The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.

Three Generations of Feminists meet with Amy Siskind in NYC, to initiate a symbolic intergenerational dialog.

I had to travel to NYC in March, and I had the illusion of having my daughter, who works in Wall Street, and her new born daughter (my first grand daughter!) meet Amy, president of The New Agenda. I wanted to introduce them to a new face of feminism that could become an attractive road in which they could find their interests as women reflected.

I had been following TNA since its beginnings, and Amy Siskind and the group of Hillary Clinton supporters for a while. The process through which Hillary was practically “eliminated” was a shock for many women, particularly for the complacency at best/complicity at worst of feminist
groups (especially NOW).   Even more shocking was then the reaction to Sarah Palin, and the abuse of her as a woman and of her children, and the utter distortion of her record and achievements with high misogynistic and classist overtones.

Official feminism had never spoken to me. Too dogmatic, too focused on abortion (even though I am 100% pro-choice). The need to be consistently defending this right to choice,  is the reflection of deeper, underlying problems women’s status in society face. Furthermore, it is not choice feminism defends, but abortion. If women do not chose abortion, they are dismissed when not demonized.  Abortion per se is an issue that does not speak to all women, even to many who are pro choice, and we have to find the intergenerational/cross-ideology link that speaks for all women.

The 2008 election proved feminism has lost its focus on women, and feminism needs to start speaking to All women. I have been continuously visiting many women’s/feminist blogs, and although I do not agree with all the issues, I have found in most of them much agreement and commonality of interests. In practice, I have interacted and seen wonderful strong conservative women support and mentor women in general, even liberal women.  The New Agenda focus on access to power (the 30% solution); violence against women; and education are issues that speak to me.  The courageous stand of The New Agenda members and bloggers to face the rigid and expired political geometry of feminism speaks to me.

Many of us see ourselves in them, as we do not want to be on one side or the other, and usually we are labeled and forced to identify with one side, thus working against each other when we could be working together on many issues.

Going back to the meeting, unfortunately, my daughter and her friend, both of whom are young women who work in Wall Street, could not come to the meeting as they had work. However, the previous night we had a chance to talk about the meeting and about feminism. They reiterated to me that feminism did not mean much to them, that it was too focused on reproductive and family issues, and that they were concerned with other topics.  Do we know what these young women’s concerns are? are we talking to our girls to let them know what our concerns are, and to learn about theirs (such as mentorship in the workplace)? Do we know what 28-35 year old women think and want from feminism, and what do they know about this?  Have we educated them to the fact that it hasn’t been 100 years since we had the right to vote (women in general, even though some women did have this right earlier?) and that we were considered property? Many of us were born with the right to vote, but how much have we advanced in the concept of women as property (not legally, but in practice)?

In the picture, Yadrisia Lamberty, an health Care professional, my beautiful grand daughter, Victoria Mascia,  the server (a wonderful girl), myself,  and Amy Siskind.  If you really focus, you can see The New Agenda Card !!!!Thank you for coming to the meeting Amy, and I hope my daughter and her girlfriends have the opportunity to meet you, and can also start getting interested and contribute to define feminist issues in the near future.  All of us should try to get young women (and men) involved.