New York Feminists For Peace and Barack Obama

February 4, 2008

In the coming elections, it is important to remember that war and peace are as much womens issues, as are health, the environment, and the achievement of educational and occupational equality. Because we believe that all of these concerns are not only fundamental but closely intertwined, this Tuesday we will be casting our vote for Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, we have watched with shock and sorrow as our country has become mired in war. The resulting tragedy for our own soldiers, their immediate families and for the people of Iraq has been incalculable.

Less obvious, but no less grave has been the impact on our domestic institutions and economy. With a defense budget of half a trillion dollars and expenditures now averaging $12 billion a month for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, resources that might have been used for health care, housing, education, repair of infrastructure, relief of poverty and community development have been drained away.

We urgently need a Presidential candidate, who understands that preemptive attacks on other countries and the reliance on military force have diminished rather then strengthened our national security. And we urgently need a Presidential candidate whose first priority is to address domestic needs. We do not believe that Senator Hillary Clinton is that candidate

We base our judgment on her seven-year record as the Senator from New York. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she has carefully identified herself as a supporter of a strong, enlarged and proactive military. In 2002, she voted to authorize the use of force against Iraq, while voting against an amendment that would have mandated further diplomacy. In subsequent years, she expressed enthusiastic support for the war effort, objected to fixed timelines for the withdrawal of U.S troops and until last summer voted for the unconditional funding of the war.

Under pressure from the Democratic base, Senator Clinton has recently issued numerous statements about bringing the troops home responsibly. But her actual plan would leave tens of thousands of Americans soldiers in Iraq over a period of many years. Her record of embracing military solutions and the foreign policy advisors she has selected make us doubt that she will end this calamitous war.

Choosing to support Senator Obama was not an easy decision for us because electing a woman President would be a cause for celebration in itself and because we deplore the sexist attacks against Senator Clinton that have circulated in the media. However, we also recognize that the election of Barack Obama would be an historic achievement and that his support for gender equality has been unwavering.

In backing Senator Obama, we are mindful of the inconsistencies in his voting record and the limitations of his own plans for withdrawal. Yet it is noteworthy that at a time when this position was politically unpopular and when he was aiming for national office, Barack Obama opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and has spoken out against the war ever since. This puts him in a far better position to articulate a clear challenge to a Republican opponent.

We are also moved by the positive tone of the Obama campaign, the tremendous energy it has released across the country, the dramatic engagement of young people and the impetus for change that his candidacy embodies.

We are speaking out now because we cannot afford to elect another President who will continue the aggressive, interventionist policies of the present.

(list in formation)
Lila Abu-Lughod, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, Columbia University
Janet Abu-Lughod
Rev. Patricia Ackerman - clergy/ environmentalist
Meena Alexander, Poet, Hunter College, CUNY
Frances Anderson, Progressive Democrats for America
Electa Arenal,writer, translator
Eva-Lee Baird, peace activist
Valerie Barr, Union College
Rosalyn Baxandall, State University of New York/Old Westbury
Nan Bauer-Maglin, City University of New York (Emerita)
Carolyn Patti Blum, human rights lawyer/consultant
Cynthia Bogard, Hofstra University
Marsha Borenstein, Major Owens Communications Services Center
Alice Bucker,
Erin Clermont, writer/editor, Veteran Feminists of America,
Sandra Coliver, human rights lawyer
Louise Fischer Cozzi, Jewelry Designer
Judy DAngio, Executive Secretary
Ann Decker, Art Director, Illustrator, Educator
Victoria de Grazia, Columbia University
Sue Donnelly, peace activist
Gina Eichenbaum-Pikser, Student Nurse-Midwife
Zillah Eisenstein, Ithaca College, writer &feminist activist
Carolyn Eisenberg, Hofstra University
Kate Ellis, Rutgers University
Sally Fisher, HIV /VAW Activist
Nanette Funk, Brooklyn College
Lin Goodwin, Professor
Farah Jasmine Griffin, professor and writer
Sally Fisher, HIV / VAW Activist
Nanette Funk, Brooklyn College
Judi Gardner. Middle School Home & Careers Teacher
Reena Geevarghese,peace activist
Joan P. Gibbs, Esq. National Conference of Black Lawyers*
Linda Gnat-Mullin, Energetic Empowerment
Tami Gold, Hunter College, professor and filmmaker, Hunter College
Stephanie Golden, writer
Linda Gordon, New York University
Diane Greenlent, photographer and peace activist
Farah Jasmine Griffin, professor and writer
Carole Gruber, William Paterson University (Emeritus)
Lynne Haney. New York University
Alice Kessler Harris, Columbia University
Sheila Hanks, Retired
Saidiya Hartman, Columbia University
Jane Hirschmann
Carol Horwitz, lawyer
Martha Howell, Columbia University
Carole Huston, peace activist
Sally Jones, peace activist
Daphne Joslin, William Paterson University of New Jersey
Laura Kogel, writer and psychotherapist
Lucy Koteen
Nancy Kricorian, author, peace activist
Jane Kurinsky, LMSW, peaceActivist
Anna Lapp, Author/Activist
Tanya Laurer, Artist
Diane Greenlent, photographer and peace activist
Gail Lerner, NYC, Peace Activist
Andrea Libresco, Hofstra University
Sandy Livingston, writer
Barbara Machtinger, Bloomfield College
Karen Malpede, writer, teacher, peace activist
Emily Martin, professor, anthropology, NYU
Vicki McFadden, mother of Iraq vet and peace activist.
Oseye Mchawi, Center for Law and Social Justice, and Yoruba Society of Brooklyn, Inc. (President)
D. H. Melhem, poet, writer, independent scholar
Margaret Melkonian, LI peace activist, (Vice President), UN representative, Hague Appeal for Peace
Maria E. Montoya, New York University
Cheryl Mwaria, Hofstra University
Paula Nesoff, LaGuardia Community College
Elizabeth A. McGee, Social sector consultant, High Impact Partnering
Oseye Mchawi, Center for Law and Social Justice, and Yoruba Society of Brooklyn, Inc. (President)
Susan OMalley, Kingsborough Community College
Lynn Otty, peace activist
Rosalind Petchesky, Distinguished Professor of Political Science
Hunter College & the Graduate Center, CUNY
Charlotte Phillips, pediatrician and peace activist
Katha Pollitt, author
Alexandra Ponce de Leon, Media Research Analyst,Universal McCann NY
Linda Prine MD, Reproductive Rights Activist
Amy Quinn-Suplina, community peace & justice activist
Alice Radosh, Research Psychologist, retired writer, Volunteer Fire Fighter
Janet Randall, Northeastern University
Marci Reaven
Nancy Romer, Brooklyn College
Constancia Dinky Romilly, Registered Nurse, Bellevue Hospital Center - Retired
Esther Rowland, Barnard College Emeritus
Martha Saxton, Amherst College
Alice Slater, Esq.
Marjorie Siegel, Teacher,Educator and Researcher, Teachers College, Columbia University
Judith Stacey, New York University
Gretchen Stromberg, senior citizen
Joan Sturgis, physician
Melissa Van, peace activist
Andrea A. Vasquez, American Social History Project, The Graduate Center, CUNY
Sandy Weinbaum, non-profit administrator
Cora Weiss, Feminist peace organizer: Pres. Hague Appeal for Peace,
Former President, International Peace Bureau now UN Rep for IPB;
Joan Wile, author, peace activist, and grandmother
Bethany Yarrow, singer
Rosalie Yelen, peace activist, women's health advocate
Susan Yohn, Hofstra University
Marilyn Young, New York University