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5/15
1998
24
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WAND honors three women who've made the planet a little more peaceful.
BY AMY MINDELL
Special to The Jewish News
1111
ern Katz didn't take much
of a break after she retired
as a math teacher in the
Oak Park public schools.
. Katz, of Southfield, directed her
energies into social action, serving as a
delegate to the Fourth World
Conference on Women held in Beijing
in 1995 and assuming the post of vice
president for administration and
finance for National Council of Jewish
Women-Greater Detroit Section. She
has also served as president of the
Business and Professional Chapter of
Women's American Organization for
Rehabilitation Through Training
(ORT). She also serves as co-president
of WAND (Women's Action for New
Directions) and co-chair of its Women
Legislators' Lobby (WILL) Corps.
Last Friday, she was among three
women honored at WAND's 11th
annual Mother's Peace Day Award
breakfast for promoting programs that
benefit women and children. Also
honored were Michigan State Rep.
Patricia "Pan" Godchaux, R-
Birmingham, and Eleanor Josaitis,
executive director and co-founder of
Focus HOPE. The keynote speaker
was Susan Shaer, national executive
director of WAND, whose topic was
"Women's Stories: Power and
Powerlessness."
"We are pleased to honor one of
our own officers this year. Fern is an
outstanding role model to younger
women who desire to maintain a
professional career while dedicating
part of their lives to public service
and to the demands of a home and
family," said Arlene Victor, co-
founder of WAND metro Detroit
and past president of national
WAND.
Godchaux sponsored the recent
successfal resolution requesting the
U.S. Congress to redirect some mili-
tary money back to the states so they
can better meet domestic needs.
Josaitis co-founded Focus HOPE in
1967 with the late Fr. William T
Cunningham after the Detroit riots.
Focus HOPE has since become a
national model for empowering peo-
ple to move from poverty to the main-
stream.
The annual breakfast, held this year
at Temple Beth El, hearkens back to
early abolitionist and suffragist Julia
Ward Howe, whom WAND calls the
founder of the original Mother's Day.
Howe called for Mother's Peace Day
more than a century ago to dramatize
the cause of world disarmament.
Today, members of the 17-year-old
national organization support women
political candidates who are commit-
ted to reducing violence and mili-
tarism and redirecting Pentagon fund-
ing to programs that benefit "people
and the planet."
One of their key arguments is that
the Pentagon's FY 1999 budget alloca-
tion of $267 billion is four times the
combined amount dedicated to federal
job training, education, housing and
striving for power," she added.
WAND's legislative arm, Women
Legislators' Lobby, is a bi-partisan
organization of progressive women
lawmakers working to assure federal
dollars are directed toward more
"human" needs.
Katz told the audience at the break-
fast that she was deeply honored by
the award.
"I've been active since 1992, when I
retired. I was looking for something to
do, and May Davidson brought me to
the afternoon group. I was so
impressed with the intelligence, sincer-
ity and hard work by the women
involved," she said.
Katz related one of her most satisfy-
ing moments as an activist, the day
she joined other WAND members to
urge U.S. Sen. Spencer Abraham to
vote for the Chemical Weapons
Convention, a treaty that
us prohibits signatory coun-
5 tries from manufacturing
and selling biological and
chemical weapons. Until
last year, the United States
had not joined.
"It was April 27,
1997, and our Sen.
Abraham was one of the
few senators left sitting
on the fence. We stood
outside his office on
Telegraph Road in
(from left) Susan Shaer with honorees Eleanor
Southfield, holding signs
Josaitis, Patricia Godchaux and Fern Katz.
that read 'Honk if you
support the chemical
weapons ban.' Many of
environmental protection.
the drivers that went by and every
WAND members also argue that
truck driver honked loudly.
much Pentagon funding is superflu-
Abraham's local staff quickly called
ous, because the U.S. military budget
the Washington office and he came
is nearly 18 times the combined mili-
off the fence and voted to ratify the
tary spending of its top enemies.
Convention," Katz related.
"WAND is very committed to
The metro Detroit WAND chapter
putting women in power, because
boasts 250 members. There are some
when women are in power they pro-
10,000 members and supporters
mote issues that are not promoted by
nationwide. In addition to the annual
men, such as the absurdity of the mili-
Mother's Peace Day breakfast, WAND
tary budget," said Victor.
supports an anti-war toy demonstra-
"Studies show that when women
tion each November, a "phone tree"
are leaders, the decision process is
for passing on lobbying messages and
more cooperative, less hierarchical,
calls for action, and a national educa-
and more open. But we also know
tion project called "Let Us Slice the
that because of our socialization, peo-
Pie," which alerts members to U.S.
ple find it difficult to support women
military expenditures. ❑
,
o