Several years ago I had a painting on display at a gallery. As an artist I like to hang back and listen to what people have to say about my artwork without having their opinions “tainted” by knowing that the artist is listening to what they say. One thing that I have always found particularly interesting is how a number of people can see the same image and interpret it as being or meaning a million different things.  In the end, what I, as the artist, intended to portray is …

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This  is our community here at The New Agenda.  We are in this battle together to make our country better for the next generation.
This is our place to share our thoughts, ideas, disappointment and suggestions.  Our blog is our place to shape the future together.  We encourage all our members and viewers to submit blog pieces and share what you are thinking.  Thanks to Benjamin, Karen and Monica for doing so this past weekend.
This is our time to have the back of the women of this country.  Today starts the …

For Immediate Release
June 21, 2009
The New Agenda Congratulates Terry O’Neill, incoming President of the National Organization for Women
The New Agenda, a national organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, congratulates Terry O’Neill and her slate as they prepare to take office at the National Organization for Women.  Also on O’Neill’s slate are Bonnie Grabenhofer of IL, taking on the position of executive vice president; Erin Matson of MN, serving as action vice president; and Allendra Letsome of MD, incoming membership vice president.
The New Agenda’s President Amy …

Word is spreading. We won’t back down!!!
Our press release has already been picked up by New York area Newsday.
Prominent liberal blog TalkingPointsMemo writes:
Good for Dave. Good for women. Amy Siskind over at Huffington Post noted recently that Letterman had invoked a new era of feminism, just as many of her co-bloggers were sadly finding new ways to excuse the sexist jokes (“hey, others have told sexist jokes – why is Letterman being punished?”, or “she announced it”, or “she put the kids on stage” or “they made rape/child molestation …

(This morning, The New Agenda issued its second press release on Letterman.)
For Immediate Release
CBS: Here’s Your Exit Plan
A Way to Get Letterman out of the Mess and Elevate Respect for Women and Girls
The New Agenda, a national organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, acknowledges a much-improved second apology from David Letterman, but said the damage created will require more than words to adequately address.
As described in The Huffington Post, both CBS and David Letterman have underestimated the national wave that Letterman’s “joke” about sex with …

(Cross-posted today at The Huffington Post)
It’s not your mother’s feminism. In fact, it’s so revolutionary that the word “feminism” is being updated. The next wave is here. The players are different. The words are different. The asks are different. The weapons and tactics are different. Even the feel is different.
We knew it was coming. We just didn’t know when or what it would look like. Quietly, cloaked in the unfortunate choice of David Letterman’s words, the next wave has washed ashore, sight unseen by our national media. This explains why …

Word is spreading. Check out this piece in Reuters:
Writing on the news blog The Huffington Post, Amy Siskind, co-founder of women’s advocacy group The New Agenda, wrote that Letterman’s jokes about Willow should be cause for concern for conservatives and non-conservatives alike, and that some in the media apply a double-standard by not voicing concern about sexism applied to conservatives like Palin.
“… When Governor Sarah Palin’s 14-year-old daughter is the subject of a degrading and humiliating joke by David Letterman, how can we let this be part of our …

This morning The New Agenda issues the following press release:
For Immediate Release
David Letterman: Violence Against Teenage Girls is no Laughing Matter
Apology Talk is Cheap; Action Proves True Contrition
The New Agenda, a national organization dedicated to improving the lives of all women and girls regardless of political affiliation, called on David Letterman to demonstrate true contrition by devoting a segment of his show to some of the insidious ways language puts young women at risk.
“Letterman’s apology talk last night was cheap,” said The New Agenda co-founder and President Amy Siskind. …

(Cross posted at The Huffington Post.)
When is sexism acceptable? The answer should be never. Yet for many feminists in our country, only certain types of women have been worth defending. When a conservative woman is the target of an attack, many so-called feminists stay silent. This “selective sexism”, or speaking out against sexism on a case by case basis, does not advance our national dialogue on women’s issues. Rather, selective sexism allows a dangerous level of permissible sexism to live and breed in our country. The only …