Pay equity presentations in Royal Oak, Grand Rapids, Dearborn

Mary Pollock, Michigan NOW legislative vice-president, will deliver three presentations on pay equity at college campuses in Michigan this month and next:

Know Us Project launches in Michigan

The Know Us Project (KUP), changing public policy one conversation at a time, has launched in Michigan.

According to Judith Kovach, Ph.D., MPIPP Program Director, the KUP grew from discussions among several Michigan and national mental health professionals about how to reduce stigma and discrimination experienced by many LGBT people on a daily basis.

"We were aware of some of the 'tell your story' programs and knew about the inter-group contact theory that tells us this should be a successful grassroots effort for change," Kovach said. "But, starting from scratch with only part-time staff, it took some time to get everything into place. I think we now have a program that we can all be proud of and we're anxious to see where this goes. Our early feedback has been exceptionally good!"

The free training program is based on Gordon Allport's inter-group contact theory (Allport, 1954), as expanded upon by Gregory Herek (Herek 2003, 2007), Pettigrew and Tropp (Pettigrew and Tropp, 2007), and some work regarding effective language done by the LGBT Movement Advancement Project (lgbtmap.org) and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (glaad.org).
 
The KUP program also draws heavily on the research of Glenda Russell (Russell, 2000 and 2004) about the impact of anti-gay political campaigns and how becoming proactive can help to build resilience.

This is how the KNOW US PROJECT™ differes from other "tell your story" programs. Participants learn how to assess personal risks balanced with the desire to move a national movement forward. Mental health professionals discuss possible emotional consequences of "telling one's story" and ways in which participants can address any problems that may arise, Kovach explained.
 
The KUP training seminars last 3-4 hours and are facilitated by a volunteer mental health professional. We now have many facilitators in place across Michigan. Learn more at mpipp.org.

Scholarships available for women's executive leadership program

A limited number of scholarships are being offered for "Executive Leadership for Women: Strategies to Enhance Success," offered by the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development at Michigan State University.

The $1,000 scholarship offsets the $2,995 cost for the program, held October 19-20 and November 16-17, 2011. Two female industry leaders, Melanie Bergeron, Chairwoman, Two Men and A Truck, and Nancy Rae, Senior Vice President-Human Resources, Chrysler, will share their leadership insights.

Class topics include personal branding and communications, networking, negotiation, self-promotion and team building. 

For more information, contact Kristin St. Marie, stmarie@bus.msu.edu.

The Leaven Center offers summer retreats

Following is a list of programs offered at The Leaven Center, a retreat and study center in Lyons:

For girls 

June 26-30 - GrrrlFest: An Event Just for Girls Ages 10-14

This is girl-space! Create music, art, and poetry; have fun outdoors; eat pizza, play games, do service projects; and lots more. A place to share dreams and talk about what's great and what's hard about being a girl ... More ...

July 14-16 - Tell yOUR STORY: A weekend of aRT, ImproV, wrITing, and MOVEment ... for Girls Ages 13-17 

Express yourself and your wildest dreams ... in words, movement and art! Join us for this transformational weekend that will include theater improv, story-telling and story-writing, dream-catching and friend-catching, weaving fibers and words, adventures indoors and out, and more.

July 26-29 - Spark! Dream! Action! Cultivating Vision and Celebrating Talents for a Better Tomorrow: A Retreat for Girls Ages 13-16

What kind of world do you want to co-create? Explore your ideas and your goals with other young activists; learn how to promote your cause through art, letters to the editor, press releases, poems, video, blogs, acting, music and other talents. Plus yoga, meditation and great food for a healthy mind/body/spirit.

For writers and other artists creating for social change
 
July 1-3 - Spittin' Politics: Poetry, Performance, and Political Activism

Spoken word poetry and performance provide entertaining ways to make political and social justice issues accessible to diverse audiences. This retreat with "powerhouse poet" Ami Mattison explores the relationships between poetry, spoken word performance and political activism by offering participants intensive workshops in writing and performance, as well as an opportunity to present a rehearsed and polished performance. Gender inclusive. More ...

August 18-22 - Yearning for Justice: Writing is/as Resistance

At a time when global and local resistance movements are accelerating in all areas of human life, bringing into voice greater numbers of people --- often from long oppressed populations --- the once hidden longings of people for justice and dignity are at the center of the language we hear every day. Our vision is filled with images of resistance, as well as images of loss unbearable and continuing.

Free Moneywise Empowerment Seminar held Saturday

The Small Business Administration is co-hosting the 2011 Moneywise Empowerment Tour, including a free seminar on May 28, 2011 at Greater Christ Baptist Church at 3544 Iroquois Street in Detroit.

The Moneywise Empowerment seminars teach financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills, cover a diverse array of subjects, including starting and growing a business, financial planning, investing and retirement options. SBA resource partners will participate in panel discussions, answer questions and provide information for starting a business. Other topics covered: Home Ownership, Housing Assistance and Avoiding Foreclosure.

The Moneywise Empowerment Seminar runs from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., is free, and open to the public. Lunch and refreshments will be served.

To register, please visit moneywise.tv/empowerment-tour/ or for more information contact SBA at 313-226-6075.

Inforum offers Board Basics panel discussion

What does it really take to land a corporate board seat? Inforum, Michigan’s leading network of professional women, offers a chance to find out at “BoardBasics: Leveraging Your Strengths,” a dinner and panel discussion to be held March 9, starting at 5:30 p.m., at the Townsend Hotel, 100 Townsend St. in Birmingham.

The panel – a diverse group of executives involved in corporate board searches – will provide insider perspectives on how to impress board recruiters and nominating committees. They also will offer hands-on advice about board-ready resumes and planning your search. Attendees will learn the best ways to leverage their strengths and how to present themselves and their experiences when pursuing a corporate board position. 

The panelists will be:

• Patricia Binkley, executive vice president, DHR International Executive Search
• Mary Brevard, executive director, Inforum BoardAccess Initiative
• Nancy Gioia, director, global electrification, Ford Motor Co.; board candidate
• Bette Walker, former vice president and CIO, Delphi Corp.; board candidate
• Sandy Miller (moderator), managing principal, Aon Hewitt; board member, Pinnacle Biologics Inc. 

The cost for Inforum members $70 and nonmembers $85 includes dinner and reception with wine.

Inforum’s BoardBasics workshops are designed to benefit women at all stages of their careers who are interested in corporate board service now and in the future. If you are senior level women, consider mentoring a younger associate at the event. While the BoardBasics program is focused on corporate boardservice, many of the topics discussed have relevance to not-for-profit board service. Cost is $70 for Inforum members, $85 for non-members, and includes a dinner and reception with wine.

For information or to register, visit inforummichigan.org

Betty DeRamus to speak at Women in Communications February event

Author Betty DeRamus will share stirring accounts from her breakthrough books on Black history and the Underground Railroad, at a location that was an active "railroad" stop, at the Feb. 27 Women in Communications-Detroit meeting.

The event will be held at Universalist Unitarian Church, 25301 Halsted, Farmington Hills, which has a history with the Underground Railroad that is documented by church historians. (Read more on Farmington Patch.)

Though best known as a longtime columnist and Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Detroit News, DeRamus is an African American history lecturer and celebrated for two groundbreaking non-fiction books about little-known heroes and heroines of the Underground Railroad, both published by Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster. 

Her first book was "Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories from the Underground Railroad" (2005). This is a collection of true stories about black and interracial couples who risked their lives to avoid separation during the slavery era. Its very real characters include a North Carolina man who carried his wife to freedom on his bruised and beaten back, a free Virginian who became a slave to remain with his enslaved wife and the 161 blacks who once hid in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Forbidden Fruit spent nine months on Essence Magazine's bestseller list and has been used as a textbook.

Roseland Park Cemetery Experts Host Free Seminar in Berkley

Talking about the end of life is often an intimidating subject. Pre-planning experts Debbie Kinglsey and Jeanenne Keeley will be answering tough questions and giving essential information regarding pre-planning on Feb. 8 at the Birmingham Community Center.

Kingsley and Keeley, both trained through Roseland Park Cemetery, will be offering a free seminar entitled “Everything You Wanted to Know About Pre-Planning But Were Too Afraid to Ask.” During the seminar, guests will learn how to avoid emotional overspending, what questions to ask when preparing a will and living will, how to avoid family disputes and the importance of identifying important documents needed as well as funeral planning.
 
Seminars will be held at Berkley Community Center at 2400 Robina Ave. in Berkley. Three seminar times will be available on Feb. 8; 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. For more information or to reserve a seat, call 248-541-1154.

Located in Berkley, Michigan, Roseland Park Cemetery was founded in 1906 and features 133 acres with an abundance of beautiful trees and shrubs. The cemetery specializes in uniquely personalized memorialization, including Private Estates, Monuments, Benches and Memorials.  For more information on Roseland Park Cemetery, visit roselandparkcemetery.com

Program aims to help family relationships through Conscious Fathering

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland’s (SJMO) Conscious Fathering program will conduct two free, fatherhood workshops for new and expecting fathers.

The two-hour workshops are designed to give new or expecting fathers the tools they need to be great fathers and real partners in caring for their babies.Workshop participants will learn the five basic needs of the baby and strategies to become partners and not just assistants in fostering healthy family development. The program also focuses on the father’s relationship with the child’s mother and the changes that happen when a new baby joins the family, with the goal of improving birth outcomes and promote child health and well-being.

A workshop in Spanish will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010, at La Casa Amiga, 76 Williams St., Pontiac. A workshop in English will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010, in the Avci Room in the SJMO Franco Communications Center, 44405 Woodward Ave., Pontiac.

Denise Ilitch to keynote Oakland County Employment Diversity Council event

Denise Ilitch will keynote the Oakland County Employment Diversity Council's 9th annual Workplace Diversity Forum, "Women in Leadership Summit," held 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, October 29, 2010, at The Metropolitan Hotel Troy, 5500 Crooks Road in Troy.


The theme is "Advancement for Women in Challenging Times." Juliette Thorpe Okotie-Eboh, senior vice president public affairs of MGM Grand Detroit, will moderate the panel discussion. The summit objective is to provide attendees with up to date information about the current status of women in leadership in the workplace. The session will energize and provide human resource professionals, diversity and inclusion practitioners and others with effective tools to use in their workplaces and personal lives.


Participants will also experience an interactive panel discussion among a diverse panel of women from government, education and leading industries. Topics will include understanding the barriers that contribute to a lack of women in leadership roles; increasing awareness of the vital contributions women make to leadership; sharing best strategies of successful women; sharing best practices and lessons of progressive companies; and creating long-term strategies that increase representation of women in leadership roles.

Daisy Tells a Secret DVD includes sex abuse prevention resources for kids, parents

August 5, 2010 – One of Us Films today announced the release of "Daisy Tells a Secret," an animated story about personal safety and body ownership for children four to eight years old.

The DVD includes interviews with psychology, safety and medical experts with the aim of helping adults navigate age appropriate conversations with children on the challenging subject of sexual abuse. The DVD was commissioned by HAVEN, which provides domestic violence and sexual assault treatment and prevention services in southeastern Michigan.

“Daisy tells her story of being sexually assaulted,” reports HAVEN’s President and CEO Beth Morrison. “Within that story, she's able to talk about sensitive issues while relating to kids in a comfortable and safe manner. In the video, Daisy learns the difference between a good secret and a bad secret and she helps kids take ownership of their bodies by being aware of what's appropriate and inappropriate in terms of touching.”

Leaven Center offers events for women of color, vegan cooks, girls

Upcoming events at Leaven include time alone for individual retreats at the Lodge, the Weekend Writers' Retreat for Women of Color and Your Food, Your Power: Vegan Eats for the Conscious Cook.

Leaven offers space for individual retreats each month at the Lodge, June 16-17, July 14-15, August 11-12, 2010. Stay for one day or two. Come alone or bring a friend! Take time for yourself to walk, meditate, write, draw, read, sleep, whatever you need to do to regain some balance in your life. There is no programming. The time is yours to make of it what you choose. Learn more here.

Michigan Women's Commission to review legislation

The Michigan Women's Commission Legislative Committee will meet Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at 10 a.m. The agenda includes an update on state budget and revenue proposals, a review of Equal Pay Day activities on April 20 and a discussion about legislation of interest, including the Pay Equity and Prevention bill packages. Groups are invited to present legislation they are following.

The committee will also consider taking a position on the following new legislation:

Support: HB 5676 establishes public defender program

Support: SB 727, SB 1118, SB 1119, SB 1120 modify provisions for infants surrendered under Safe Newborn Law and Juvenile Code

Support: SB 763 & 764 repeals archaic law on marriage

Support: SB 1062 & 1063 requires insurance coverage for HPV screening

Support: SB 1263 establishes Sexual Assault Victims Rights Act

Support: HB 4470 provides for adoption leave

Support: HB 4704 makes language gender neutral for name change in divorce

Support: HB 5575-5579 prohibits human trafficking

Oppose: HB 5972-73 eliminate pistol licensing requirements

Oppose: HB 5949-51 & SB 1127 establishes covenant marriage and eliminates no-fault divorce

Position?: HB 4006 & 4915 allows adopted children identifying information

Sue Kaufmann, CEW, University of Michigan will present information on reforming welfare reform, and the committee will also review Title IX educational materials the Michigan Women's Commission is preparing.

The committee meets until 11:30 a.m.; the full Commission meets at noon. The public is invited to attend. For information, visit the Michigan Women's Commission on-line.

Oakland County senior advisory groups to discuss "Silver Tsunami"

At its annual meeting Monday, May 3, 2010, the Oakland County Senior Advisory Council will work with the Senior Planning Coalition for Oakland County to examine an array of issues pertaining to older adults in Oakland County.

The program will focus on Issues of Concern for 2010, an Oakland County Community Health Profile, and special recognition will be given to volunteers along with a volunteer recruitment effort for Oak 65.

Also, the Oakland County Senior Planning Coalition's final “Silver Tsunami” report will be released to the public, kicking off the next phase of the “Silver Tsunami” strategic plan implementation. The "Second Wave of Oak 65" will focus on the county’s growing senior citizen population and the county’s ongoing commitment to create an “Elder Friendly” environment. The report will look at the social, economic, and quality of life impact that this wave of older adults will present.

It is estimated that there will be more senior citizens in Oakland County than school age children in the next few years.

Got Tools: Keeping up with a changing world

Birmingham Unitarian Church will host a morning seminar on May 15, to help people dealing with the many unexpected changes life brings.

Got Tools: Keeping Up with a Changing World gets underway at 8:30 a.m., with a keynote by Phil Bertolini, Oakland County CIO and Deputy County Executive, who will discuss "Where Things Stand, Where We're Going". Break-out sessions follow, with experts sharing tools for dealing with depression, anxiety and stress, estate planning and managing finances, coping with unexpected change and planning for the 2010 tax season. A panel discussion and Q&A will wrap up the event.

Admission is free. To preregister, call Common Ground, 248-451-3733. Registration will also be taken at the door. Birmingham Unitarian Church is located at 38651 Woodward in Bloomfield Hills. The event is sponsored by the Hantz Group, Common Ground and the Birmingham Maple Clinic.

Writers Retreat for Women of Color at the Leaven Center

The Leaven Center will offer a Weekend Writers' Retreat for Women of Color during the weekend of June 25-27, 2010.

Writers' Retreat is for women of color who desire a safe place of peace and beauty to write in order "to make sense of the world" - whether through journaling, poetry, nonfiction, or fiction. For many women of color writing has been a means of survival and revolution in a world rife with sexism, racism, classism, homophobia and ableism. And the power of the word has not fallen through our fingers; women of color have used their pens to expose injustice and their unique life experiences.

It is true: we write because we have to.

OCC Womencenter, AAUW Farmington Branch offer guidance in attending college

The Womencenter at Oakland Community College and the American Association of University Women Farmington Branch offer a seminar on Friday, May 7, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. for women considering attending college.

The program, entitled “Back to School Day,” is free and open to the public. A light lunch will be served. The day of information geared to women interested in attending OCC is designed to meet a variety of concerns and issues. The seminar is held at OCC’s Orchard Ridge Campus, Building J, Room 306.

The informational and interactive sessions will assist women in the decision-making process of returning to school at OCC. Topics will include: how to get started, the admissions process, financial concerns, stress and time management, balancing work, family and school, and academic and career considerations. Childcare is available (for ages 2½ and older), but must be prearranged when registering for the seminar.

Tony Brown featured speaker at Oakland County Diversity Conference

Educator, best-selling author and media personality Tony Brown will be the featured keynote speaker at the 8th Annual Workplace Diversity Conference, held Thursday, April 22, 2010, at The Met Hotel (formerly the Ramada Plaza Hotel), 5500 Crooks Road in Troy.

Theme for the conference, hosted by the Oakland County Employment Diversity Council (OCEDC), presenting sponsor Oakland County Michigan Works, Oakland County Human Resources Department and Baker College of Auburn Hills, is "Taking Diversity & Inclusion to the Next Level - Practical and Fair Application." Brown's keynote address will focus on next-level strategies, with an emphasis on diversity through excellence.

Find your voice at Michigan Debate Boot Camp April 10

The 2010 Michigan Debate Boot Camp, co-sponsored by The White House Project and National Congress of Black Women: Oakland County Chapter, will be held April 10, 2010 in Ferndale.

Michigan Debate Boot Camp is ideal for women with a public speaking role in an upcoming election - especially candidates, campaign managers and ballot measure spokeswomen. This intensive, highly interactive, day-long training will enhance each participant's ability to speak persuasively with passion and purpose, and will expand their capacity to discuss and defend issues.

Accepted participants are required prepare a 3-minute stump speech in advance of the training, and to attend the training for the full day. Additional details and logistics will be sent to accepted participants. Michigan Debate Boot Camp is open to all women in the Great Lakes Region, including statewide Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, although priority selection will be given to members of National Congress of Black Women-Oakland County Chapter.

Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence to host professional development event

The Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV) 2010 Professional Development Institute, "Wave of Change: How Social Change Vision Informs our Services & Advocacy," will be held May 4 - 5, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn, with a showcase of state and national experts in crisis intervention and primary prevention.

This year's event is designed to address the professional development needs of staff at all levels including domestic violence and sexual assault advocates, legal advocates, prevention educators and nonprofit executives.

Featured presenters include Barbara Hart, JD, of the Battered Women's Justice Project, which works in partnership with the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women to provide resources for advocates, battered women, legal and justice system personnel, policymakers, and others engaged in the justice system response to domestic violence.

Speaking at the May 4 dinner will be award-winning documentary filmmaker, Byron Hurt whose documentary, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and is described as "a riveting examination of masculinity, sexism, and homophobia in Hip-Hop culture." It was broadcast nationally on the Emmy award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, drawing an audience of more than 1.3 million viewers. To date, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes has been selected to appear in more than 40 film festivals worldwide. Hurt also directed and produced I AM A MAN: Black Masculinity in America, a 60-minute award-winning documentary that captures the thoughts and feelings of African-American men and women from over fifteen cities across America,

Register on-line now.