BY

KIMBERLY

Farmington Hills Woman
Testifies Before U.S. Senate

M

arilyn Droz, a Royal
Oak teacher and a
parent, always
believed it is impor-
tant to keep television vio-
lence off the screen.
Last month, she took her
case to the U.S. Senate, rep-
resenting the National
Coalition on Television

Violence to prepare testimo-
ny for the hearings on tele-
vision violence and children.
Her interest dates back
nearly a decade, when, as a
special education teacher,

Ms. Droz secured a
grant from the state
to develop a cur-
riculum using tele-
vision to teach
reading compre-
hension. At the
same time, she
was selective
about her son's
(now 16) viewing
habits.
"There was
really nothing on
television to
encourage intel-
lectual ability " In D.C., Sen. Kent
Conrad met Marilyn Droi
she
r ecalls.
"There were shows with
one crash scene after anoth-
Droz says, he has seen an
er. The children in my class
estimated 33,000 murders
just talked about car crash-
and 200,000 acts of violence
es."
on television.
For 10 years, Ms. Droz
Working with her in
and the Coalition have
Washington were Sens. Carl
worked to educate legisla-
Levin, D-Mich., Paul Simon,
tors on the hazards of tele-
D-Ill., and Kent Conrad,
vision murders and other
D-N.D. _
violent acts. By the time a
child reaches age 16, Ms.

Intern Enjoys
Summer Of Activism

en she was a
toddler, Carrie
Bree Rice, 20, sat
on her parents'
shoulders while they held
signs in rallies during the
women's movement of the
1970s.
Now she is doing some
political advocacy of her
own. A student at Michigan
State University, Ms. Rice,
daughter of Drs. Ronald
and Natalie Rice of
Farmington Hills, is
interning for the Michigan
Abortion Rights Action
League. Her job: to set up
campaign skills work-
shops on July 31 and
Aug. 1.
With the help of MARAL
staff, Ms. Rice has designed
a program to attract
pro-choice voters to the
political campaign scene. As
a result, MARAL hopes to
bring more volunteers into
the campaign arena.
Pro-.choice supporters say
they need more grass-roots

Cards Brae Rice

campaigners working for
their candidates. MARAL
officials are hopeful this
program will boost activism.
There is a charge for the
program, and reservations
are required. For more
information, contact the
MARAL office at 827-4550.

Jewish Hopefuls Eye
Detroit City Council

M

el Ravitz soon may
have some Jewish
company if he and
two political hope-
fuls win in the Sept. 14
Detroit City Council prima-
/7 election.
Eighteen finalists will be
selected from a field of 119
candidates; and Jacquie
Steingold, a social worker,
and Morris Goodman, an
attorney, are in the run-
ning.
"I'm Jewish in a predomi-
nantly Christian area," says
Ms. Steingold, a single
working mother of one son
and a member of Temple
Emanu-El. "The fact that I
do have a connection to a
faith is a plus."
A social worker and for-

mer probation officer in the
Wayne County Juvenile
Court, Ms. Steingold teach-
es at Wayne State
University. She also orga-
nized this week's national
conference in Detroit for
Peace Action, a national
global peace group.
She serves on the boards
of the Southeast Michigan
Hospice Association and the
Detroit Women's Forum of
the American Jewish
Committee. For the state,
she has chaired the racial
and ethnic diversity task
force. Last year, she was
appointed by National
Organization of Women
President Patricia Ireland
to the national racial diver-
sity committee.

Mr. Goodman founded the
Grandgreen Business
Association to revitalize
commercial strips, and he
co-founded the Grandmont
Rosedale Development
Corporation to help reno-
vate houses in his communi-
ty.
"It's time to expect your
streetlights to be on, your
calls to 911 to be answered
promptly and neighborhood
streets to receive tax dollars
before the Grand Prix race-
way," he says.
Mr. Goodman and his
wife, Sarah, have two sons.
He is co-chairman of the
Detroit Open School
Parent/Teacher Association -
and co-founder of the neigh-
borhood group, Northwest

Detroiters for
Better Govern-
ment.
Ms. Steingold
would like to see
more black and
white dialogue
in Detroit.
"I've tried as
a Jew and as a
white person
living
in
Detroit
to
bridge
the
gap," she says. Morris Goodman
"We must be
culturally sensitive."
She is not new to politics.
. Ms. Steingold has worked
on many Democratic Party
campaigns, including the
presidential campaign for
Bill Clinton. El

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