Part 4: Activism

Women Against Violence Against Women (WAVAW) – By Carolyn Byerly

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My media activism began in 1977 through a group called Women Against Violence Against Women. WAVAW began in Los Angeles when feminists rebelled against a promotional campaign for the Rolling Stones album Black and Blue . . . The visuals featured . . . a stylized photo of a woman bearing bruises and a gag in her mouth that was captioned “I’m black and blue by the Rolling Stones and I love it!” Feminists were known to scrawl their own messages across these promotionals.

Safeplace – My Story on Its Origins and Early Work – By Carolyn Byerly

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Before there was Safeplace, there were the Rape Relief and the Women’s Shelter programs at the Olympia YWCA. Each had a paid coordinator, with the work of the programs carried on by trained volunteers. That work initially involved taking calls from women who had been battered or sexually assaulted to support them through the police reporting process, hospital exams, finding shelter (if needed), and accompanying them to court. In time, an educational component evolved as both groups were called on to speak to community groups about the problems we addressed. It was cutting edge feminist work, and our community was among the first in the US to establish these programs. 

Remembering The Link – By Emily Ray

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They say, “What goes around comes around.” Forty years ago, the Daily Olympian (as it was then named) did not serve our community well. The editor-in-chief turned a blind eye to local social and political issues. The newspaper was generally silent on problems and initiatives concerning race relations, gender, growth management, waste reduction, the environment. When the newspaper did glance at any of these issues, it was with a jaundiced eye . . . One of the people who was angry about the newspaper was Margery Sayre.

Oly Activism in the 1980s – By Ron Jacobs

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The biggest protest I recall being involved in with CAAC and CISPES was in fall 1989, during an uptick in the war in El Salvador and after the Salvadoran military had killed six people at a Jesuit home there. Both priests and their housekeepers were brutally murdered. This news intensified the nature of the protest and increased our numbers in front of the federal building on Capitol Way . . . an Evergreen student and I “cased” the building a couple days beforehand, looking for appropriate offices and possible entrance points.

Funding Social Change Work: the Community Sustaining Fund – By Anna Schlecht

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In the 1980s, local activists found the need to go beyond bake sales to create a more reliable form of funding for the many social change projects underway in Olympia. And Paul Cienfuegos had ideas of how to do it . . . How can we raise money collectively and sustainably through our own progressive activist community . . . how could we fund that good work?

Construction Brigades in Nicaragua During Reagan’s War – By Jean Eberhardt

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During the contra war—a right-wing terror campaign waged by ex-national guard mercenaries of Nicaragua’s ousted dictator and funded by the U.S.—over a hundred thousand people from the U.S. visited Nicaragua. Many of us traveled and volunteered with purpose. For example, delegations of elected officials mobilized by progressive organizations, ecumenical study tour groups, long-term volunteers with Witness for Peace, caravans carrying material aid with Pastors for Peace, medical teams, coffee and cotton harvest brigades, and journalists.

Matrix: the Rise and Fall of Olywa’s Feminist-Lesbian Magazine – By Anna Schlecht

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Everything about Matrix started small. We were a grassroots, community-based magazine, written by a handful of local women-identified people and published in a small community printshop with a circulation of less than two hundred. But we quickly realized that we were part of something much larger, and that our work to create and publish it each month followed a powerful tradition of lesbian activism via the printed word. 

Violence and Non-Violence: A Tale of Two Tactics – By Anna Schlecht

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Crabshell Alliance was a VERY different kind of political action group for me. Up until 1975, my political experience had involved bouncing around the antiwar movement in Madison, Wisconsin, most of which was DIY, male-dominated, and raucous. But in Crabshell Alliance, I found myself part of a well-organized effort with clear strategies, effective tactics, and women in leadership. Vastly different.

Cracks in the Foundation for WPPSS – By Tom Clingman

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So Jim dug out the per-customer debt projections for each PUD and electrical co-op. We got a list of all the newspapers in the state. We created a “letter to the editor” form letter, inserted the PUD/co-op name and the per-customer debt figure, and sent it off to the newspaper nearest to each utility. An early crack in the WPPSS nuclear power edifice came at a WPPSS meeting. Someone from a rural electrical co-op stood up, waving around a letter to the editor that showed the massive debt load for each of their members, and expressed grave concerns about the WPPSS nuclear power plan. 

Fair Electric Rates Now: A David v. Goliath Saga – By Tom Clingman

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I remember the initial 1978 meeting of the group that became FERN (Fair Electric Rates Now). We had reserved a meeting room at the old Olympia Community Center for a gathering of folks concerned about Puget Power’s investments in nuclear power, and the potential Puget Power rate impacts. The rhythm of kids playing basketball on the nearby courts accompanied our discussion.