Hello Fellows,

I would like to report that YP4 has finally made an impact in Oklahoma! I am a 2008 Fellow and have just implemented my blueprint in my hometown of Anadarko, Oklahoma. 

The Anadarko Community Esteem Project had its first group meeting on December 18th. We had a great time with the young ladies. We served dinner and played a game about self-esteem. 

Last week I wrote about a certain transformation of mine--one of racial transcendence and of forming bonds of solidarity with African-African Americans. I told you how I overcame my fears about personally interacting with Black people and how I was able to build strong relationships with people I would have otherwise avoided, simply because they were “different” from myself.

People like to talk about how women have moved up in positions of power; how they don’t just hold the traditional mother/homemaker roles they used to hold in earlier times.

It is a shame that we women cannot be supportive enough of each other to be able to claim that we have been able to elect a women to the highest or at least to the second highest office of government in the United States. Shelly Mandell the president of the Los Angeles NOW chapter, introduced Sarah Palin at a political activity in California.

At this point in time, the reality is that women still don't make as much as men. Women make almost 76 cents to every dollar that a man makes in the workforce. This pay gap is sadly widening. http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/censusandstatistics/a/paygapgr... I can't think of unequal pay without thinking of Lilly Ledbetter.  Lilly Ledbetter worked at the Goodyear plant for years and was paid less than her male counterparts.  Her case lost in the U.S. Supreme Court last year.  See and hear Lilly's story at http://www.now.org/issues/economic/080108paycheckfairness.ht...

Hillary Clinton has two constituent groups whose votes I believe Barack Obama will not get, working class women and Hispanics.  Working class women were drawn to Hillary because Hillary shares with them their class upbringing and their gender perspective.  Women across America know about the glass ceiling because so many of them work very hard, are overqualified for promotions that they deserve and apply for and yet they are passed by for a guy less experienced and qualified than they are.  They see themselves in the mirror of Hillary Clinton.

I recently received the following article from a listserve. I'm still chewing on the content of the article, including the underlying tone. Without fully coming to my own conclusions, I thought I'd offer this article to our shared space and gauge some healthy and safe discussion on peoples' thoughts.

Why Hillary Shouldn't Be Obama's VP

Of Whiners and Poor Losers

By DAVE LINDORFF

I went to watch the "Sex and the City" movie and I realized that one of the main issues it dealt with was income.  It is interesting to see the wage gap between two attorneys, Charlotte's husband and Miranda.  Charlotte's husband, Harry, makes enough money so Charlotte doesn't have to to work but Miranda, also an attorney, works and her husband also has to work to support the family in Brooklyn, while Charlotte lives in Manhattan.  The income gap between men and women is 77 cents to every dollar, according to the National Organization for Women's data.  Twenty three cents less for every dollar is not justice.

Two weeks ago, I discussed the existence of a third-world within the first-world. In a more recent blog post, I explored the challenges of combating sex trafficking in the United States, more specifically, in my progressive hometown of San Francisco. While I do not profess to completely comprehend the challenges of being a victim/survivor of sex trafficking, I can relate to the experience of being commodified and labeled as "exotic." The comments made by others on my "unique" physical appearance (as a result of my multi-ethnic ancestry), has led me to question if others can appreciate my knowledge and the complexity of my identity without getting distracted by what they see.

As we strive to make this world a safe place for everyone, there are numerous of heartless man roaming around to accomplish their selfish, inhumane sexual desire by raping little girls and women. I was reading an article that shows a horrifying prevalence of rape survey conducted in April of 2008 by Women of Liberia Peace Network (WOLPNET) in Liberia (West Africa). Of 600 rape victims recently interviewed, 90 percent of them were found to be suffering from fistulas - a vaginal tear which results in loss of bladder control and social stigmatization. According to local health workers two types of fistula cases are prevalent in Liberia. One is obstetric fistula, which is a vaginal tear resulting from prolonged obstructed labor.