runner-up in the Newspaper of the Year competition sponsored by Suburban Newspapers of America! The American was recognized in the category of papers with more than 37,500 circulation. The paper, which has served the African-American community in St. Louis for more than 80 years, contains a wealth of information about the St. Louis metro area that cannot be found in any other publication. Kudos to the staff!
to St. Louis Mayor, Francis Slay. On Wednesday, August 20, Mayor Slay issued an executive order banning departments under his control from purchasing bottled water except in an emergency. City employees were given stainless steel water bottles that say "I love St. Louis water" in which to carry St. Louis tap water (voted the "best tasting tap water in the nation" by the U.S. Conference of Mayors last year).
to the Missouri Drug Card plan, which will give state residents discounts of up to 75 percent on hundreds of brand name and generic medications. Cards can be printed out at www.missouridrugcard.com.
to Home Depot for being the first major nation retail outlet to recycle compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Individuals can bring in any expired, unbroken CFLs, and give them to a Home Depot store associate behind the returns desk free-of-charge. This is a national program. See the website, spread the news.
to the City of St. Louis Refuse Department Recycling Division for being ahead of the rest. We first got the CFL recycling news from their website, then in their July newsletter.
to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., which is now offering a three-month supply of certain prescription drugs for $10. In 2006 Wal-Mart launched a program to sell generic drugs for $4.
to Jennifer's Pharmacy in Clayton, which is discontinuing the use of plastic bags throughout the store. Alternate bags, which have no environmental impact, are available for a small fee. Customers who insist on a plastic bag will be charged for each bag they use. Women's Voices commends Jennifer's Pharmacy for its leadership on this issue.
Past Thumb Awards |