For immediate release

UN's International Day for Eliminating Violence Against Women Celebrated in San Francisco Nov. 25 - 29

Three days of ceremony, music, dance, art and information offered at three locations in SF

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (November 4, 2008) – The Women's Wisdom Work Collective has organized three days of events to commemorate the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, beginning with a rally and march on the official day, November 25, and continuing with a film, poetry, music and more on Nov. 28 and culminating in a day-long block party Nov. 29.

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"The United Nations is to be applauded for this mandated day for the elimination of violence to women and girls," said Tom Ammiano, the SF City Supervisor and 13th District Assemblyman-elect. "It is too long that this heinous violence has not received the notice it demands."

"We can transform the violence we carry in our bodies, through art, music and healing ceremonies," said MamaCoAtl (pronounced mama-coe-ah-tull), member of the Women's Wisdom Work Collective. "It is time to support women of all ages organizing to affect change in our culture. All communities are invited."

Plans include:

• A rally and press conference at San Francisco City Hall set for noon on Tuesday, Nov. 25, followed by a Women's Wisdom Walk to Civic Center Plaza, dance and a prayer circle. Mayor Gavin Newsom, who issued an official proclamation for last year's Nov. 25 events, has been invited to speak.
• After the Storm, a night of film, poetry, music and testimony, Friday, Nov. 28, starting at 7 pm at Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St. (at Mission), SF
• Festival of Indigenous Wisdom, a block party with live music, drumming circles and more on Saturday, Nov. 29, from 10 am to 5 pm on Capp Street, between 24th and 25th Streets.

"Violence against women and girls is a culturally accepted illness that we as women of this community are healing and metabolizing every day," said Nina Serrano, a KPFA Radio personality and member of the Women's Wisdom Work Collective. "Let's recognize that!" 

All events are open and free to the public.  Donations will be accepted to cover production costs.

About the UN's Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Women's activists have marked November 25 as a day against violence since 1981, in remembrance of the brutal assassination of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists, in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 25, 1960, on orders from Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo.

On Dec. 17, 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated Nov. 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and invited governments, international organizations and nongovernmental organizations to launch activities to raise public awareness of the problem on that day. See: http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/violence.

MamaCoAtl brought the celebration to San Francisco from Mexico City three years ago, when she began asking friends to gather and pray at the BART station on Mission and 24th Streets on Nov. 25 to amplify the intent of the women of Latin America who were mobilizing on that day to demand an end to violence against women and girls.

The following year, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaimed the holiday, making San Francisco the first city in the U.S. to align with this UN-proclaimed day of awareness. 

 "At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her."

– United Nations Development Fund for Women

"In Europe, domestic violence is the major cause of death and disability for women aged 16 to 44. In the United States, a woman is raped every 6 minutes; a woman is battered every 15 seconds. Rape of women is widespread in armed conflicts such as Colombia and Darfur. Trafficking of women has become a global phenomenon where victims are sexually exploited, forced into labor and subjected to abuse. Murders of women in Guatemala, Russia, India, and other countries often go uninvestigated …"

– Amnesty International

In recent years, femicide has been common in Northern Mexico and Guatemala, as the following statistics show.

"Since 1993, over 450 girls and women have been killed in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua City, Mexico.  Most of the victims were young and poor and many were sexually assaulted prior to their deaths. For many years, the authorities did little to investigate or prosecute those responsible and on occasion they used torture to extract confessions from scapegoats. Local authorities have improved their investigations into the more recent murders of women, especially those that are the product of domestic violence. However, many cases have not been adequately investigated …"

– Washington Office on Latin America

"In Guatemala, over 2,500 women and girls have been murdered since 2001."

– Amnesty International

Femicide in Mexico and Guatemala has been condemned by the U.S. Congress with resolutions sponsored by Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-CA), Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN). 

"Some of the victims in Ciudad Juarez are as young as 7 years old, and many were abducted in broad daylight in well-populated areas," said Solis. "Over 90 of these murders show signs of being connected to one or more serial killers … and to date the perpetrators of most of these heinous acts remain unknown."

Solis's resolution condemning femicide in Juarez dates back to March 2005, yet conditions are still very dangerous there, where the police hide the murders of women from the media, according to recent information from the University of Texas at El Paso.

About MamaCoAtl

MamaCoAtl focuses on women's ways of transforming the politics of extinction for the weaving of a new world vision. As a multidisciplinary "artivist," she has curated ceremonies to heal the Amazonic River Mother of God at the border of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru, and has held concerts for peace at places desecrated by femicide along Mexico's highways, and blessing days on street corners and public plazas in San Francisco. MamaCoAtl holds a master's degree in Women's Spirituality from New College of California and an MFA in Creative Inquiry.

About Nina Serrano

Nina Serrano, MA, is a poet, storyteller and independent media producer.  She focuses on bringing the arts to public schools and community centers. Serrano's poetry is frequently anthologized. She hosts and  produces the weekly "La Raza Chronicles" and the monthly "Open Book," both on KPFA Radio, Berkeley. After decades of activism Serrano does not give up hope.

Contacts:

MamaCoAtl

San Francisco, CA

mamacoatl@yahoo.com.mx

415-632-0330

Nina Serrano

Oakland, CA

ninaserrano34@gmail.com>

510-763-8204 (from 8 am-6 pm) 

Steve Taylor

Taylor Communications

Berkeley, CA

http://www.myspace.com/taylorcommunications

taylorcom@sbcglobal.net

(510) 845-3501

Univision's KDTV visited La Peña, Berkeley, Oct. 9, for the Bay Area's first tribute to great Mexican songwriter José Alfredo Jiménez. Many thanks to Oakland's soulful groove goddess Theresa Perez and SF's award-winning trovador Alfredo Gomez for joining me. Thanks also to reporter Hector Pizarro and photographer Santiago Vides!

I appeared live on NPR-affiliate KALW Radio, SF, Saturday (Nov. 10, '07), and had a great time. The show is Kevin Vance's "A Patchwork Quilt."

A short segment of the 35-minute session on  is now up on my music player. 

Kevin's show features music in the Celtic and American traditions, plus talks with singers and songwriters.  It airs Saturdays from 5 pm to 6:30 pm.  In the SF Bay Area, tune to 91.7 FM, or listen live at http://www.kalw.org/listen.html.

Rock on,

STR

UN's International Day for Eliminating Violence Towards Women Celebrated in San Francisco Nov. 24 and 25

Two days of healing ceremonies, music, dance, art and information offered at two locations in the Mission District, blessed by an official proclamation by Mayor Newsom

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (November 11, 2007) -- On Nov. 24 and 25, San Francisco will observe the United Nation's annual International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with music, healing ceremonies, dance, art, and information … all with the blessing of a mayoral proclamation. 

Healing ceremonies begin at 3 pm Saturday, Nov. 24, the Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission St. (between 24th and 25th Streets), San Francisco, followed by the screening of "El Camino que se Abre," a short film that documents a community's reaction to the murder of a young woman. Then at 7 pm, live music by some of the Bay Area's finest world-vibe and folk voices – including Melissa Rivera, Meklit Hadero, Maria Loreto, Alfredo Gomez, Maria Medina, Steve Taylor-Ramírez and Juan Cuba y Los Nadies – will begin. 

"This day is dedicated to those who have died of femicide in coherence with the ancient celebration of Day of the Dead in which our ancestors dedicated a special community ceremony at the end of November to those who departed violently," said event curator MamaCoAtl (pronounced mama-coe-ah-tull).  "The public is welcome to bring altar offerings."

Mayor Gavin Newsom has proclaimed the following day, Nov. 25, as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Toward Women and Girls, according to Alfredo Pedroza, Liaison to District 9 and the Latino Community, in the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services.

Then at 5 pm on Sunday, Nov. 25, ceremonies will continue at Dance Mission Theatre, 3316 24th Street (at Mission), San Francisco, with Aztec dancing by Mixcoatl Anahuak, aerial dance by the Dream Catchers ensemble of dancers and trapeze artists, music by troubadours Valerie Orth and Anne Caroll, rhythms by Maria Medina and her speaking drum, and healing ceremony by Maria Conlon. 

"On this day, we will plant the seed of the culture we want to create," said MamaCoAtl. 

Both days' events are open free to the public.  Donations will be accepted to cover production costs.

About the UN's Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

On December 17, 1999, the United Nations' General Assembly designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and invited governments, international organizations and nongovernmental organizations to launch activities to raise public awareness of the problem on that day.

Women's activists have marked November 25 as a day against violence since 1981, in remembrance of the brutal assassination of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists, in the Dominican Republic on November 25, 1960, on orders from Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo. More information can be found at http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/violence.

In recent years, femicide has become disturbingly common in Northern Mexico and Guatemala, as the following statistics show.

"Since 1993, nearly 400 girls and women have been killed in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City, Mexico. Most of the victims were young and poor, and many were sexually assaulted prior to their deaths. The authorities have done little to investigate or prosecute those responsible, and have on occasion used torture to extract confessions from scapegoats."

– Washington Office on Latin America

In Guatemala, over 2,500 women and girls have been murdered since 2001.

– Amnesty International

"Domestic and sexual violence is rampant in all of Latin America, affecting about 40 percent of women there."

– Human Rights Watch

Femicide in Mexico and Guatemala has been addressed in the U.S. Congress with resolutions sponsored by Representatives Hilda L. Solis (D-CA) and Dan Burton (R-IN). 

"Some of the victims in Ciudad Juarez are as young as 7 years old, and many were abducted in broad daylight in well-populated areas," said Solis. "Over 90 of these murders show signs of being connected to one or more serial killers, although many victims have yet to be positively identified and to date the perpetrators of most of these heinous acts remain unknown."

Contacts:

MamaCoAtl

San Francisco, CA

mamacoatl@yahoo.com.mx

http://www.myspace.com/mamacoatl

415-632-0330

Steve Taylor

Taylor Communications

Berkeley, CA

taylorcom@sbcglobal.net

http://www.myspace.com/taylorcommunications

(510) 845-3501