March on Washington June 2008

Hey there Brenda,

We're looking at joining you up here in the Great White North.  So if any Canadians ask please refer them here. 

AS far as dates go, might I suggest sometime in the month of May (the month for mothers) or September (the month before the dreaded Pink month). 

my friends connection is out of the office till Jan 3rd.

I'm still waiting on feedback though.

I think organizing this is a full time effort, and gonna take a lot of man hours.

I hope I don't offend anyone, but I think God would forgive you if you missed one day of worship to do something for the good of mankind.

Does it HAVE to be DC? How about Philly (City of Brotherly Love)? Just a thought - as I know they held the "Million Woman March" there 10 years ago and might not have the same permit restrictions as DC due to elections. Although it might take 'til 09 to organize, it just seems like such a long way off...



Once the date is set, let me know. I publish a women's magazine and am part of a group of other publishers of female interest magazines. I'll run a gratis ad as a public service announcement and I'm sure I can get the others in the group to agree to do the same. Most of them are monthlies (which means they get their editorial and advertising schedules together at least two month before the month of publication), but a few of us are quarterlies. My next issue is out the beginning of June (we go to press in mid May), so I'd need specifics by then if possible.



Keep me posted Brenda!

I just did some checking ... there is a little bit of wiggle room in the regulations!  If under 25 people we don't need a permit and if we don't call it a memorial.  We might be able to get away with it if we just wear the t-shirts, happen to show up in the same general vicinity or maybe in a couple of different locations in the park.  We could have groups of 25 spread out all over the park!!!!

What do you think?

I think you're right Beth ... I got the ball rolling, but we need some more ideas.  Should we wait until the spring of 2009 and keep it in DC? My preference is to keep it where Hillary will be able to see us!!

I've got to spend take some time now and try to get some work done. 

Valerie, Brenda - EVERYONE -

Count me in! I'm a graphic d-ziner, and would be happy to come up with a d-zine for the shirts, although I would keep it simple because our message needs to be LOUD AND CLEAR! 

Some initial thoughts:

black t-shirt - 

front says: EVERY 13 MINUTES! (referring to how often a woman dies from bc) 

back says: WE NEED A CURE NOW! or...?

Any suggestions of different messages on the shirts is welcome.

Sorry to those of you who are anti-pink...but I think the words need to be in pink...regardless of whether we like it or not, people throughout the United States and around the world have been "trained" through advertising/marketing/retail that pink=breast cancer...it's an instant identity to what we're marching for. (JMO - thoughts/suggestions appreciated.)

Some signs could say: Every 13 minutes, a woman dies from breast cancer! Others could bear the photos of individual bc casualties, and some could bear the photos of the children, husbands, mothers/fathers, etc. of the bc casualties. Others perhaps can say: We've declared war on breast cancer. or...Help us win the war on breast cancer! Or maybe not use the word "war" at all...not sure.

Here's some more thoughts/suggestions/ideas:

Maybe we could refer to ourselves as Warriors, NOT survivors, on all written, oral communication (Ford Motor Com. uses the term Warriors in Pink...just FYI). Or, if there's a better term...please advise. This isn't about the survivors, it's about the casualties. We need to create a slogan or decide on a theme...such as: Warriors for a Cure, or something...HELP! I've seen lots of creativity here in the posts...we need to put on our thinking caps and brain storm!

We will have the most impact/success with the largest amount of marchers possible (hence the term: Success in Numbers). One suggestion to achieve this would be to have one or more girls, from bc.org, from each state to assume the responsibility of spreading the info throughout their state (designated state leader aka DSL). The "info" would consist of all the details pertaining to the march: date, time, place, etc. And, ideally, within each state, additional girls can assume the responsibility of specific regions within that state (designated regional leader aka DRL). For example: north, south, east, west. (The ol' organizational chart never fails.) The DRL's could report to the DSL's regularly to compare notes, etc.

The DSL and/or the DRL would compile a list of every bc organization, support groups, etc. within each state, by region, and mail or phone them with info concerning the details pertaining to the march, to each of those organizations. Maybe flyers could be printed and dropped off at Onc. offices, support group meeting places, etc. And...maybe we could find a printing company in each state that would be willing to donate the printing of the flyers. I would be willing to write/design a flyer, with the help of any writers out there.

In addition, it would help to have a designated PR person/s: who could contact local, state and national news agencies, tv shows, magazines, medical publications, Oncology organizations, etc. and provide them with a press release/public service announcement. (There are websites to help compose effective ones suitable for distribution via mail, e-mail or phone.)

Perhaps bc.org, Komen, Y-Me, Avon, Breast Cancer Action/Think Before You Pink, and others would be willing to advise their subscribers of the details pertaining to the march, by way of their internal newsletters, e-mail announcements, etc. They have tens of thousands of names on their mailing lists, e-mail lists, etc. 

Laura your ideas are FANTASTIC!!

RIght now .. I'm desperately trying to get Melissa to create a forum on this board dedicated to the March/Memorial.  That way we can have separate threads within it for each of the things like you're suggesting.  We're too spread out and all over the place right now.  I'm posting info on the permit process all over the place and I can't remember where I last put it. 

So right now, we could really use some help in getting Melissa to create a new separate forum for this project.  We need to get organized first and foremost.  I'm waiting for to email me back again.  How about as many of you as can, email her and has for our own forum heading for the Memorial/March so we can get centrally located.  Thanks loads!!  Then all you gals with your very special talents are going to be working your butts off!!!

Love you guys,

Brenda

PS - May of 2009 sounds good Tender.  The weather will be better than in June.  If anything, we'll be more pissed off and have more marchers by then ... hopefully thousands!!

This could be extremely powerful. I'm absolutely with you on it! I am especially attracted to our common desire to totally avoid "prettying up" BC the way the media so often does (not to mention some of our own organizations!). Black T-shirts indeed! If enough object to pink, perhaps grey should be considered...keeps it nice 'n dismal, ya know?

Next summer will be right before the presidential election....what better time to force their hand and make them sit up and listen?!!!

~Marin

Valerie/LivesStrong -- I sent you a PM.

A couple of things -

May 2009 gives us time to do this right. Six months is not even enough time to plan a big wedding!

I like the pink-camo replacing pink in graphics and lettering.

Personaly, I think the 'Fallen Angel' theme is difficult. In the Christian faith there is only one fallen angel, Lucifer, and we don't need any of what that might connote. We can march for our fallen or for that matter we can pull out the stops and have a Death March. Calculate how many women will succumb in the time it will take us to have our march from the Capitol to the Viet Nam Memorial.

We are not going to be there to make people comfortable, we are going to have to make people horrified with facts they have been able to ignore before now. We have to shock them with the reality that young mothers are dying, leaving motherless children. They have to learn that all these mammograms are not helping women to LIVE. Their kids' elementary school teacher could be next. Their own mom will not be saved by a pink ribbon, she is going to need a cure when the same old slash, poison and burn treatment that has been used for decades fails her, too. We need to get the American public to say "ENOUGH! No more!"

But we have to keep them on our side. We have to motivate, not alienate. Educate, not overwhelm.

This takes planning.

Lisa

ready to roll

I wanted to suggest something I read about on the bcmets list. One woman suggested a "die in" on the courthouse lawn as a way to protest. Perhaps the march can culminate in masses of women lying on the ground to emphasize the fact that death is too often  the culmination of many women's and men's walk with cancer.

I checked on the web last night for the number of american casualties in Iraq. I don't have the link handy anymore, but the number was around 25,000 total since 2003. We are losing many more than that to bc annually. I absolutely support our brave military men and women who are voluntarily putting themselves at great risk, but where is the public outcry for bc? I don't wish to change the direction of this thread to a political discussion, so please don't start a debate of the whys and hows of the troops in Iraq. 

What I do wonder is how so many celebrities and people of influence can be so outspoken about the lives lost in Iraq when it is much more likely that their lives will be touched by bc in a much more personal way. One in nine women. It is truly shameful that many of the celebrities and public figures who have experienced bc spend their time by publicly "refusing" to die from cancer or pointing fingers at the "causes" of cancer here, there, and yonder The reality is I can stomp my foot and "refuse" to die but the cancer will eventually run its course and whatever factors may have contributed to my dx are surely myriad and unchangeable at this  point in time.

Komen and similar entities have made great strides in getting the early detection word out; now it's time to tell the world that  bc can and does happen despite our best intentions. Bc can and will claim too many of our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends. It is an ugly reality that no amount of pink can disguise.

</off soapbox> 

Ravdeb ... I see no reason why a Sunday wouldn't work.  Most of the biblebelters I think are pretty okay with worshiping in a park ... I know I am.

We are working on getting a central forum here were we can then get our committees set up and all the information will be under one forum.  Melissa has written me and is having one of the techs set this up.  We'll be able to have separate threads for each committee. 

I'm in the process of copying all the ideas from all the different threads so they can then be copied to the new forum and categories. 

The "die in" at the end of the memorial sounds very effective  .. a great denoument.  (sp). 

Badboob ... I get... I understand what you are saying.  I talked to the permit office about starting our Memorial walk at the Vietnam memorial and walking to the other end of the Mall. It seemd a fitting place to begin.  And it's doable, we just need to get the date booked.  I'm astounded that the whole freakin' place is booked in 2008. I told the park pemit people I didn't understand this ... what kind of ruckus did that think a few hundred middle-aged bald ladies were going to commit!!  I talked to them 3 times yesterday.  I have the address, etc. to try the Gov. of VA next and see if he has any pull with the park service at the Mall.

But, I'm really tired now .. my first post tx mammo today and tons of work to catch up on.  Plus my ... ah we'll just skip all that ....

love all you guys...

Brenda

Just a suggestion...

it shouldn't be on a weekend

it should be during the week when congress is in session- around the time that the NIH budget is being voted on

This will get you more media coverage and make a bigger impact politically.

The stats out there are in our favor.

First, the NIH spends almost four times as much on AIDS in America than it does for all cancers and 11,000 people die of AIDS in America per year as opposed to the 40,000 who die from BC.

You have to be fighting FOR SOMETHING

Marching FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC

in my opinion, we don't want to take away money from AIDs but it would be nice if cancer had as much research $$s

The reason why AIDS gets so much more is they have a very powerful and effective lobby. Have you ever seen a Hollywood awards show where they are wearing pink ribbons?

No.

Pick your battles.

If you want to make an impact it has to make sense.

Know WHAT YOU WANT

March on a day that COUNTS

and you will get further.

(all of this is my humble opinion...but since I have been writing about the subject of the inequities of research funding it is kind of close to my heart!) 

PS Laura, Pink Camo is the No Surrender logo! You can use it!

Maybe do something in 2008 to open their eyes and then make it big in 2009?

Brenda..thanks about the Sunday vs Sat. But more than that..thank you for all this organizing! You are terrific!!!

Gina..interesting notion. It was in my mind that nobody would be around on a Sunday (or Sat) from the gov BUT more citizens would be roaming that area on the weekend.

Also..once the committees get going, those points Gina and others brought up would get categorized and put into use.

It's important that whatever is done, is done professionally and properly so that our point comes across loud and clear.