Women, Action & the Media

In the news and across the blog-o-sphere, two brazenly sexist ad campaigns have sparked an uproar.  Got Milk? and Summer’s Eve are both attracting national media attention from feminists and other consumers who find their recent ad campaigns shocking, insulting, and offensive.  Leaders of the two campaigns have acted quickly so far in response to criticisms of every form.  These two ongoing examples illustrate the important dynamics of feminist digital protest methods and aims.  Logistically, how did activists and consumers carry out these rapid protests?  How did the media cover both the ads as well as the protest efforts?  To what extent are the current outcomes of such protests successful, and how do these efforts prepare us for the next digital fight?

Got Milk?, the awareness project of the California Milk Processor Board, launched their newest campaign, “Everything I do is Wrong,” earlier in July.  The campaign focuses on promoting milk’s supposed benefits in curing PMS symptoms, perpetuating deeply-rooted sexist stereotypes, as WAM!er Leah Berkenwald describes in her recent critique of the campaign.  In response to overwhelming pressure from feminist digital activists, including a Change.org petition, the Got Milk? team replaced the original offensive website with a new one: GotDiscussion.org.  Some feminists have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of an apology, claiming that the ad team has evaded any real responsibility for the campaign by using the negative coverage to their advantage.  Proving the unpredictable nature of digital dealings, however, the Got Discussion? twitter hashtag (#gotdiscussion) has provided activists with another space in which to voice their concerns.  With infinite funny and clever ways to express frustration with the campaign (#gotsoymilk, #gotboycott, #gotalternative, etc.), activists are refusing to let Got Milk? have the final word.  Thus, the fluidity of our web-based protest methods lends us the ability to most appropriately respond to problematic media as it arises & develops.

In the midst of our frustration with Got Milk?,  a new sexist advertising campaign started circulating the internet.  Summer’s Eve’s “Hail to the V” ads feature three hand puppets posed as talking vaginas, constructed specifically to appear as white, black, and Latina vagina characters.  Rife with disturbing racial stereotypes, these short caricatures reinforce the consistently tokenized identity of women of color in mainstream media.  Brilliantly articulated feminist responses to this campaign and the complex dimensions of the racism and sexism which they contain have been circulating since their initial release.  Everyone from Latina Magazine to Racialicious to Stephen Colbert has weighed in on these ads, and the impact of these protest efforts has already accomplished measurable results.  Just last Wednesday, Summer’s Eve removed the video series from its website.  But with their founder claiming, amidst the controversy, that the ads were attempting to be “relatable,” we see how deeply-rooted racism and sexism are in our media.  The original Change.org petition to have the videos removed is still actively collecting signatures, encouraged by the video removal but citing a need for greater “recogni[tion]” of the “utter sexism” in this and other Summer’s Eve ad campaigns.

With a multi-faceted, flexible, timely, and well-connected response, feminist digital activism has the potential for serious corporate pressure. Leaders of both the Got Milk? and Summer’s Eve campaigns responded almost immediately to web-based protest efforts of feminists and other dissatisfied consumers.  Both ads and the subsequent responses remind us of the importance inherent in celebrating “small” (or shorter-term) victories, which can be used as guides when building coalitions and actions to fight more long-term injustices.  Both ad campaigns were significantly weakened and thoroughly criticized through a variety of social networking platforms and digital mediums of expression.  Whether you use twitter hashtags or you write for The Nation, publish Facebook notes or blog daily on WordPress, your voice is crucial to rapid protest efforts such as these.   When you protest online, you will be joining the ranks of contemporary feminists who have fought many battles, unwilling to be silenced by the ignorance and confusion surrounding the strength and scope women’s digital activism.  The result of our collective pressure is enough to transform the media that surrounds us.  And when we can pressure the media to move even inches closer to the realities of our lives, we all take a step forward.

Check the WAM! Facebook and Twitter pages for updates on these and other media protest efforts.

From WAM!NYC co-coordinator Jean Stevens, here are a few words about how WAM! helped her transition from a newspaper job to freelancing in New York.

I’m a woman and I love killing zombies – virtual ones, that is.  I’m in good company: America’s monstrous addiction to video games can be observed in the numbers of players (72% of households playing) as well as in the money spent by consumers ($25.1 billion in 2010).  Much of the media coverage surrounding sexism and video games centers on over-sexualized female characters and traditional gender tropes which fuel plotlines and narratives.  But the story of representation is incomplete without an examination of who is involved in the creation, development, and distribution of these games.   What would a feminist video game look like, and how could it reach mainstream success in the gaming world?  Especially in light of the recent Supreme Court case, which asserts that barring minors from purchasing explicit games is unconstitutional, how can anti-censorship feminists invested in free expression communicate their criticisms and future hopes?

As a passionate girl gamer, I can attest to the frustration and annoyance of unfeminist games:  the male characters doing anything for female attention, the unrealistically large and buoyant breasts on every woman, the hulky he-men saving every mission.  But beyond that, the overwhelmingly masculine culture of gaming leaves me vulnerable and open to harassment while playing games online.  With the near-constant onslaught of offensive, gender-based, targeted slurs, participating in team gameplay online is nearly impossible as a woman-identified person.  With iconic online games such as 2008’s Left 4 Dead, in which a group works to defeat evil during a zombie apocalypse, creating and maintaining a strong and cohesive team unit is absolutely integral to your survival in the game.  As a woman, I’ve been subjected to everything from explicit, unwanted sexual come-ons (because zombie brains are a clear invitation, right?) to probing, personal questions, to vicious queer-bashing, all which ruined any semblance of a teambuilding spirit.  Everyone seems to believe they have the right to prod and poke at the mysterious woman gamer.  No wonder so many women play online without microphones to conceal their gender.

Even with such uncomfortable and unwelcoming conditions, the force of girl gamers is impressive: 40% of video gamers today are female.  Women continue to buy and play video games, whether or not they are targeted to their demographic.  So, as feminists invested in fair media production, how should we support female gamers and feminist games?  First, we can think about what a “feminist” game might look like – or even how a successful “girl” game would function.  For one, it wouldn’t include cooking, shopping/fashion, or beauty, as do most video games typically targeted to girls.   Another in-game feminist quality is the option of playing as a female character; many self-identified girl gamers point to the lack of female main characters as a large hindrance to their enjoyment of games.   A feminist game might also include more opportunities for “modding,” where gamers take an active role in modifying their gaming experience, or the game might introduce a new framework for engaging in massive multiplayer online (MMO) games without the constant onslaught of harassment and threats.

Although we don’t know what a successful “girl game” will look like, I can safely bet that it will be produced and developed with a diverse team behind it.  Multiplicities of feminisms ensure that our strong heroines and female adventurers will look and act differently from one another.  But an inclusion of more women in game developing positions will, at least, help to tip the wildly unequal and unrealistic representations in today’s games.   One dynamic inherent in the video game industry, but part of a larger problem in tech fields, is the tendency for female employees to work in the public relations and advertising departments rather than on the game development itself.  The more frequently women are included in the design and production of video games, the less likely it is that our voices will be reduced to a brief stereotypical moment.

With an increased support for female game developers, we will also need committed voices of change, working through blogs, articles, and social media sites.  Blogger and media critic Latoya Peterson describes the network available to developers and those, such as herself, outside the industry but invested in its future: “It is really easy to stay in touch with a national and international network of gamers.  Since I started looking at race and games, my network had delivered me with tons of data – everything from the perspectives of gay gamers on Xbox live to the experience of an Asian American actor hired to promote a controversial game.”  Through social media and the internet, previously unknown and marginalized game developers can connect and strengthen each other’s projects, despite a tight budget or lack of large industrial support.  Activism in game design and production is supported by groups such as the Games for Change festival and the Geek Feminism blog.  And now, there are entire video game production studios owned, run, and designing for women (Silicon Sisters).  Girl gamers and women developers aren’t easily categorized.  But they’re here, and they’re damn well ready for the next zombie apocalypse.

Blog post by WAM! Intern Anna J. Weick

As July 2011 marches on, I’m increasingly unsatisfied with the lack of female musicians included in the many upcoming festivals and events.  Summer is a time for monstrously populated, sweaty, and expensive music festivals; swarms of young adults and hipster twenty-somethings convene at these festivals over the shared glory of warm beer and potential sunburnt romance.  Bonnaroo, Coachella, the Warped Tour, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, and other festivals attract international attention for their esteemed roster of artists and schedule of events.  Not only do thousands of people attend every year, but the selection of artists for each festival captivates fans for months in a frenzy of speculation and then debate.  As someone who loves feminist-identified music in addition to regular old “music,” I always find the intensely skewed gender makeup of these festivals’ lineups disappointing.  But more frustrating than the lineups themselves is the absence of dialogue from music bloggers and journalists regarding the intensely sexist nature of selected festival performers.  Does anyone even notice?

The process which bars women from the upper echelons of art, music, and entertainment production can be hard to identify on the surface.  But the absence of women from many festivals’ headlines speaks volumes to the political nature of artistic production and representation.  The historical and institutionalized silencing of women in art can be hard to address when the injustice centers on something which is missing, but once you realize that the silence exists, you see the absence everywhere.  All genres of media, arts, and entertainment reflect this sexism (and heterosexism, and racism)  – everything from publishers ignoring lesbian writers to an American cartoon canon with no female artists. It’s an inescapable reality for women involved in media production, and it’s an issue we are mobilizing to keep fighting.

The lack of female musicians in summer lineups also contributes to an increased feeling of anxiety and fear for women attending festivals.  The UK festival Latitude came under fire last year when two rapes were reported at their festival; not surprisingly, rape and other instances of violence against women are not uncommon at these festivals, in the U.S. and abroad.  Of course, the majority of rapes go unreported, so there is no real way to know how unsafe or dangerous these festivals are for women.  This is not to say that women should be afraid of attending large music festivals; rather, these fears speak to this larger culture which silences and discourages female artists at every level of production, distribution, and performance.  Female festival musicians can look forward to a completely male group of colleagues and sexist coverage of their performances in addition to a unsupportive environment for women.  Even if some select female musicians were offered a spot, could you blame them for declining the tour?

But female musicians, despite all of the sexist roadblocks, impossible image requirements, and flak from misogynistic press, still exist, and continue to play badass music.  So where can we find them, and how can we support them?  We can take a lesson from the Riot Grrrls of the early nineties for this task.  Like the Riot Grrrls, today many feminist and female-fronted musicians and bands play more locally, in smaller venues, often for free or nearly-free.  Events such as the July 14 Women Rock! Showcase in Brooklyn embody this D.I.Y., independent ethos: the event has free admission, “cheap drinks,” and “lady rockers,” with the goal of bringing people together in solidarity with this cause.  We can create safer spaces for female musicians and fans, similar to but more gender inclusive than the Michigan’s Womyn’s Festival, but the question remains: Will the majority of feminist and female musicians be confined to dingy basements, playing free shows, hoping to stumble upon enough gas money to get home?

Women musicians and their allies can use their creative power to equalize the arts.  We can work toward this goal with two strategies: acknowledging and encouraging existing female artists as well as criticizing the grave inequalities in music production and representation.  It will take a combination of these two strategies together to effect lasting change in these industries.  It will take individuals, working within bands, organizations, collectives, and larger communities, both supporting fellow musicians and speaking out against the suppression of female art to reach a point of measurable change.  We need the efforts of journalists, bloggers, and music writers in this fight too.  The more that media coverage recognizes, discusses, and encourages female musicians, the more that women will get involved with music and the arts in the first place.  Let’s turn the tables on the typical summer music discussions from “How many beers can we chug during this Eminem song?” to “Why is Beyoncé the only female headlining act at Glastonbury?”

Blog post by WAM! Intern Anna J. Weick

There were major updates to the DSK case this past week, with sources reporting that the case was “close to collapse.”   Many of these developments connect specifically to the media’s coverage & framing of the story.  For more information on this case, here are some recommended articles, with a Change.org petition to sign at the end:

DSK, Lies, and the Myth of the Perfect Victim by WAM! Executive Director Jaclyn Friedman (7-1-11)  “Given the realities of the U.S. criminal justice system, the prosecution may be unable to salvage this case. But just because that system fails victims on the regular doesn’t mean we have to, too. French commentators are already calling for DSK to jump back into the country’s presidential race and ride a wave of sympathy into office. Really, the stakes are greater than even that political prize. If we accept the narrative that only perfect women are raped, we risk sacrificing justice not only for this woman, but for victims of sexual assault everywhere. After all, nobody’s perfect.”

Developments in the DSK Case: What They Mean And What They Don’t by Roger Canaff (7-2-11)   “So the message ought to be damn clear for the next hotel maid, accountant, bus driver, surgeon, prostitute, college student, barber, cop, etc, etc, who is sexually attacked: Unless you’re perfect, don’t tell anyone.”

Strauss-Kahn, Domestic Immigrants and Money, Power, Respect by WAM!er Tamura A. Lomax (7-5-11) “While there are admittedly several unanswered questions surrounding this case, few things are clear: violent sex happened in Strauss-Kahn’s Manhattan hotel suite on May 14, respect for black female life is largely improbable without money and power, especially for immigrant domestic workers and others, and those with money and power can pretty much do what they damn well please.  This is not a projection.  It is a reality.”

DSK, the Chambermaid and Justice by June Cross (7-5-11)   “The media and justice system are in full soul-searching mode now that the sex scandal involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn is unraveling. If only there were a long-term benefit for the 2 million prisoners in the U.S.”

DSK Maid Fights Back by Jesse Ellison and Christopher Dickey (7-6-11)    “Not willing to let stand the idea of Strauss-Kahn as a victim, the accuser and her supporters were fighting back, trying to assume control of the narrative.”

L’Affaire DSK: Presumption of Innocence Lost by Patricia J. Williams (5-24-11)   An article published in May on the previous coverage of the case, providing context to the most recent events. “Given the fact that the United States—with more than 2 million bodies behind bars—leads the entire world in rates of incarceration, the perp walk is hardly the greatest icon of equal rights. It might be a wiser course if we think seriously about whether such habitual indignities might not endlessly and further instantiate a downwardly corkscrewed presumption of guilt that ultimately indicts us all.”

NY Post, Stop Degrading Sexual Assault Survivors! Change.org Petition in response to coverage by the NY Post:   “Sign to add your name to this open letter demanding the New York Post retract and apologize for victim-blaming coverage of the hotel worker who has accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss Kahn of rape”

For more updates on the media coverage of this story as it progresses, check out our Twitter & Facebook pages.

Blog post by WAM! Intern Anna J. Weick

Last week we kicked off a perhaps weekly video series of WAM! interviews. This week, check out another clip from the WAM! archives: Jayati Vora of the Nation Institute tells a story that highlights a few reasons for looking for different voices in media.

Liberal commentator Keith Olbermann’s sexist characterizations of Sarah Palin during the 2008 election cycle motivated me to stop watching his show.  I detested Palin’s political stances on topics ranging from cutting state funding for rape kits to her “drill here and drill now” environmental mantra, but Olbermann’s blatantly misogynistic coverage of Palin troubled me in a different way.  With everyone from comedian Bill Maher to Huffington Post journalist Michael Shaw contributing to this gendered rhetoric, it was clear that Palin’s physical appearance, sexuality, and femininity seemed relevant to her politics, especially to liberal, male commentators.  And now, as we move into the time of 2012 election fervor, we have come face-to-face with another conservative female candidate who offends the political sensibilities of most moderate and liberal voters.  Michele Bachmann’s media image has already taken many rocky turns, with everything from her inaccurate historical knowledge to gross misunderstandings of science making headlines.  For a politician of public gaffes, why should liberals, particularly liberal men, have a stake in her fair media representation?

Sexist political rhetoric in coverage of figures such as Bachmann not only weakens the legitimacy of liberal Democrats, but it also undermines the broader goals which define the left.  With a Democratic platform focused on supporting the unemployed, pushing education reform, and ending the “War on Women,” sexist characterizations of Bachmann and others mark the Democrats as hypocritical.  How can liberals claim they stand for equality when recent research shows the severe negative impact that subtle sexist comments have on voters’ opinions of a female candidate?  Not only does sexist language lower approval for female candidates generally, but the Lake Research Partners’ study reveals that sexist language also changes voters’ “perceptions of trustworthiness, empathy, values, and effectiveness.”  Even beyond these notions of hypocrisy, a preoccupation with covering details of a politician’s gendered appearance or the sexist framing of questions and debates will only hurt larger political discussions.  Ultimately, sexist media depictions of female politicians disconnect us from the most important issues facing our nation and world by filling our news sources with gender-based side comments and fashion jabs.   At this crucial time in American politics, how can we steer the conversation away from sexist observations and towards real, constructive dialogue?

Despite the straightforward solution to this problem, some male commentators search too hard for a reasoned explanation.  Recently, Michael Shear wrote in the NYT Politics & Government blog on the complexities inherent in male candidates and journalists interacting with Bachmann in the media.  He quotes Republican strategist Kellyanne Conway on the “deft balance” required of men to avoid the “pitfalls” which a female politician’s gender produces.   But by representing gender in the media as a trap which all must carefully navigate, Shear and others reinforce the basis for sexist media characterizations, implying that successfully interacting with female politicians is a delicate art rather than a remarkably simple point of respect with a baseline of equality.

So, as we march toward 2012, I hope to see a growing movement of women fearless in the face of sexist rhetoric.  We can criticize a candidate’s anti-feminist positions while still acknowledging the importance in letting her speak without threats of gender-based media backlash.  To the male-identified people reading this, especially liberal men, I ask you to monitor your language and framing when discussing and covering the candidates in this election cycle.  Hold yourself and your colleagues, friends, and representatives to the highest standard, and when you see sexist media coverage of any female politician, call it out!  Demand a space in which candidates can be talked about not as celebrities but in relation to the toughest problems we face.  Your objections will join a mounting effort, especially across digital activist communities like the Women’s Media Center’s “Name it. Change it.” campaign, to identify harmful sexist characterizations of female politicians and launch rapid protests in response.  In solidarity, perhaps activists, journalists, and individual citizens can agree upon the basic need for an issues-based framework in political media.  The health of our political system, and the future of our country, depends on it.  Whether the media is covering Palin’s haircuts or Bachmann’s potential mud-wrestling, wouldn’t you rather hear about the economy?

Blog post by WAM! Intern Anna J. Weick

My name is Lindsay Wolfe, I’m a television production grad student at Boston University, and I’m excited to say I’m serving as one of WAM’s summer interns this year.

So far, I’ve been tasked with sifting through about four hours of interviews with WAMers of various professional affiliations for the purpose of creating a series of 2-3 minute promo videos. I’ve got to say this about the experience so far:

In my program at BU, there are 13 students including me. That breaks down into 11 women and two men. In that environment, it’s sometimes easy to get lost in the day-to-day drudgery of plain old grad school and forget about organizations like WAM!, the missions the exist to execute, and the struggles that they represent. It’s easy to forget about problems of gender justice when you’re not really directly confronted with them.

Watching these interviews (and perhaps just taking a break from school and taking a little time to relearn what the world outside windowless classrooms is like) and been a really important call to action for me. I’m looking forward to my work for the rest of the summer and getting more involved in this wonderful network.

In the meantime, let’s wrap up this inaugural post with an excerpt from an interview Jessica Valenti did with WAM! last summer. (I’d like to make a weekly thing of posting these videos – feel free to suggest names for the series in the comment section. I have no ideas about this). In the excerpt, she makes a really great point about gender justice and media objectivity. Take a look up at the top of the page (because I’m finding WordPress to be rather finicky about where it wants videos to be embedded).

It’s interesting: The demographic breakdown of sources seems like it is actually the ONLY thing objective or quantifiable about how to report news. It seems like once you make the selection of who to use as a source, you’ve definitely made a subjective decision. And then point at which diverse views are neglected is the point when media ceases to be objective.

Until next week’s installment of Lindsay’s Yet-To-Be-Titled Video Series!

What is the strength of a woman’s opinion?  In the form of Op-Eds, her voice can spark anything from shifts in cultural attitudes to changes in national policy.  There is no denying the potential power inherent in a woman’s expressed and articulated opinions, but this power remains largely untapped with so few op-eds published by female authors.  At the top of its website, the OpEdProject displays the grim stats of women-authored op-eds in major publications: in the NYT, for instance, women comprise of only 20% of op-ed authorship.  When the authorship numbers for op-eds are this skewed, the information we receive does not properly and adequately reflect the experiences and lives of half of the population.  Thus, we know there is a gender gap in op-eds, which reflects the larger, institutionalized trend observed across disciplines and genres of media (anywhere from t.v. entertainment to museum exhibitions).  Now what do we do about it?

The OpEdProject proposes a fundamental shift in media and news production through the increased support of women’s leadership, with the belief that a more diverse array of opinions will improve global problem-solving.  WAM! Boston, along with the Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change, hosted an OpEdProject seminar last week (June 14-15) as part of this mission.  Beyond practical tips for structuring an op-ed piece, pitching your ideas, and submitting to publications, the OpEdProject works to bolster, boost, and electrify women’s confidence in their words and visions.  The project posits that an individual must harness the unique power of her voice in order to successfully communicate her message to an audience.  The OpEdProject assumes that every woman’s unique experience, knowledge, and ideas for the future qualify her as an expert in a certain subject, arming her with the justification to speak on issues with even the loudest boys and men.

Beyond the training itself, the OpEdProject also connects participants to an extended network of editors, writers, and publishers in a variety of fields.  We are not only linked to alums and other women experienced in op-ed publishing, but we also develop a community of support based on our seminar group.  In two nights, we learned about the most intense passions and life experiences of our fellow participants, helping each other to fine-tune our expertise and understanding of our strength.  This sisterhood – much like the one of which I am a part at Wellesley College – connects us with our shared goals of success for ourselves and for other hard-working women invested in social change.    Our collective power as women in the media comes from our individual voices supported by a strong and unwavering force of sisterhood and siblinghood.

Want to participate in this seminar?  The next OpEdProject seminar in Boston is October 22, 2011.  Throughout the summer and fall of 2011, other seminars will also be held in many major cities across the country.  More information and guides to writing Op-Eds can be found at www.theopedproject.com, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

Here’s your update on Thursday’s WAM! It Yourself event and a look at the fabulous events that will finish off the decentralized conference.

Thursday:

From 4-5:30pm ET on Thursday, Hardy Girls Healthy Women hosted a webinar called Girls’ Activism: How Girls Voices Can and DO Make a Difference. Participants had the chance to listen in using their phones to Dr. Lyn Mikel Brown and also watch as she went through a powerpoint and videos on girls activism. Dr. Brown discussed how to engage girls, the different forms of girls activism, examples of girls in action, and what girls need from adults to become strong women. Hardy Girls Healthy Women Training Institute Manager Renee Randazzo also contributed much to the conversation. The examples of girls activism came primarily from community actions by the girls involved in Hardy Girls Healthy Women, as well as organizations like About-Face, Mind on the Media, and Endangered Species Women. Participants hailed from several different states and by the end everyone was very grateful for the opportunity to learn more information and resources about working with girls.

The final weekend of WAM! It Yourself 2011:

Los Angeles Conference: Located at Santa Monica College, 1900 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, Humanities and Sciences 263 Friday - 2pm to 9:15pm: A day filled with video presentations, discussions, presentations and workshops on topics including women in new media, feminist art, and Women of Color in academia. Saturday - 11am to 6:15pm: More presentations and discussions, along with a poetry slam to kick off the morning! Topics will include beauty activism, the Twilight phenomenon, and feminist online media.  If interested in these events, please RSVP on the facebook event page. Saturday – 7:30pm to 10:30pm: A social networking mixer will take place at a private residence Culver City hosted by local feminist photographer, Sarit Rogers.  Space is limited, but you can register for the mixer by contacting Melanie Klein. -Click here for a full schedule of events. This event is public and free, seating on a first come basis. Follow this event live via Twitter at #wamla!

New York Conference: Friday at 6:30pm: A happy hour, in collaboration with Paradigm Shift NYC. This event will be located at Ella Lounge at 9 Ave. A in the East Village. Saturday – 9am to 5pm: A series of panels including feminist perspectives in progressive publications, feminist blogging, and pitching and getting published. Speakers come from a number of great feminist organizations, such as Racialicious, Feministing, and ProPublica. This event will be located at Hive 55 at 55 Broad St. in Lower Manhattan. This event is sold out.Sunday at 12pm: A potluck brunch (drinks to be served by the restaurant) at Pacific Standard, located at 82 Fourth Ave in Brooklyn. -Click here for more details. Follow this event live via Twitter at #wamnyc!

DC event: Located at the Center for American Progress, 1333 H Street NW, 10th floor, Washington, DC Friday – 6:30pm to 8pm: A discussion called “New Models in Media and Activism” with panelists from various publications and news companies, such as the Washington City Paper, Capitol News Connection, and The Huffington Post. This event will be followed by a happy hour at Laughing Man Tavern, located at 1306 G Street NW. To RSVP to this event, please click here. -Click here for more details. Follow this event live via Twitter at #wamdc!

Boston event: Located at MIT Stata Center, 32 Vassar St. Cambridge, MA Saturday – 1pm to 10pm: A film festival that will showcase works from up-and-coming female filmmakers, many of whom are local to the Boston area. The event will begin with a discussion on women in film and proceed throughout the day with a series of documentaries and shorts, ranging in topic from body image and “pregnancy pacts” to Haitian women workers and a drag and cabaret theater troupe. There will also be Q&As with many of the filmmakers after the screenings. This event is open to the public and a $5 donation before each event is requested at the door. -Click here for more details.

Vancouver conference: Located at Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at UBC Sunday – 9:45am to 6pm: A full day of presentations and workshop sessions. The morning will begin with ice breakers, a multimedia presentation and workshop on WAM!, and a keynote address by activist, writer, and researcher Harsha Walia. The morning activities will be followed by a buffet-style lunch time networking fair. In the afternoon participants will have multiple options for panels and discussions to attend, on topics such as racial stereotypes in media, harnessing media for social justice activism, and advertising’s portrayals of women’s lives and values. This event is open to the public but please register here. -Click here for their website and to get more information. Follow this event on Twitter @wamvancity or #wamvan and watch for their blog here.

Chicago event: Located at Matilda, 3101 North Sheffield Ave. Sunday at 5pm: A facilitated discussion on how mainstream media outlets are portraying the battles over woman-related legislation over the past few months, and how that coverage affects policy and public opinion. This event is free and open to the public. If interested, please sign up by emailing Maya or April. - Click here for more details. 

How-to Wikipedia Webinar: online! Sunday – 2pm to 3pm ET: In this hour-long online workshop, WAM!bassador of technology Deanna Zandt will teach you the basics of editing a Wikipedia page, as well as the cultural norms that you’ll need to know to be a good Wikipedian.  This event is free. To register, please email Rachel.

Our friends at nist.tv have been posting a series of videos since Thursday entitled “Feminism in Focus: Interviews with Feminist Video Creators.” From Thursday til Sunday they will post a new video each day. To watch the videos, please click here.

For more information about all of the events, go to the WAM! It Yourself webpage.

We look forward to seeing/hearing you at these important WAM! events