Women’s Spaces Radio Show of 12/20/2021 with host Elaine B Holtz and first guest Celeste Austin on Tribute to Vince Harper and Lament for County Black Leadership Exodus; and second guest Susan Jensen on Small Businesses Coping with Covid and Reining in Holiday Gift-Giving, has been uploaded to the web archive. The show was broadcast in the North SF Bay and streamed worldwide over Radio KBBF 89.1 FM on Monday 12/20/2021 at 11 AM, repeats at 11 PM on KBBF, and then repeat broadcasts in Petaluma and streamed worldwide over Radio KPCA 103.3 FM on the following Wednesday 12/22/2021 at 11 AM.
Subscribe for Podcasts of the Women’s Spaces Radio Show The shows since December 2019 are available by podcast. Subscribe by clicking the name of the service below and, once on the page, click the Subscribe button:
1. Our first guest Celeste Austin is accompanied by her partner Linda Jackson. Celestereads a tribute she wrote for Vince Harper, the beloved Sonoma County community leader who just passed away, and who worked almost 30 years for Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County. Celeste also reads a piece called We Are Here, which she wrote as a statement of her feelings about racism and the fact that black members of our community in vital leadership positions are leaving our community.
About our Guest Celeste Austin: Celeste is a local activist in Sonoma County, especially in helping women and children from entering homelessness. She has worked many years at The Living Room in Santa Rosa, Celeste is presently employed by the InterFaith Shelter Network (IFSN) in Sonoma County. She is a member of Sonoma County Blacks United.
About our Guest Linda Jackson: Linda is a Registered Nurse in Sonoma County.
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2. Our second guest Susan Jensen, as a small business owner, gives her perspective on how the small businesses are doing coping with the pandemic restrictions. Susan and her mom Elaine talk a bit about some of the changes the family is making this year to celebrate Christmas and the joy of giving without being overwhelmed in consumerist excesses.
About our Guest Susan Jensen: Susan is a partner in the ownership of Economy Plumbing in Santa Rosa. She is the daughter of our host Elaine B. Holtz, and the mother of two children and grandmother to two more. Susan is an avid Soccer player and plays with a local team. She lives with her husband David Jensen in Santa Rosa.
December 24, 1951 (1998) – Marsha Gomez, activist, used pottery and sculpture from her Choctaw ancestry to teach and further demand rights for indigenous women of many cultures, achieved NGO status for indigenous women in the United Nations, began the Foundation for a Compassionate Society with a group of about 20 artists.
December 25, 1806 (1875) – Martha Wright, called the first Woman’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848 with her sister Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Stanton and others, president of women’s conventions in 1855 in Cincinnati, Saratoga, and Albany, a founder of the American Equal Rights Association in 1866, continued working for equal suffrage during Civil War.
December 25, 1821 (1912) – Clara Barton, founder and president of American Red Cross, 1881-1904.
The 2021 Peace & Justice Center’s Annual Awards Online Ceremony of 11/13/2021 can be viewed online at the Center’s youtube channel:https://youtu.be/cwoTmx6CjRE
The Opening and Closing Theme song The Woman in Your Life is You is done with permission of the Composer and Singer Alix Dobkin ((August 16, 1940 – May 19, 2021) Alix Dobkin death was just announced – Thank you for all you did for Lesbians to be recognized and Women to be honored. May you rest in peace. See our Interview with Alix Dobkin on 12/1/2014 at and our Memorial to Alix Dobkin on 11/24/2021 .
The Woman in Your Life is You by Alix Dobkin from the album Living with Lavender Jane (2010 Women’s Wax Works) – www.alixdobkin.com Swing Low Sweet Chariot, sung by Etta James, from the album All American Gospel ( 2012 X5 Music Group).
Happy Xmas, The War is Over. Sung by: Sarah McLachlan, from the album Winter Song (2006 Arista Records LLC A Unit of Sony BMG Music Entertainment).
Let there Be Peace by Becky Hobbs from the album Songs from the Road of Life (2011 Beckaroo Records)
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For music purchasing opportunity, supporting the artists:
Women’s Spaces Radio Show of 12/13/2021 with host Elaine B Holtz and guests Mary Moore and Lois Perlman on Writing Mary’s Memoirs and Reflecting on her Social Activism, has been uploaded to the web archive. The show was broadcast in the North SF Bay and streamed worldwide over Radio KBBF 89.1 FM on Monday 12/13/2021 at 11 AM, repeats at 11 PM on KBBF, and then repeat broadcasts in Petaluma and streamed worldwide over Radio KPCA 103.3 FM on the following Wednesday 12/15/2021 at 11 AM.
Subscribe for Podcasts of the Women’s Spaces Radio Show The shows since December 2019 are available by podcast. Subscribe by clicking the name of the service below and, once on the page, click the Subscribe button:
1. Commentary by our host Elaine B. Holtz: I have two special guests joining me on the phone, Mary Moore and Lois Perlman. I met Mary many years ago when she organized the Bohemian Grove protest here in Sonoma County. We will be talking about her life as an activist and the writing of her memoirs with Lois Perlman, an activist, as well.
2. Our guests Mary Moore and Lois Perlman talk about writing the memoirs of Mary Moore, and share highlights of Mary’s life as an activist. Mary shares the difficult time of having her children taken from her because of her early anti-racism activism and having Black men come over to the house, which was objected to by her now former husband. Mary emphasizes that one must neglect one “ism” for another, that racism, sexism and classism are related. Classicism is why Mary focused her attention on the Bohemian Grove and its annual gathering of the rich and powerful men, and she organized annual protests at their gates near Monte Rio. Lois is going over 800 binders that Mary has assembled over the years in her archive, which has been promised to the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley, to help weave the memoirs.
About our Guest Mary Moore: Born in San Luis Obispo in 1935, Mary Moore has been a social justice activist since 1962 focusing on issues or racism, sexism, and classism. In the late ‘seventies she organized a statewide network to stop Diablo Canyon and Rancho Secco nukes. She co-founded the Bohemian Grove Action Network in 1980 to raise awareness of the elite and small network of men with outsized influence that gather annually at Bohemian Grove in Sonoma County. In the late 1990s, there was a spate of police killings here in Sonoma County, Mary along with many others did a lot of local organizing which led to the US Commission on Civil Rights to hold hearings in Sonoma County. A presentation there on the local deaths attracted national attention.
In 1997 Mary was one of the co-founders of the Sonoma County Free Press and kept it going for over 10 years and continue to stay involved. Mary was also involved in the Women’s Movement and is one of the co-founders of the radio show, “Voices De Mujeres,” on KBBF 89.1FM which is still on the air every Saturday from 1-2pm.
She is currently working on an archives project for the Bancroft Library in Berkeley, Calif. and is currently writing her memoirs/book called, Unfit Mother,” in collaboration with Lois Perlman. Unfortunately, due to her activism Mary lost Custody of her three children which will be covered in her book. Along with her activism she is a dedicated mother and grandmother, her motto is, “if you want peace you must work for justice.”
About our Guest Lois Perlman: Lois Perlman is a theater artist, director, community activist, and a co-founder of North Coast Coalition for Palestine. You may have seen her perform at a number of local theaters, and she also directed several plays, including “My Name is Rachel Corrie.” As an activist she was part of a group that convinced the people of Sacramento to shut down the Rancho Seco nuclear power plant. In the 1990s she worked with Act Up Sonoma County to provide public funding for HIV/AIDS services and to proclaim a county-wide Gay Pride Day. At present she is helping Mary Moore write her memoirs.
December 10, 1869 – Wyoming is the first territory to give women the right to vote.
December 10, 1938 – Pearl S. Buck receives the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Good Earth.
December 14, 1961 – President’s Commission on the Status of Women is established to examine discrimination against women and ways to eliminate it.
Herstory Birthdays:
December 13, 1903 (1986) – Ella Baker, organizer, tried to develop local leaders for civil rights campaigns but found male leaders in the NAACP quite unwilling to delegate power, helped lead the Southern Christian Leadership Conference until Dr. King took over, worked with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
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As a supplement to the History of individual women, I thought it would be a good idea to remind us how far we have come and some of the changes that were made giving women more independence and a voice, therefore for the next few months beginning November 1, 2021, this segment will include:
40 Basic Rights Women Did Not Have Until The 1970s
The list is thanks to HistoryCollection.com, which cites the sources:
17. Women Didn’t Really Have A Voice
Of course, females have always been able to talk, but this didn’t mean that the things they said had any impact on what people thought. While countless girls fought for women’s suffrage and other rights marches, most males, especially in professional careers, wouldn’t and didn’t have to listen to what girls had to say. This concept not only included their opinions on civil and household matters but also opinions for their own bodies. Typically, until around the 1970s, most women had to listen to their husband in how he wanted things down in his home.
16. They Couldn’t Obtain a Degree in Women’s Studies
It wasn’t until 1956 when the Women Studies program came into existence in Australia. From there, the program slowly grew into other parts of the world. However, the United States’ colleges didn’t start catching on to women studies until the late 1960s. In 1969, Cornell University became the first college to offer women studies classes. A year later, San Diego State University established the first Women’s Studies Program in the United States. 1972 saw the establishment of Feminist Studies, and then 1977 saw the creation of the National Women’s Studies Association, which focuses on women’s history in education.
15. Women Weren’t Able to Get Any Job
Today, it’s hard to think about all the jobs women couldn’t get before the 1970s. Before women started demanding gender equality for jobs, women could only apply for specific positions, such as secretary or teacher. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 worked to end workplace discrimination; however, it continued in several states and among hundreds of professions. Even though employers couldn’t legally reject women for jobs because of their gender, they could reject women for other reasons. Some employers would skip applications by women while others would produce a different reason for not hiring them.
14. She Couldn’t Divorce Over Domestic Violence
Before the 1970s, getting divorced was difficult. Females had to prove that their husband had wronged them to obtain a divorce. However, proof didn’t mean that women would be able to get a divorce successfully. Some of the reasons, such as adultery, became acceptable. However, other reasons were not seen as acceptable, such as spousal abuse. Wives couldn’t officially protect themselves from domestic violence until the 1990s. However, starting in the 1970s, it became acceptable for a woman to ask for a divorce because of domestic violence.
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Announcements
The 2021 Peace & Justice Center’s Annual Awards Online Ceremony of 11/13/2021 can be viewed online at the Center’s youtube channel:https://youtu.be/cwoTmx6CjRE
The Opening and Closing Theme song The Woman in Your Life is You is done with permission of the Composer and Singer Alix Dobkin ((August 16, 1940 – May 19, 2021) Alix Dobkin death was just announced – Thank you for all you did for Lesbians to be recognized and Women to be honored. May you rest in peace. See our Interview with Alix Dobkin on 12/1/2014 at and our Memorial to Alix Dobkin on 11/24/2021 .
The Woman in Your Life is You by Alix Dobkin from the album Living with Lavender Jane (2010 Women’s Wax Works) – www.alixdobkin.com Her Story, sung by Earth Mama, from the album Herstory (2019 Rhm).
One Woman, sung by Ana Bacalau and chorus of twenty five singers**, from the single UN Women (2013 UN Women)
**‘One Woman’ – The UN Women song sung by Singers and performers from all regions, women and men, donated their time and contributed their talent. They include: Ana Bacalhau (Portugal); Angelique Kidjo (Benin); Anoushka Shankar (India); Bassekou Kouyate (Mali); Bebel Gilberto (Brazil); Beth Blatt (US); Brian Finnegan (Ireland); Buika (Spain); Charice (Philippines); Cherine Amr (Egypt); Debi Nova (Costa Rica); Emeline Michel (Haiti); Fahan Hassan (UK); Idan Raichel (Israel); Jane Zhang (China); Jim Diamond (UK); Keith Murrell (UK); Lance Ellington (UK); Marta Gomez (Colombia); Maria Friedman (UK); Meklit Hadero (Ethiopia); Rokia Traoré (Mali); Vanessa Quai (Vanuatu); Ximena Sariñana (Mexico); Yuna (Malaysia). [1] In 2013, 25 acclaimed singers and musicians, women and men, from China to Costa Rica, from Mali to Malaysia, came together to spread a message of unity and solidarity: We are “One Woman”. Launched on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2013, the song is a rallying cry that inspires listeners to join the drive for women’s rights and gender equality. “One Woman” was written for UN Women, the global champion for women and girls worldwide, to celebrate its mission and work to improve women’s lives around the world. “One Woman” reminds us that together, we can overcome violence and discrimination against women and look toward a brighter future: “We Shall Shine!” [2]
Women’s Spaces Radio Show of 12/6/2021 with host Elaine B Holtz and her Commentary on Pearl Harbor, Women’s Right of Bodily Choices, Gun Violence, and Congressional Incivility, has been uploaded to the web archive. The show was broadcast in the North SF Bay and streamed worldwide over Radio KBBF 89.1 FM on Monday 12/6/2021 at 11 AM, repeats at 11 PM on KBBF, and then repeat broadcasts in Petaluma and streamed worldwide over Radio KPCA 103.3 FM on the following Wednesday 12/8/2021 at 11 AM.
Subscribe for Podcasts of the Women’s Spaces Radio Show The shows since December 2019 are available by podcast. Subscribe by clicking the name of the service below and, once on the page, click the Subscribe button:
1. Commentary by our host Elaine B. Holtz: For today’s show I do not have a guest and will be talking about Our Herstory is our Strength, play a few songs and read a poem of mine.
Today is also a special day, on December 6, 1944, my sister Evelyn Diane Holtz was born. Happy Birthday baby sister, wishing you a joyous day and healthy life. My mother to be honest was happy that she was not born on December 7th which was the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and it was the beginning of World War II for the United States.
Just for fun I thought I would find two women who were born on the 6th of December to find out whose shoulders my sister is standing on because of her birthday. See the Herstory section below.
Tomorrow is December 7 the date of the day in 1941 that the Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor External, Hawaii Territory, killing more than 2,300 Americans.. I was only 1 ½ years old when this happened, and I can only imagine how horrible that day was, and the US declared war. What is even sadder is because of that event the Internment of Japanese Americans.
In the United States during World War II, about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of whom lived on the Pacific Coast, were forcibly relocated, and incarcerated in concentration camps in the western interior of the country. Two-thirds of the internees were United States citizens. These actions were ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt shortly after Imperial Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Although their families were treated unjustly in this way, more than 33,000 Japanese Americans served in the military with honor during the war.” On December 18, 1944, a divided Supreme Court ruled, in a 6-3 decision, that the detention was a “military necessity” not based on race. Many still believe it should not have happened. It is a dark mark on our history,.
Shout out to the National Organization of Women Sonoma County Chapter for organizing a gathering in Sebastopol in support of a women’s right to abortion/choice. On Wednesday December 1st hundreds of activists circled the Supreme Court in Washington DC to support abortion justice organized by the Women’s March. December 1 was the day the court began hearing arguments for Dobbs versus Jackson Women’s Health organization,
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Back to the Vigil. One of the best signs I saw expressed exactly how I feel. Let’s take care of the children who are born. Since we are talking about saving lives how about stopping the killing of children in war zones, due to lack of medical care or the dangers of guns. Four children were killed by a fifteen-year-old boy. Another sign I saw was, “I wish they would make the same noise about gun control as they do around abortion. We all need to let our representatives know how we feel about this.
That song in our playlist, Mr. Politician, by Ellen Bukstel is just as timely today as when it was written. With all these court cases and new legislation around abortion it is still a mystery to me why there is so much emphasis on “save the fetus,” you are killing a human being when we are killing those born in so many ways i.e., cops killing children, happened in our own community, homelessness, inadequate nutrition because of economics, many are without medical and dental care. Look at the war zones how many children are dying, where are the right to lifers when that happens. Feels like there is so much emphasis on abortion in lieu of what I mentioned. For me, well I am not for or against abortion I am for a women’s right to choose and her privacy. Her decisions and actions are none of my business.
How about gun control? My heart goes out to all those parents who lost their four children in the horrible shooting at Oxford High School. These beautiful young children, the hope of the future, from good homes who wanted them, gone because individuals who are supposed to be governing and protecting are doing nothing around gun control, I truly hope justice is served and all parents learn a bit more responsible particularly around guns. I know most are but even they need to check out how it is being handled.
I am going to read a short poem I wrote in the late sixty’s; it is part of a poem called, When Johnny Comes March Home.
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I am going to talk a bit about Congressional Uncivility, suffered by Representative Ilhan Abdullahi Omar. She goes by the name, Omar and is the first Somali American and the first naturalized citizen of African birth in the United States Congress, and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota. She is also one of the first two Muslim women (along with Rashida Tlaib) to serve in Congress. She has been the target of several death threats, harassment by political opponents, and false and misleading claims by Donald Trump.
Last week, House Republican Lauren Boebert told what she and her audience considered a very funny joke about Representative Ilhan Omar. The premise of the joke is that Muslims are terrorists. If you don’t think Muslims are terrorists, you won’t enjoy the joke. Boebert and her supporters cracked up. They also enjoyed her describing Omar as a member of the “Jihad Squad.” What has the Republican Party become?
December 6, 1815 (1884) – Jane Swisshelm, suffragist, wrote articles for local papers against slavery, for women’s rights, and against legal inequities, led to close friendship with Mary Todd Lincoln.
December 6, 1927 (2002) – Patsy Mink, first Japanese American Congresswoman (D-HI), wrote the Women’s Educational Equity Act, played a key role in the enactment of Title IX, which was renamed posthumously as the “Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act”.
Herstory Events:
December 1, 1955 – Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a bus to a white person; her arrest sparks the modern civil rights movement in the US.
December 5, 1935 – Mary McLeod Bethune creates the National Council of Negro Women.
December 7, 1941 – Capt. Annie Fox receives the first Purple Heart awarded to a woman for her service while under attack at Pearl Harbor.
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As a supplement to the History of individual women, I thought it would be a good idea to remind us how far we have come and some of the changes that were made giving women more independence and a voice, therefore for the next few months beginning November 1, 2021, this segment will include:
40 Basic Rights Women Did Not Have Until The 1970s
The list is thanks to HistoryCollection.com, which cites the sources:
21. Women Couldn’t Serve on A Jury
Prior to the 1970s, females serving on a jury was rare but not impossible. It did happen but it hardly ever occurred before the 1970s… Many states didn’t allow women to sit on a jury until 1973 when all 50 states made it a requirement that females were allowed to participate.
20. Likewise, They Couldn’t Serve on The Supreme Court.
The 1970s became a groundbreaking decade for women in the legal field. During the 1970s, more law schools started accepting women; they could serve on juries and become lawyers. The legal industry began to bloom with women interested in a legal career. However, it wasn’t until 1981, when Sandra Day O’Connor received a seat for the Supreme Court. She held this position until 2006 when she retired. Other than O’Connor, three other women have served on the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan.
19. Girlfriends Couldn’t Legally Live with TheirBoyfriends
Today many dating couples don’t think twice about living together with each other before getting married. However, this wasn’t the case around 50 years ago. During the 1970s, many states had laws against living with your significant other before marriage. It wasn’t until 2013 when all fifty states adopted the law to allow couples to live together without getting married first.
18. Women Couldn’t Purchase Athletic Shoes
The history of women in sports is different from the history of men in sports. While women usually purchase at least one pair of athletic shoes today, this was something women couldn’t buy until the end of the 1970s and into the early 1980s. The biggest reason for this was that women didn’t have a considerable spot in the sports world until around the 1970s. However, just because women didn’t have athletic shoes designed for them didn’t mean they didn’t buy the shoes. Instead of women’s shoes, they had to purchase athletic shoes designed for men.
Sunday, December 12, 2021, 1 pm, SAGE Fundraiser: Circle Song with Copperwoman, Arlene Francis Center, Santa Rosa.
Sonoma Independent – Public Interest Solutions and Advocacy (Jonathan Greenberg, Independent Journalist); SAGE and other campaigns: www.sonomaindependent.org
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The 2021 Peace & Justice Center’s Annual Awards Online Ceremony of 11/13/2021 can be viewed online at the Center’s youtube channel:https://youtu.be/cwoTmx6CjRE
The Opening and Closing Theme song The Woman in Your Life is You is done with permission of the Composer and Singer Alix Dobkin ((August 16, 1940 – May 19, 2021) Alix Dobkin death was just announced – Thank you for all you did for Lesbians to be recognized and Women to be honored. May you rest in peace. See our Interview with Alix Dobkin on 12/1/2014 at and our Memorial to Alix Dobkin on 11/24/2021 .
The Woman in Your Life is You by Alix Dobkin from the album Living with Lavender Jane (2010 Women’s Wax Works) – www.alixdobkin.com Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life, in her own words, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lXhw0LKo-Q Washington Post. In this compilation of interviews, speeches and poignant moments in her life, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reflects on her journey and career. Read more: https://wapo.st/35V3EVH
Hey Mr. Politican, sung by Ellen Buckstel, from the album Daddy’s Little Girl (2008 Ellen Bukstel).
Up Where We Belong, sung by Buffy St. Marie, from the album Up Where We Belong (2013 Buffy St. Marie Under Exclusive License to True North Records)
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For music purchasing opportunity, supporting the artists: