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January i995 Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina Connections Claiming a place Resource center gives women a voice in religion Clergywomen say religious institu tions have excluded them for centuries. By providing support, information and workshops, the Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South is working to change that By Kate Foster Durham A t first glance, the resource center on the sixth floor of / 1 West Main Street in one of downtown Durham’s oldest buildings looks like any other office. But talking with anyone who has participated in its programs or work shops quickly reveals its importance in the community. This place is much more than an office. The Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South has been providing support and informa tional programming for women in North Carolina and the outheast for nearly 18 years. It was formed in 1977 by three women at the Divinity School at Duke University who wanted to establish a network of support for women involved in religion. Jeannette Stokes, a founding member of the Resource Center and its current executive director, was a member of the sec ond class at the 68-year-old Divinity School to accept women. “There was nobody out there that was interested in women and the ministry,” says Stokes who graduated in 1977. “There was nobody who was going to look after or connect clergy- women.” A brochure about the resource Look for VOICE, page 5 TOP ISSUES ON WOMEN'S AGENDA: •Healthcare •Adolescent pregnancy pre vention •Violence ogainst women •Access to child core •Aging • Economic development •Literacy Source: N.C. Equity, At a special meeting in Edenton, women from Chowan, Perquimans, Washington and Gates counties met in small groups to formulate an agenda of women's issues to send to the state legislature. Photo by Anne Mackie Setting priorities Agenda promotes women’s issues N.C. Equity has mobilized women in the state to make their voices heard by producing a formal agenda of women’s issues and coordinating a response to important legislation. By Ealena Callender f lealth care, adolescent #—* pregnancy prevention, vio- / / lence against women and access to child care are the leading concerns of women throughout North Carolina, according to N.C. Equity. Through its Women’s Agenda program, the Raleigh-based nonprof it sponsored assemblies in various Tar Heel locales to encourage women to make their voices heard in the state legislature. About 1,800 women attended last year’s assemblies, which were held September through November and were designed to formulate an agen da of women’s issues. “There are very few occasions ADVOCACY where citizens are invited to think seriously together about the prob lems in their community and they love it,” says Ann Mackie, director of the Women’s Agenda program. At each assembly, women dis cussed a wide range of social and economic issues. After meeting in small groups, they were asked to rank those issues in order of impor tance (see box above). Although health access and women’s health issues were present ed as separate issues, many women at the assemblies suggested that both issues are equally significant. The assemblies found that women’s health-care concerns range from drug and alcohol abuse to reproductive rights. One of the surprises this year, says Mackie, was the rise of issues concerning aging in the list of priori ties. While it was the fifth most important issue on this year’s agen da, in the past it was ranked only 14th or 15th. “Health-care reform has raised the whole issue of long-term care in people’s minds,” Mackie says. Results from the assemblies will be compiled in a report, N.C. Equity 1995-96 Women’s Agenda, which will be presented to state lawmakers when they convene in Raleigh this month for their long session. The report will contain information on each of the top issues, along with recommendations for public policy changes. Legislators will be invited to a statewide assembly planned for Feb. 4 in Raleigh, where the report will be presented. About 300 women are expected to take part in advocacy training workshops and discussions of strategies for top-priority issues. While lawmakers are in session, N.C. Equity will continue to encour age women to act as advocates for pertinent issues. About 38 women’s networks have been formed throughout the state to coordinate the “advocacy response.” These groups will organize work shops on advocacy and keep each other abreast of legislative activi ties. “We are trying to get the net work to be something that is a group of women leaders who meet occasionally in between these events to stren^hen each other’s advocacy leadership in their com munities in whatever they are doing,” Mackie says. N.C. Equity also will provide weekly updates on legislation con cerning issues on the women’s agenda through its toll-free Equity Alert Line, (800) 451-8065, ext. 29. “The obvious reason we are doing this is the building of an agenda and working on it,” Mackie says. “Just as important is the development of a sMlled leadership force of women in the state who can act on all manner of issues beyond their concerns as women.” Copies of the N.C. Equity report are $3 each, plus postage and han dling. To obtain a copy, call (800) 451-8065, ext. 28. Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina A Publication Of The News and Observer Foundation 215 S. McDowell St. Raleigh, NC 27601 (919) 829-8988 VoL. 2 No. 5 SUBSCRIPTION PRICES 1 year (12 issues) $57 2 years (24 issues) $104 3 years (36 issues) $143 Multiple-copy discounts oxtoiIq Fjlp Call (919) 829-4763 for rates. FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION, CALL (919) 829-4763 OR (919) 829-8991. A ripple effect Smart Start helps break down racial barriers Among the aims of the state’s Smart Start program for early childhood development is bring ing communities together around common problems. Participants say a related effect of Smart Start is improved race relations. By Barbara Solow “^he legislation that created I North Carolina’s Smart / Start program for early childhood development makes no mention of race relations. But by bringing people together to improve services for young chil dren, the initiative has helped build bridges across racial lines, partici pants say. “Heretofore, black folks did their thing and white folks did their thing and never the twain shall meet,” says Democratic State Rep. Howard Hunter of Murfreesboro, a Smart Start supporter. “Now, you have groups working together on behalf of all children.” Participants say it is too early to tell whether Smart Start programs actually will help r^uce racism and discrim ination. But the process of cre ating local Smart Start projects has opened new avenues for dis cussion of those issues. “What we’ve been hearing in the whole race relations area often comes down to a lack of communication,” says Tom Lambeth, executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and a member of the board of directors of the I t is a painstak ing process to bring all the inter ests to the table. But when we do that, we find that there is so much more that we have in common than those unique iden tifiers that split us. CHARLES CHAPMAN chairman Durham Partnership for Children North Carolina Partnership for Children, which coordinates Smart Start. “It seems to me that the Smart Start approach to local groups, which requires a considerable amount of commu nity involvement, creates new opportunities for communication.” By focusing on the needs of poor children, the ini tiative also forces communities to address the under lying links between race and poverty. “Anything that involves education and children and issues of poverty in North Carolina, has to talk about race,” Lambeth says. Smart Start was launched in 1993, with 12 state-funded pilot pro grams aimed at ensuring that chil dren under the age of five come to school ready to learn. In September, 14 new public/pri vate partnerships were selected for funding from a pool of 74 community groups. The partnerships will split $14.8 million from the General Assembly to fund services ranging from day care to health care to trans portation. The legislation that created Smart Start requires that nonprofit partnership boards be representative of communities, including business leaders, family members, childcare Look for SMART, page 9
Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.)
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Jan. 1, 1995, edition 1
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