The 2012 National Gathering promises to
deliver a grand old time for great Old Lesbians
(you!) with a varied program conducted in
elegant and comfortable quarters.
As you may have read in earlier issues, our
host will be the Woburn Hilton in Boston
where, beginning on Thursday, July 19th, we will
convene, cavort, and carry on for a long, jampacked,
laugh-filled, and community-building
July weekend.
Our theme, "Bridges to Justice: 21st
Century Activism," is a part of our response
to an impromptu meeting at the end of
our 2010 Gathering. It was called to discuss
how OLOC could more effectively recognize
and challenge racism, classism, and other
oppressions within OLOC as well as without.
Since that meeting, the Steering
Committee has undertaken a number of
steps in this direction. (Write us for details
about what we've done so far.)
To help us hold faith with our commitment
and theme, we invite you to join the
OLOC Steering Committee on Thursday for
a free all-day session, Activism for Racial and
Class Justice. We will work with facilitators to
learn, plan, and develop strategies that will
further our education and refine our skills so
we can be more effective activists for social
and economic justice. You will want to arrive on
Wednesday if you plan to attend the daylong
facilitated event on Thursday. You will be able
to register for the Gathering on Wednesday
evening.
Thursday night the Gathering hits the
ground running with a welcome reception and
presentation of the Del Martin Old Lesbian
Pride Award followed by Celebrating the Life of
Del Martin, a new documentary film capturing
the extraordinary civic celebration held in San
Francisco's grand
City Hall rotunda
to honor the life of
civil rights pioneer
Del Martin.
During the
remainder of
the weekend
we plan to keep
you busy with a
range of activities
including:
The one &
only Ferron
with her
unique songs, stories, and repartee
Carolyn Gage and her acclaimed Michigan
Womyn's Music Festival hit, "The Lesbian
Tent Revival"
Keynote address by Vera Martin, codirector
emerita and OLOC founder (we
are awaiting responses from several other
notable Old Lesbian speakers)
A sing-along lead by Judy Ross
Caucuses and workshops
Hospitality room for chats, snacks, games, &
more Talent show Memorial celebration Authors' book signing Vendors Live & silent auctions
Vera Martin, Keynoter
We await workshop proposals, preferably
but not limited to a topic that relates to our
theme. They come in slowly at first, but those
slots fill up quickly, so get yours in ASAP.
We are also seeking useful and/or beautiful and valuable donations to
our silent and live auctions, and be there when I make my debut as (gulp)
auctioneer.
You can make your reservation at the Woburn Hilton, Boston. Call
the hotel at 781-932-0999 extension 7900 and ask for the special OLOC rates, or go to our
page at the hotel site: http://tinyurl.com/7nzpo5a
We have found the Hilton to be quite accessible, (check for details as
needed) with a friendly staff receptive and accommodating. Ruth did a
magnificent job negotiating with the Hilton to provide
FREE daily:
Full breakfast buffet: the best we have come
across at any hotel in which we've yet stayed (only
two per room, so if more of you share a room, you
will have to figure this out on your own).
Wired & wireless high-speed Internet access in the
rooms
Parking
It's a terrific package, so if you haven't already
made your plans, start that process now. Financial
assistance is available.
Boston Gathering Coming Up
By Alix Dobkin, 1940
Save July 19–22, 2012, for our National OLOC Gathering.
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Confirmed: We are thrilled that Ferron, poet and songwriter extraordinaire, will be at Gathering to play and sing for us. Ferron has been a crowd-pleaser for decades and a vital part of the womyn’s music story.
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Confirmed: Carolyn Gage, the brilliant, popular, award-winning playwright and performer will present her Lesbian Tent Revival, which has drawn crowds at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival for many years.
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Confirmed: Vera Martin, one of OLOC’s founders and a co-director emerita, will give a keynote speech. We will keep you updated when other keynoters have accepted invitations to speak, so stay tuned for further developments.
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Confirmed: We will hold an all-day free workshop on July 18th for any of you who want to attend. It will focus on developing OLOC’s action plan for addressing racism, classism and other oppressions.
So, please come to the Gathering and plan for an adventure filled with the excitement of new ideas and new friends, fun and festivities.
The Steering Committee will keep you busy with three full days of workshops, caucuses, keynote speakers, a fishbowl, a live and a silent auction, a book signing by OLOC authors, and—to kick off the proceedings—a reception featuring an old-fashioned sing-along with Judy Ross on piano.
You can look forward to a talent show (so bring some of that), a Memorial, the second presentation of the Del Martin Old Lesbian Pride Award, and a dance.
The Boston/Woburn Hilton Hotel in Woburn, MA, will host The Gathering and provide complimentary breakfasts, free parking, and wireless Internet, as well as a clubby, comfortable Hospitality Room to serve as social central for snacking, gaming (dominoes, anyone?), chatting, reading, and relaxing. We are thrilled to have this attractive space where we can hang out.
The theme of the 2012 National Gathering is "Bridges to Justice: 21st Century Activism". As part of our commitment to justice, we will provide the full day workshop on July 18th (see above). A look at our vision statement below will tell you more about our priorities. Here’s one crucial sentence: “OLOC will use its power and resources to advance the just world we all envision."
We encourage you to think about presenting workshops that relate to strategies for political action during these active times and the ways in which oppressions intersect. Of course we are interested in other topics, too.
The hotel has already set up a website specifically for our Gathering, so it is not too early to reserve your rooms. Think about coming early for the workshop and maybe adding a few days before or after to see some of the many exciting and interesting places in the area.
Things to Know about the 2012 Gathering:
- OLOC Memorial Plaque and Slide Show
The OLOC Memorial Plaque will be displayed at the 2012 Gathering at the Boston/Woburn Hilton in July. If you want to add the name of an Old Lesbian who died recently or in the past, send her name, year of birth, and year of death to info@oloc.org or the P. O. box. Unless you tell us not to, she will also be included in the Memorial Slide Show that will be part of the ceremony at the Gathering. Include a donation (we suggest $20.00 but more if you can, less if you can’t). Send an online photo with the same information to info@oloc.org. (For those of you without computer access, please find a friend to send the photo.)
- OLOC Del Martin Old Lesbian Pride Award Seeks Nominations
Nominees must be 70 years of age or older. Nominations can be made by OLOC members. You should describe the outstanding accomplishments and/or achievements of the nominee and show how she has benefited the lives of Lesbians. The award will be presented at the OLOC National Gathering in Boston, July 2012. The deadline for nominations is April 8, 2012. Send your nominations with the full contact information for yourself and your nominee to info@oloc.org.
- Requesting Workshop Proposals
If you have an interest in presenting a 90-minute workshop at the National Gathering, please send an outline of what it would include. List details of materials or equipment you may need. Include all contact information of presenter/presenters with (for each) a short bio and a high-resolution photo. Proposals are due by April 1, 2012, and you will be informed by the end of April whether or not your proposal was accepted. Preference will be given to workshops relating to our theme: “Bridges to Justice: 21st Century Activism.” Send to info@oloc.org or to the post office box, attn. Sally. Questions? Phone 888-706-7506.
As usual, we request that you come free-of-fragrance (clothing, body-care products, no perfumes or colognes) to protect the health of the chemically injured among us.
We really love receiving photos of Gatherings. We have a Tip Sheet for photographers that you can request in advance or pick up at registration. We ask that you identify all subjects in every photo you send to us. We will also ask that everyone who is okay with her image being used by OLOC in The Reporter, on the website, or in other publications sign a photo release at registration.
We will hold an auction at the National Gathering. If you have a condo, cabin, or other dwelling that you do not use at some times of the year, perhaps you would be willing to put it up for auction. Of course, we would make sure that only OLOC members could bid on and use it, and you could specify when it would be available.
OLOC Vision Statement
OLOC will be a cooperative community of Old Lesbian activists from many backgrounds. OLOC’s priorities will be to challenge and oppose ageism, racism, classism, sexism, and ableism. OLOC will collaborate with other organizations doing the work of social justice. OLOC will use its power and resources to advance the just world we all envision. OLOC will seek leadership from Old Lesbians of Color and Old Lesbians of a variety of class backgrounds in these efforts to address multiple oppressions, including as advisors to and members of the Steering Committee.
