Archived Radio Show

September 23, 2024

Original Radio Show  ID:
WSA240923

Listen to the Show on the Mp3 Player below

Duration 57 minutes

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Featuring

Click the Name to access the Segment below

1. Commentary by Elaine B. Holtz,  Host of Women's Spaces 

2. Guest Judy Armstrong, Ph.D.,  Co-Producer of  We Are the Women song

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1. Commentary by Elaine B. Holtz:  Joining me on the phone will be Judy Armstrong, a founder of We Are the Women, advocates for women and allies to vote in the 2024 election. We Are the Women: a call to action for women and their allies to vote in the 2024 election. “Do Something” more by getting involved with door knocking, canvasing, texting, yard signs, etc.

We will be talking about the importance of voting, how folks can participate along with discussing their latest video, We Are the Women. This song is inspired by the video, We Are the World written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. It is amazing what these women did with this melody to update it into what is happening in our world today. We will be playing the song during the musical break.

Announcements: Condolences to the family and friends of one of my dear friends, Martin Joseph Hamilton November 29, 1949 - September 1, 2024. Father to Brenden, Trever, and Dylan; grandfather to Dinea, Naliyah and Sage, son, and brother. He was a kind and faithful friend to all who knew him. He also was the gate keeper for the Arlene Francis Center in Santa Rosa. He will be missed. Wow so many friends are leaving us. We all need to take a moment in reflection and be grateful for our life today.

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Nancy Rogers. Nancy is the President of the North Bay Black Chamber and is a strong voice of activism and encouragement for many. Nancy and I have been neighbors for over 30 years and one of the best friends I have ever had. Wishing her a joyous life filled with good health, peace of mind and continued prosperity.

Happy Birthday to Susan Chunco. Susan is an activist in our community and a loyal member of the Green Party. Susan is not afraid to stand up and speak out for those in need. It is an honor to know her.
   

2. Our Guest Judy Armstrong's passion for women's rights was sparked during her time at Northwestern University, where dorm discussions centered on societal challenges. The introduction of Gloria Steinem's Ms. magazine and the arrival of birth control during her college years marked pivotal moments for women. She recalls significant changes, such as women finally gaining access to charge cards, which empowered them to establish their own credit. Other issues like whether to change one’s last name after marriage were hotly debated, alongside concerns about joint bank accounts and illegal abortions.

Her awareness of women’s struggles deepened through conversations with older generations. For instance, her grandmother shared how women once used homemade contraception methods, a reminder of how far reproductive rights have come. Documentaries like The Janes revealed the lengths women went to in helping each other access safe abortions, underscoring the enduring solidarity among women.

Inspired by these experiences, Judy co-founded the “We Are the Women” project to encourage women to vote and advocate for their rights. This initiative highlights the broader fight for women's freedoms in a democracy, not just abortion. Judy, alongside her friend David and Planned Parenthood veteran Joyce Lisbon, recruited volunteers and local talent to produce a song titled We Are the Women, a reimagining of We Are the World. They relied on personal networks, social media, and community support to bring their vision to life in just five months. Their accompanying website WAGAVote.com (We Are Great Already Vote) encourages getting out the vote, with a link to register to vote.

Judy attributes much of the project's success to the collaborative spirit and synchronicity she recognizes from her studies in a Kabbalah study group, which led her to take action to strengthen women's rights.

About our Guest: Judy Armstrong, Ph.D.,  is one of the founders of, We Are the Women: a call to action for women and their allies to vote in the 2024 election. The main vehicle of the campaign will be a transformational version of the song “We are the World’ with the title: “We Are the Women,” which we just played.

Judy lives in Littleton, Colorado, with her cat Tai Chi. She has developed a spiritual practice through Kabbalah under David Sanders and co-founded the WAGA (We Are Great Already) movement with him and Joyce Lisbin, testing her computer and task management skills.

Judy has traveled the world in scientific circles with her late husband. She earned a PhD in mathematics in 1978 and initially worked in aerospace, later becoming CEO of a government-funded start-up in the eighties. Now retired, she is visiting all seven continents, studying Spanish, weight training, and volunteering. After her husband's passing, she is writing a book titled *Aging with Resilience*. Her current concerns include the lack of civics education, denial of science, misinformation, and the potential for a national abortion ban.

Guest Links:

  We Are Great Already (WAGA) Vote website: https://wagavote.com/

Email norma@wagavote.com  to know more and support women’s rights!

Reference Links:

The Janes documentary film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16377356/

Guest Music:

We Are the Women, sung by Beth Avedis, Marcy Baruch, Hazel Miller, Jazz Robertson, Wendy Woo, and Verena Fuentes, from the single We Are the Women (.Music Video by WAGAVote.com ); lyrics by D.E.I. Sanders, Producers: Judy Armstrong, Joyce Lisbon, and D.E.I. Sanders

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Our History Is Our Strength

Check out important dates to remember in Herstory at the National Women's History Alliance, where the date descriptions were sourced unless otherwise indicated.

Special thank you to the National Women’s History Alliance for making women’s history alive. Shout out to Co-Founder and Retiring Executive Director, Molly McGregor who will be on the show when we celebrate Women’s History Month in March for making the fabulous list of Women in History where I get most of the info I present in this Herstory segment.

Herstory Birthdays:

September 23, 1863 (1954) – Mary Church Terrell, outstanding speaker, first president of National Association of Colored Women (1896), picketed in Washington D.C. for woman suffrage and desegregation.

September 23, 1899 (1988) – Louise Nevelson, sculptor, migrated from near Kiev to Maine, taught in the Works Progress Administration in 1943, in the 1970s created massive steel works combining cubism and expressionism.

September 26, 1893 (1976) – Freda Kirchway, prolific political journalist, editor of the “Nation” (and owner 1937-55), espoused women’s concerns for birth control in the 1920s, also worked for the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

September 27, 1895 (1988) – Jennie Matyas, labor organizer and educator who emigrated from Hungarian Transylvania to Manhattan in 1906, supported equal suffrage, worked to enroll Black women in the ILGWU, and organized women in San Francisco.

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Announcements 

Monday, September 23, 2024, 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM, League of Women Voters Zoom Meeting on the 2024 Ballot Propositions: LWV Pros and Cons,
Event Contact(s): Lynn Dooley and Leona Judson, This past presentation is a non-partisan and unbiased look at the Pros & Cons of the ten state ballot propositions, one regional and three Sonoma county-wide measures that will appear on the November 5th ballot. Your fellow League members have created this presentation to help you be a more informed voter. Join us!!  Click Here for LWV page.   Click Here of LWV Sonoma County YouTube Channel for past zoom meetings.

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Saturday, September 28, 2024, 3 - 5 PM, 100,000 Poets for Change, backyard venue at 2214 Creekside Rd, Santa Rosa. See flyer below.

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Monday, September 30, 2024, 11 AM PT, repeat of 9/16/2024 show that features Diana Carpenter Madoshi on Remembering Alice Paul and the Women's Suffrage Movement, Silent Sentinels Meet on October 5th National Action to Get Out the Vote.   Radio KPCA 103.3 FM, Petaluma, CA. https://petalumacommunityaccess.org/kpca 

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Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Peace and Justice Center issues new weekly list of events and links to community non-profit organizations. It includes ongoing peace protests: PJC website www.pjcsoco.org

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Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 11 AM PT, repeat of 9/16/2024 show that features Diana Carpenter Madoshi on Remembering Alice Paul and the Women's Suffrage Movement, Silent Sentinels Meet on October 5th National Action to Get Out the Vote.   Radio KPCA 103.3 FM, Petaluma, CA. https://petalumacommunityaccess.org/kpca 

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October 5, 2024, Silent Sentinels Encouraging Voting. Washington, DC and other localities. To involve your community, email silentsentinels.oct5@gmail.com  

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Monday, October 7, 2024, 11 AM PT, repeat of 9/23/2024 show that features Judy Armstrong, Ph.D., Co-Producer of the song We Are the Women of the project We Are Great Already (WAGA) Vote.   Radio KPCA 103.3 FM, Petaluma, CA. https://petalumacommunityaccess.org/kpca  .

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Wednesday, October 9, 2024, 11 AM PT, repeat of 9/16/2024 show that features Judy Armstrong, Ph.D., Co-Producer of the song We Are the Women of the project We Are Great Already (WAGA) Vote.   Radio KPCA 103.3 FM, Petaluma, CA. https://petalumacommunityaccess.org/kpca 

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Music Selections

The Opening and Closing Theme song The Woman in Your Life is You is done with permission of the Composer and Singer Alix Dobkin ((August 16, 1940 – May 19, 2021) Alix Dobkin death was just announced - Thank you for all you did for Lesbians to be recognized and Women to be honored. May you rest in peace. See our Interview with Alix Dobkin on 12/1/2014 and our Memorial to Alix Dobkin on 5/24/2021

The Woman in Your Life is You by Alix Dobkin from the album Living with Lavender Jane (2010 Women's Wax Works) - www.alixdobkin.com

We Are the Women, sung by Beth Avedis, Marcy Baruch, Hazel Miller, Jazz Robertson, Wendy Woo, and Verena Fuentes, from the single We Are the Women (.Music Video by WAGAVote.com )

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For music purchasing opportunity, supporting the artists: