To All of You Who We Hope Are Concerned, June 2011
I’m old ... I’m cranky ... and I have something to say. But, if you’re willing to let this be a fifteen word fundraising letter, let this suffice: “PLEASE SEND US MONEY TO SUPPORT OLD LESBIANS ORGANIZING FOR CHANGE. (WE’RE VERY NICE PEOPLE.)”
We appreciate your writing a check or putting us on a credit card. Go to www.oloc.org and use Pay Pal. (We're tax exempt.) (YOU DON’T HAVE TO READ ANY FURTHER.)
For those of you who may need a little more convincing-please keep going.
OLOC is a very grassroots organization dedicated to improving the quality of our lives as old lesbians. Many of us see ourselves as aging agitators, making ourselves, and the causes that affect our lives, visible.
We explore and take action on lots of interconnected issues: quality of life, health reform, mental and physical illness, and Medicare; housing alternatives; first amendment rights and civil liberties; ageism; disability; the effects of race, class and gender; economic justice; the criminalization of poverty; documentation/archiving, and inter-generational politics. We strategize to educate ourselves and our communities.
Sometimes, we discuss how things were “back in the day”-and how to get to a better future together. We’ve accumulated a lot of wisdom along the way-and we’re trying to create more of a demand for it! We agree on some things and disagree on many more. We laugha lot. ( I love the philosophical notion that laughter is, for the oppressed, a rehearsal for liberation”.) We are above all very resilient!
So, may I make a toast? “TO OLOC FRIENDS WHO ARE SOME OF OUR BEST FRIENDS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE SONG IN OUR HEARTS AND CAN SING IT BACK TO US WHEN WE’VE FORGOTTEN THE WORDS!”
Please be as generous as you can, and send us the money we need to survive!
Warmly,
Ariana Manov, 64, Los Angeles, CA
activist, advocate, broadcast journalist
I was born and raised in the segregated South. From day one, I was told that I was a lesser being, an inferior person. However, today I am able to look everyone in the eye and know that I will not be oppressed by my color. The fight for my freedom was spearheaded by the likes of Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Fannie Lou Hamer and many others.
At the same time, I was also raised with the oppression of being a woman and, more profoundly, a lesbian woman. However, today I can stand tall, look adversaries in the eye and know that I will not be oppressed because I am a lesbian. This fight for liberation was spearheaded by many leaders, but in 2008, while participating in the OLOC national Gathering, I realized that much of the leadership came from these women. Members of OLOC had been in the trenches working for my freedom for decades.
OLOC women have championed the cause for justice, for the liberation of all people and especially for the lesbian community. They are taking up our cause in political activities, setting up lesbian archives, connecting lesbians around the globe, conducting work shops and seminars, distributing literature, being advocates for equal rights in the marriage arena – and the list goes on. Their work even focuses on the housing needs of aging lesbians (which is quite important to me personally) and on efforts to embrace and demystify the word "old." They instill pride by their very existence.
Today, I, for one, am able to stand on their shoulders and shout to the world that "I ain't ashamed!"
Obviously, to carry on this work, OLOC needs you. Your donation Is needed. Funds are often used to provide financial assistance for lesbians with limited means to attend events that strengthen their own self-worth. OLOC's underlying mission in all its actions is to provide empowerment for old lesbians. OLOC does not receive state or federal money; it exists because of people like you. Won't you please support OLOC so that all old lesbians can be equally as proud??
Very sincerely,
Gaye Adegbalola, 66
Mother, Daughter, Educator, Activist
Founding Member of Saffire - the Uppity Blues Women
To send a donation by check, mail to OLOC, POB 5853, Athens, OH 45701
To donate electronically by credit card or PayPal, go to the donate button at oloc.org and be sure to write "donation" in the comments box.
Thank you!
One of my best memories of 2009 is the OLOC Regional gathering
in Columbia SC this past summer. It was great to be with women
my own age who share my aches and pains but also my spirit and
understanding of what the journey has been for all of us as
Lesbians growing up in an age and environment that ignored us at
best, and continue to treat us as "lesser than" through the corporate
and governmental policies that impact our everyday lives. We will
survive, but it's good to know that we have an organization that
advocates for the changes we deserve.
The days shorten. There are no leaves on the trees outside my
window. It must be winter. Since time moves at warp speed, we'll
soon ring in the New Year of 2010. Remember the hoopla about
the 21st Century? Well, it is now a decade later. We've survived.
Your contribution to OLOC makes a huge difference. I hope you
can put OLOC on your gift list before the end of this year. All
contributions are tax deductible.
Make plans to attend a meeting in your area if there is one and the
National Gathering in Cleveland July 14-18, 2010. I sure hope to
see you there!
In sisterhood,
Sheila Morris (age 63), Columbia SC
Sheila Morris is author of, "Deep in the Heart - a Memoir of Love and
Longing" and "Not Quite the Same". She is a lifetime activist for equal rights for women, African Americans, Hispanics, and gays and Lesbians.
Dear Sisters: June 2010
I have been working, as I know many of you have, to
confront sexism and homophobia since the 1970's. We
HAVE made changes that have had an impact on women all
over the world. Just when it should be possible to enjoy the
benefits of our work, we face old age with more daunting
challenges. The invisibility we faced as Lesbians is now
compounded by ageism. The discrimination we faced when
we were younger is now compounded with health care
issues, greater economic insecurity, and disproportionate
unemployment.
Despite being half of the female population, unmarried
women over 60 years old represent 63% of unemployed
women, 60% of the women without health insurance, and
nearly 75% of those women living in poverty. When you
factor in race and sexual orientation, the statistics b
