Violence Against Women is Topic of Legal Momentum Chicago Forum October 16

October 16, 2007 -

 

PRESS CONTACT:
Altagracia Dilone Levat
Office: 212.413.7510
Cell: 347.739.7664

President Kathy Rodgers Joins Chicago Leaders for Discussion on Women's Issues and 2008 Presidential Election

NEW YORK, October 11, 2007 - In observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Legal Momentum, the nation's oldest legal advocacy organization for women and girls, joins with leaders of some of Chicago's most prominent social service organizations in a panel discussion on the local and national changes needed to end the national epidemic. The event is part of Legal Momentum's Women Decide 2008, an initiative that will take President Kathy Rodgers to major cities across the country to public meetings with leaders of local grassroots organizations for a discussion on the issues of greatest concern to women: safety, work, health, and families.

Who:
Kathy Rodgers, president, Legal Momentum, moderator
Kim Casey, business development director, Women's Business Development Center
Jeanette Castellanos-Butt, associate director of sexual violence and support services, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
Constance H. F. Miller, director and founder, Chicago Chapter, Younger Women's Task Force
Hannah Rosenthal, executive director, Chicago Foundation for Women
Neli Vazquez-Rowland, chief executive officer, Be! Products Inc., and co-founder, A Safe Haven, L.L.C.

What:
Panel Discussion on Women's Issues and the 2008 Presidential Campaign

When:
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
8:30 AM to 10 AM
Breakfast Reception and Program

Where:
Union League Club
65 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60604-3598

Note:
Legal Momentum's Women Decide 2008 is an effort to engage the public and policy makers in a new dialogue on issues that impact women disproportionately, but that are a priority for all Americans. The issues were identified through more than 2,000 online roundtable discussions conducted by Whitman Insight Strategies for Legal Momentum in the fall 2006. Women and men from all over the country, and of all political leanings and backgrounds were interviewed. The research revealed that Americans are united on the importance of the following issues:

  • Ending violence against women;
  • Ensuring equal work opportunities and equal pay;
  • Providing comprehensive health information to women and girls;
  • Strengthening families and communities through expanded access to quality and affordable early childhood education and child care.


Legal Momentum's Women Decide 2008 initiative also seeks to underscore the importance of women's participation in the national political process. The statistics on women's low level of political participation are compelling: More than 36 million women who are eligible to vote are not even registered, and 16 million of these women are between the ages of 25 to 44. Rodgers will use this national speaking/listening tour to encourage women across the country to register and vote so that women's priorities become national priorities.

Press Kit:
The Women Decide 2008 press kit, event schedule, speaker bios, and the research document, is available at http://legalmomemtum.org/

About Legal Momentum
Founded in 1970, Legal Momentum is the nation's oldest legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls. With an experienced legal staff in offices in New York City and Washington, D.C., Legal Momentum is a leader in establishing legal, legislative, and educational strategies to secure equality and justice for women across the country. Its public policy and litigation agenda focus on four areas that are of greatest concern to women in the United States: freedom from violence against women, equal work and equal pay; the health of women and girls; and strong families and strong communities.