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The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released online from January 1, 1997 to January 20, 2001. Please see www.state.gov for current material from the Department of State. Or visit http://2001-2009.state.gov for information from that period. Archive sites are not updated, so external links may no longer function. Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

Many of you have asked for news of the September 28 events and follow-up activities. Following is a representative sampling of reports we have been receiving:

Report on "America's Commitment: The UN Women's Conference One Year Later

What Happened Across the Country:

Numbers.

Audiences at downlink sites ranged from 1400 participants gathered in one place at Simmons College in Boston, to 1000 people scattered at eight sites throughout Georgia, to another 1300 at Florida's seven sites, to an average of 40 each at New Jersey's 22 sites, to a near-capacity crowd of 70 at Channel KSS in Salt Lake City. On the eastern shore of Maryland, more than 100 people from six counties attended. Small gatherings generally report the same enthusiasm and interest in further action as do larger ones. In Jackson, Mississippi, the discussions were so good that participants stayed an extra hour and decided to work to establish a commission on women. Garrett County, Maryland, participants were a diverse group that overcame differences to reach consensus on their priorities for action. They also taped the program for future showings by local organizations. At the Veterans Hospital in Boise, Idaho, the group included two women who had been at the Beijing Conference and helped "bring it home" to Idaho.

Onwards and Beyond.

People report that the combination of high quality content and interest at their local sites, inspiration from the satellite broadcast, plus the knowledge that they were part of a nationwide gathering of women with similar goals and values, was a source of empowerment and motivation for action:

• At Florida International University in Dade County the mood at the end of the day was "How do we stay in touch? Where can I donate time?" In fact, enthusiasm was so prevalent at all six of Florida's sites, that conference organizers have scheduled a meeting to map out concrete plans for follow-up.
• The Los Angeles groups which put together events at seven sites decided they represent a new coalition and held their first follow-up meeting on October 26.
• At Spelman College in Atlanta, 250 of the 400 who attended were women who had not previously participated in a conference on women's issues. Interest and enthusiasm were high enough throughout the Georgia sites that organizers and participants are discussing formation of a statewide network.
• In Anchorage, Alaska, many participants decided to stay an extra hour to discuss development of an Alaskan agenda for women.
• At the Apple Computer site in Cupertino, California, a direct outcome was the decision to set up a corporate/community council bringing together corporate women and grassroots women to work together. They are planning to set up a funding consortium. Apple officials set up two chat lines on the Internet, put up large posters and a photo wall from Beijing, and taped the broadcast for purchase by the public.
• In Kentucky, 75 participants, including a youth delegation from Louisville middle and high schools, created an Action Agenda. This was preceded by pre-conference meetings on the economy, education and health (including violence). Since the September 28th conference, participants have been hard at work preparing a women's health agenda for the next session of the Kentucky General Assembly; working with Governor Paul Patton's office for his Education Summit next May; and proceeding with plans for Kentucky's second Women's Economic Summit in June, 1997, where the outcomes of the 28th will help shape the agenda.
• In Iowa City, the participants decided to meet in October at a public library to draft a one page Action Agenda. They will use their local agenda as input for the National Action Agenda. The participants said the conference provided a service by setting a target date around which people could organize.
• The College of New Rochelle in Westchester County, New York, held an event that drew 400 to the campus, a group that the Catholic women's college described as one of the most diverse they have ever hosted -- diverse in terms of race, religion, ethnicity, age and income. Despite an intense, non-stop schedule from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., many accepted the invitation to walk across campus after the broadcast for coffee and more informal discussion.
• he Scandia Hotel in Fargo was the site where North Dakota women gathered. One of the high points of the broadcast for them was the discussion of violence against women and especially the YWCA video on domestic violence. The North Dakotans focused on violence in their discussions following the broadcast and planned several follow-up programs on domestic violence throughout October.
• About 300 women in Chicago attended the all-day event with its seven workshops. Organizers are putting together state and local agendas for women based on the outcomes of the conference workshops.
• In Lynchburg, Virginia, the Women's Resource Center taped the conference and is using it for follow-up sessions. All of Virginia's five sites focused their workshop agendas on "how are we going to implement our recommendations here in Virginia?"
• After the satellite broadcast at the St. Louis, Missouri, site speaker Sue McDaniels of the Missouri Women's Council for Economic Development challenged members of the audience about what action each of them was going to take. People volunteered on the spot to take on specific projects.
• In San Juan, Puerto Rico, participants included two Girl Scout troops. The group plans to meet in November to plan for March 8 [International Women's Day] events.
• Young women, new to the issues and eager to learn more and get involved, were a large part of a Dallas gathering. Organizers reported a new burst of enthusiasm and a sense of affirmation. One woman said, "It was good knowing that hundreds of groups like this were going on around the country. It showed solidarity.
• About 450 women came to George Washington University in Washington, D. C. They went beyond the 12 issues of the Beijing Platform to a record 22, -- filling 22 issue tables at the breakout sessions. Most there consider the experience ongoing and part of a process: next on the horizon -- March 8.
• Sexual harassment was the major concern of the 50 prep school students and teachers who joined New Hampshire's 550 participants and 40 workshops. The coordinators persuaded local newspapers to examine the issue of domestic violence for the month of October. Overall, the participants in New Hampshire felt that much dialogue had been shared about the status of women locally as well as internationally. Many pledged to do local volunteer work on the issues.
• Several recent state conferences on Beijing-related issues were both competition (for attendance) and a boost for focusing on the issues at the Las Vegas, Nevada conference. Domestic violence, health care and sex trafficking conferences have generated public awareness and media attention, as did a post-Beijing conference on June 1. With these issues in the forefront, the organizers have begun showing a video they made of Sept. 28 at other events.
• It was "think globally, act locally" at Purdue University in Hammond, Indiana, where the 200 participants focused on welfare and the impact of the new legislation on Indiana townships. Organizers videotaped the local conference and intend to use it for workshops planned for the spring.
• Education and violence were the focus of the New Orleans event, with good recommendations emerging for follow-up, including the founding of the Louisiana Women's Network -- a statewide group to focus on women's issues and tie-in to national networks, which will be operational by January.
• In Wichita, Kansas, several hundred participants generated a local plan of action, put it up on a web site, and determined to establish a statewide commission on the status of women.
• The best part of the day for the women gathered at Central Hospital in Berlin, Vermont, was the action-oriented part of the program that Vermonters themselves organized. They set a follow-up meeting for November 12 to discuss Platform implementation plans.
• One outcome of Missoula, Montana's gathering is that town and gown came together and plan to stay together -- with local groups planning to work with the University of Montana's Women's Studies faculty on increasing community interest in the issues.
• Before the day ended, Nashville, Tennessee's participants appointed a follow-up committee to plan for a March program focused on Nashville issues. In Chattanooga, participants focused on environment and health.
• Oklahoma's advisory council that planned the September 28 events is now planning for a statewide summit on March 21 that will focus on education and the economy; health; and crime, corrections, justice and safety.
• March 8 (International Women's Day) is the next target date for the women of New York City to follow-up on Beijing. More than 800 women, including many newcomers, came to sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. One of the sites drew garment workers who came with a Chinese©language interpreter.
• A college graduate who attended a local conference in Delaware found "this conference to be an excellent opportunity to further my professional interests while learning more about the work being done in my community and around the world in regard to improving the lives of women and their families." She continued by stating that as a result of the conference, "I look forward to becoming an active part in implementing positive change in my community for both women and girls.
• Mt. St. Vincent's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia hooked up to the satellite broadcast and pronounced it "fabulous." Local politicians, faculty, students and interested community people gathered on campus for the conference. And, in addition to the campus downlink, the university arranged for it to be broadcast by cable to approximately 350,000 subscribers. Mt. St. Vincent, happy that moderator Judy Woodruff mentioned Canada, "felt like part of the family."
• Nebraska's five sites were organized by Commissioners from the State Commission on the Status of Women. They report that for many of those who attended the half-day conferences, it was their first experience with an uplink/downlink satellite conference and they loved it.
• The "Beijing Women's Sphere," a work of art showing faces of the women at the UN Beijing conference by sculptor Christine Biaggi, was displayed at the Delaware site, which also featured resource rooms, exhibitiions, and internet demonstrations.
• Several sites expressed frustration or uncertainty about where to go next -- however, that uncertainty indicates to them that they need to convene again to address the question locally. That was the case in Sioux Falls, one of South Dakota's four sites, and in Laramie, Wyoming, where women are concerned that funding for their Commission on Women has been cut. They concluded that they really need to work on the local issues.

Local Initiatives and Action Agendas generated at September 28 events include:

• Participants at Anchorage, Alaska, moved to support ratification of CEDAW through local publicity campaigns, to promote a resolution in the State legislature urging Alaska's Senators to take leadership on this issue, and to work for corrective legislation on Welfare Reform in order to eliminate potentially adverse effects on children. v
• At Simmons College, Massachusetts, more than 1,000 of the 1,400 participants signed individual pledges of commitment for particular actions
• New Hampshire women committed to work to elect more women legislators; support passage of CEDAW; and to meet with local editors to promote more substantive reporting on women and women's issues. They have started a Women's Fund for a New Hampshire Conference on "the Girl-Child" for next year.
• At the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, site women agreed to work for the establishment of a county Health Bureau and a Human Relations Commission.
• In San Diego, California, where women had already drafted a local plan of action earlier in the year, participants agreed to establish a speakers' bureau.
• One and a half hours into the broadcast the viewers at Los Alamos, New Mexico, found themselves watching football. No matter. Within days, Oregon conference organizers rushed a tape to New Mexico, and the New Mexican women have been showing it to groups around the state. They now plan to collect women's stories in their own voices at the grass roots level. They will use these stories to build new alliances for women's progress.
• In the Virgin Islands, the sites in St. Thomas and St. Croix experienced several fadeouts during the broadcast, so the organizers are planning a follow-up teleconference between the two islands. They will show a video of the broadcast and later take the video into the schools.

Participants.

Many sites reported that one of the best results of their event was the diversity of people who attended -- some like Bellevue, Washington, saying not only was it the most multi-cultural in terms of numbers and groups, but that they had never witnessed such cross-cultural discussion. Organizers were also pleased that the events drew many newcomers, women who had previously not been involved in local women's events and organizations. And, new networks have already been forming as a result of the local events on September 28.

• As Assistant Secretary of Education Judith Heumann commented during the broadcast, the problems women with disabilities faced at Beijing served to raise consciousness for a lot of people. It was evident in the outreach and efforts at many sites. The Mayor's office in Buffalo sent sign language interpreters to the local site. The Eugene, Oregon conference, co-sponsored by Mobility International, made a special effort to involve women with disabilities. Any conference-related information given to the 120 individuals present was made available in Braille, tape and large print. Signers were also present for the day-long sessions of two-hour workshops.
• That same sense of connection came through with involvement of Native American women. For several sites in the West, and in South Dakota, it was the first time Native American women had been involved in a general women's event. Tempe, Arizona was especially happy to report that the groups of 150 who stayed through seven hours of programming included the governor of the Gila River tribe, Episcopal Women United, the Bar Association, the Girl Scouts and the Soroptomists, plus diverse ethnic and racial groups and women with disabilities.

Government Participants.

In Delaware, Governor Thomas Carper kicked off the conference followed by comments from the Republican and Democratic Congressional representatives; Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono, honorary chair of the conference, spoke at the community television site in Honolulu that broadcast the day's event statewide. Mayor Joyce Savocchio started off the day at the Erie, Pennsylvania, site; Mayor Roxanne Qualle of Cincinnati issued a proclamation. Fairfax County's Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Kate Hanley, spoke to 100 women at George Mason University in northern Virginia. Several Congressional Representatives were able to make it to nearby events -- Nita Lowey to New Rochelle, New York; Connie Morella to Bethesda, Maryland; Carolyn Maloney to Manhattan in New York City. Jane Harmon and Peter DeFazio could not get back to their West Coast constituencies in Los Angeles and Eugene, Oregon in time because Congress was still in session, but sent their greetings and remarks by video. Many members of the U.S. Delegation to Beijing participated in local events, either as keynote speakers, panelists or members of the audience. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, spoke at Bethesda, Maryland; Ambassador Geraldine Ferraro in New York City; Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware; Susan Weld in Boston; Linda Tarr-Whelan at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; Veronica Biggins in Atlanta; Dottie Lamm in Denver, and Sister Dorothy Ann Kelly in New Rochelle, New York.

In addition, Interagency Council members spoke at events: Carol Rasco (White House Domestic Policy Advisor) and Dr. Susan Blumenthal (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services) spoke respectively in Tallahassee, Florida, and at Washington, D.C.'s George Washington University.

Media.

CSPAN covered the uplink broadcast and has aired it several times. Several sites report that local cable stations aired their entire programs, as did Public Access Cable in Portland, Oregon, sending one and one-half hours of the local conference to 330,000 homes.

In general smaller communities enjoyed good media coverage, both press and electronic: e.g., Hammond, Indiana; New Rochelle, New York; Iowa City, Iowa; Kansas City, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Bangor, Maine; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Tempe, Arizona; Greenville, North Carolina; all five of Nebraska's sites; all three of South Carolina's sites; and Alabama's four. Mother Nature helped with the media in Missoula, Montana. It was a beautiful day and after the satellite broadcast, the pa rticipants moved outside for their discussions. That's when the television cameras arrived.

West Virginia called their conference at the State 4-H Center in Jackson's Hill a town meeting and had two television crews show up. Oklahoma's biggest country and western radio station aired its pre-conference interview every 25 minutes on September 28 and beamed it across eight states.

In Conclusion

As one Michigan woman commented at the close of the conference at Oakland Community College in Farmington, Michigan: "The best part of The UN Women's Conference One Year Later: that the soul of this project is alive." Rochester, New York: Develop women's resource centers; sex education for prevention of unwanted pregnancies; push legislators to ratify CEDAW; access to health care and insurance; create a women's credit union

Exceptions.

Two television stations in Anchorage did coverage and interviews; local television coverage at all three South Carolina sites; Utah: Create quality early childhood care and education programs. Use tax incentives to encourage businesses to provide family friendly employment practices. Expand treatment availability for individuals and families impacted by violence.

Atlanta, Ga: Developed statewide network to implement Platform for Action in Georgia. Priorities include immigrant women, legal aliens, education, and welfare reform, including working with women coming off the welfare rolls, to provide services and job training; gender equity in state-wide political appointments. Education and training, through mentoring, role modeling, establishing a speaker's bureau, and breaking negative stereotypes; Resource development, including establishing an office of Women's Health.

Community initiatives to reduce neonatal deaths and pre-mature pregnancies; establish and support a county Health Bureau and a Human Relations Commission; child care for low-income women; support programs for preventing date-rape and date violence, and support local domestic violence shelters; politically support those who support women's issues. The Delaware site had 350 participants. This conference site also had 16 partners and At Farmington Hills, Michigan: Economic empowerment: business education for girls and women; low cost and start up loans for women; mentoring projects for role models; self-employment for women, access to education, support, and resources. Reproductive rights; Eldercare; militarism as it impacts on women's social needs. co-sponsors (The News Journal and the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor). Through registration fees, the local conference raised $2,500 for 125 scholarships.

At a site at the University of California, Santa Cruz, "40 women and a few men, all ages, ethnic groups, abilities and disabilities, sexualities, students, staff, faculty and community activists" gathered. They were pleased with the satellite broadcast and expressed the desire for the Interagency Council to continue beyond December.

The conference in Seattle, WA intends to develop "proceedings" from the conference. From the many workshops held throughout the day, "several excellent recommendations emerged from these workgroups that we want to share locally and nationally." Furthermore, WHERE intends to write about the conference in its November newsletter which is distributed to over 2,000 individuals and organizations.

There were 4 sites held in South Dakota which were interactively linked. There was a full day conference in Aberdeen with 200 people attending the morning session. The other 3 were half day conferences with 60-80 people altogether which began with a one hour exposition and history of the Beijing conference, the 2 hour broadcast, and a one hour panel discussion afterwards on issues related to South Dakota. They had an interesting cross section of women including native Americans. People were provoked and the conference stirred great interest. At the end they expressed frustration about where they go from here as they would like to gather again. No plans for follow-up yet. Very good press coverage, including t.v. interviews, except in Pierre the capital.

In Los Angeles at Pacific Bell they had an opening ceremony with historical women out of the past. There were 4 break-out session 3 went very well; 1 which dealt with CA initiative 209 had a lot of disruptions. The health action group will continue to meet. The attendees were very interracial which they felt Beijing made possible by breaking down racial barriers. Were not wildly enthusiastic about broadcast - too long, too white, too old, too conservative.

Very negative reaction to Amb. Albright's comment about U.N. policy is U.S. policy. Also resentment followed by laughter that M. Reagan took credit for wages for unwaged work initiative. They had before and after coverage by the Daily News. Low turn-out partly attributed to 3 rallies for 309 that day as well as leaders of UNA meeting in Santa Barbara.

In Alaska they had about 70 with 20 who stayed on afterward to discuss an Alaskan agenda for women. Two t.v. stations covered the conference and interviewed our state contact, Susan Olsen. A panel discussion followed broadcast to discuss reactions. The U. of Alaska-Anchorage made video tapes and there have been many requests for copies around the state.

In Washington, D.C. about 450 people attended. Three of their speakers also participated at the uplink program. There were 18 issues tables - all well attended. At the end of the day they all stood and sang the opening song from the NGO forum which was queued on the monitor.

In Chicago about 300 attended an all-day conference with 7 workshops. They were competing with another conference which dealt with violence against women. Reaction to telecast was too long, not crisp, and lacked diversity in class and color on panel and in audience. Based on conference findings they will put together the state-wide and local agendas for women.

Montgomery County, MD had 185 at all-day conference. Sec. Shalala welcomed the group and Caremen Delgado Votaw gave the keynote. Panelists at workshops included Heidi Hartman, and Linda Tarr-Whelan. At noon plenary they had to make use of an overflow room. Broadcast given rave reviews although their reception was of poor quality. Channel 21 interviewed the organizers the Wednesday before.

There were 85 at a half day conference in Madison, WI where the woman who sang the opening song in Beijing happened to be in town and sang the song at the beginning of their program.

About 75 attended Bellevue, WA event. It was very powerful and the most multi-cultural event they have had. They never say such cross-cultural discussion.

There were 3 sites in South Carolina. Each had pre-discussion and wrap-up. At all sites there was an individual who went to Beijing. Local t.v. interviewed at each site.

ALABAMA: Natalie Davis
One site dropped (Montgomery) Added another at Anniston at last moment. About 50 people per site: 150-200 total. All sites interlinked. Phone bank person was excellent. Had good press coverage. Natalie did 3 standups for tv. Many new people showed up.

Arizona: Lynda Crowell
Over 300 people total. Tempe site had 150. They did 7 hours of programming, beginning with an overview; then broke into seminars. Had 6 simultaneous workshops. Interactive voice and tv statewide. Good press coverage, including Channel 12 and the ASU paper. Greatest diversity she had ever seen in a conference. Handicapped; governor of the Gila River Indian tribe; Girl Scouts; Bar Assn; Episcopal Women United; Seroptimist were among the participants.

Florida: Sandy Beare
Over 1300 people statewide: FIU (North Dade): over 200

• Palm Beach: over 200
• Tampa: over 300
• Ft Lauderdale: over 200
• U. Fla: 130
• Tallahassee: over 200
• Church site: 50

Many people called for the coordinates saying they were having "7 people over to watch the program in our living room." She has no count on how many such sites there were across the state. Ria Chiles and Carol Rascoe spoke at the Tallahassee site. All of the organizers are meeting in 2 weeks to develop concrete follow-up plans.

Good advance press. Coverage on 2 channels in the Tallahassee area. No follow-up newspaper coverage.

FIU (North Dade site); Great enthusiasm. People left wanting to know how to stay in touch and donate time. Were sorry there was no built-in follow-up activities the audience could get involved with on the spot.

Idaho: Wendy Matlock
Connection very good at VA Hospital. 15 participants. Presentation by 2 women who went to Beijing. 5 organizations signed on to Contract for America.

Georgia: Vickie Traylor.
Over 30 new actions developed in Atlanta meeting that were inspired by the platform for action. Preparing report outlining strategies to go forward. Looking for sponsor to print it. Had approximately 1000 people statewide. 200 in Gainsville; 25 in Rome; 75-100 in Athens; 30 in Savannah. Not have final numbers on other 3 sites.

Massachusetts: Marty Chadwick: Simmons College
1400 participants. Rosario Green keynoted. Susan Weld and Theresa Hines spoke. Great grass roots participation. Report being prepared for us. Have treasury for implementation, from the fees they collected, although they had a number of reduced fee participants, and some who came without paying. Rhode Island Foundation is interested in giving money toward their followup efforts. Sarah Sheldon is chair of their followup activities. A meeting is set for early November. The big media ignored the conference totally. Nothing in the Globe or Herald. Even Channel 4, who was a sponsor, didn't cover it. Wellesley township had good coverage.

Dot Burrill: Cape Cod 50 people (capacity of site). Wonderful publicity. Some local technical difficulties, but transmission ultimately came through. Followup planned.

Avery Ouellette: Amherst College 40 participants. Theresa Hines cancelled (mutually agreed) They didn't think the participation was large enough to warrant her attending. Panel was great. College newspapers from Mt. Holyoke, Amherst, Smith, and Hampshire all covered it.

Oregon: Joella Werlin and Linda Hawkins
Portland Cable Access - 60 women who had been to Beijing were in the studio audience. They began with a 30-minute program on Beijing; had the teleconference, and followed with an hour wrap-up session. They are sending us the tape of their program, which aired for the 375,000 homes in Oregon and Washington they provide cable service to. They have had great response from the public. At the followup session they had six sections dovetailed to our topics (environment; violence; girl child; education; health; housing). They are also sending Morgana Morgaine of New Mexico the tape of the teleconference, since the N.M. reception was interrupted.

Tennessee:
Nancy Ranson Nashville site had 29 people. They have a followup committee for a March program, with focus on Nashville issues. Very little press coverage. 5 line notice in the National Tennessean stating that the first lady spoke. They registered voters at their site. No speakerphone, so Nancy spoke with the expert on the phone bank and relayed the conversation to the audience.

Chatanooga: Grace Hewell. Over 100 participants. Followup activities built into program. Emphasis on environment and health. Sponsors included Dupont, who printed program; local supermarket donated food; bakery donated baked goods; Coca Cola donated drinks, Mead Corp gave 14 boxes of yellow legal pads.

Utah: Bev White.
55 people (close to capacity). Well received. None of the other organizers (Jan Bennett or Carol Bench) participated. 3 members of Commission on Women attended. Had no disruptions. Eagle Forum participated, wanted more on families and children.

New Jersey: Shelley Mintz.
22 sites. About 40 participants per site. Only hard numbers are from Princeton, Essex Co, Rutgers, and Burlington. March 8 planning going forward. Had press coverage: Trenton Times; Newark Star Ledger; Home News and Tribune (Central Jersey); tv news, Channel 12. She is trying to trace down the articles. Felt that the uplink program was not spontaneous enough and did not have a feeling of immediacy about it. Should have taken more questions from across the country. Wants a meeting in November between us and the leaders of statewide groups in New Jersey (League of Women Voters, Hispanic Women's League, etc) to put some teeth into the Interagency Council and insure that there is real followup on women's issues.

West Virginia: Missy Wolverton.
75 people. Good reception, and good followup plans. No print coverage. 2 separate tv crews covered conference. They termed their conference a town meeting.

Kentucky: Virginia Woodward.
75 people. High youth involvement.

Virginia: Sue Rosenberg.
100 people at Fairfax site. One speaker cancelled. Great enthusiasm.

Montana: Vivian Brook
Missoula: 35 people - Several different organizations represented, and representatives wanted to get their organizations involved in followup activities. Community groups planning to work with Women's Studies program to get more community interest. Several university students got involved. Had tv and newspaper coverage. No numbers from other sites. Beautiful day. After teleconference they moved the conference outside. That's when the tv cameras came.

New York City: Francois Jacobsohn
About 800 people at her sites; another 100 at Elaine Wolfson's. Manhattan: over 200; Queens: 200; Bronx: 100; Brooklyn: 70. Planning for March 8 as followup. New York Times is giving them 1000 reprints as apology for running their full-page ad in the News of the Week section a week late (It aired Sept 29). Diverse and enthusiastic groups at each site.

Wisconsin: Beaver Dam.
12 people. Felt our program was bland.

North Carolina: About 200-250 people statewide, in 6 sites. Greenville had 2 tv spots and 3 newspaper articles.

Oklahoma: Claudia Tarrington.
250-300 participants statewide. Oklahoma City: 12; Lawton: 140. Good press and radio. Claudia did a radio interview on the biggest country and western station. It ran every 25 minutes all day, and was beamed across 8 states. Although disappointed in the actual turnout, she felt the exposure generated by the teleconference was invaluable. She mailed to 3500 people statewide. 200 Advisory people have our questionaire and are expected to return recommendations. The Advisory Council is using the conference to plan for the future, with a March 21 Summit date set. Their issues are: education and the economy; crime, corrections, justice, and safety; and health. There was trouble with Tulsa downlink that they felt generated from the feed. They have taped the program, and are airing it for 3 groups later this month, and expect at least another 300 people will see the program . Recommendation: The Interagency Council has created a wonderful network to get our message across the country, and to inform people across the country about the initiatives that the government is generating on women and family issues. The information she has received from us has been invaluable in her work -- such as the Dept of Labor pay equity reports and the SBA information. She would like to be on a mailing list for each Cabinet Office to recieve such information. She in turn feeds her information across her state, to over 300 organizations and agencies. She would like us to continue the network, and use it to keep the country informed about the latest initiatives on women's issues.

Rhode Island: Myrth York.
95 people. (An excellent turnout, considering the President and the Literacy Walk were in direct competition with them). Group discussions were small, but good. Providence Visitor (Catholic newspaper) urged its readership to attend. Their presence added immensely to the day and the vitality of the discussions. They had terrible press coverage. No main-stream paper covered the event. They are planning a followup report, and want to use the issuance of the report as a media event to generate press coverage for the issues. Some of the proceedings were video- taped and will be replayed on cable.

California: Barbara Perkins (L.A.)
About 170 people: 100 at one site; 70 at other. Facilitators good. Evaluations were very good. Group that had the phone bank conversation with Linda Tarr-Whalen is planning to stay in touch with her, and continue to work on the issues they discussed. Susan Fogel will be the head of the followup effort. Opportunities For Women recruited 3 women for its speakers bureau. They printed up t-shirts with the logo. Attendees: 550 people in New Hampshire. 400 in New Rochelle, New York. 400 at George Washington University in Washington DC. 400 at Spelman University in Atlanta, Georgia. 350 in Delaware. 200 in Rochester, New York. 200 at the North Seattle Community College in Seattle, Washington. 196 Franciscan Sisters in Washington State. 90-100 at Pac Bell, Los Angeles 120 in Eugene Oregon 100 in Fairfax, Virginia. 75 young adults in Kentucky. 70 at Bellevue Community College in Washington State. 70 in Dallas, Texas. 50 in Spokane, Washington. 40 at the University of California, Santa Cruz. 25 in Walla Walla, Washington. 5 in Los Alamos, New Mexico (five was maximum capacity).

Rather than connecting Julie Foudy, the Olympic Athlete in Phoenix, Arizona, a call-in to the uplink site in Washington DC, our hi-tech arrangements managed to connect her with Kathleen O'Connor (state contact), also waiting for a call-in at the Seattle site. The two had their own conversation.

The conference in Dallas drew 70 participants filled with excitement and enthusiasm. The two hour broadcast from Washington was well received; spontaneous clapping occurred throughout the broadcast, especially when Mrs. Clinton spoke. At the conclusion of the broadcast, workshops on the issues followed with about 20 in each. One group of 20 included six individuals who felt that the conference did not represent their ideas. One said that stay-at-home mothers were not well represented. One woman also said "We talk about violence. There is one solution. Repent."

Young people were a major force behind the Dallas conference. They wanted to learn more about women's issues. There was a new burst of enthusiasm and a sense of affirmation. One women said that "It was good knowing that hundreds of groups like this were going on around the country. It showed solidarity."

In New Mexico, the broadcast was interrupted 1-1/2 hours into the program by football. In Oregon, Portland Public Access Cable sent 1/2 hours of the local conference to 330,000 homes. Although it had been a long day for conference participants in New Rochelle, more than 50 people stayed after the conclusion of the conference for coffee and discussions. This gathering was one of the more diverse groups at a College of New Rochelle event. At the University of North Texas (Denton, TX), two men representing the religious right attended the two hour broadcast. However, half way through the broadcast, they walked out. Through an interview with the media, it was discovered that they came to the conference because they thought it was going to be about lesbians and homosexuality. They were upset that they had nothing to complain about.

A viewer from Michigan complained that his site was not illuminated on the map indicated the 450 conference sites throughout the nation.

In Alabama, three women from Spain came and collected signatures for a UN peace letter. At another site in Alabama, a woman from the Christian Coalition who had gone to Beijing insisted on speaking at the local site conference. She focused on the shopping available in Beijing.

In Kentucky, 70 young people from middle schools and high schools created an Action Agenda.

At Spelman University in Georgia, 250 of the 400 attendees had never attended a women's conference before. There is now a good possibility of forming a women's network throughout Georgia. Unfortunately, Spelman was unable to view the satellite broadcast because the technician walked out before connecting the appropriate equipment.

In Delaware, the Governor kicked off the conference followed by comments from the Republican and Democratic state representatives to Congress.

Mt. St. Vincent's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia found the satellite broadcast to be "fabulous." Local politicians, faculty, students and interested community people gathered on campus for the conference. In addition to the campus downlink, the university arranged for it to be broadcast by cable to approximately 350,000 subscribers. Mt. St. Vincent, happy that Judy Woodruff mentioned Canada, "felt like part of the family."

The Eugene, Oregon conference was co-sponsored by Mobility International. Any conference related information given to the 120 individuals present was made available in braille, tape and large print. Signers were also present. The Oregon Congressman, Representative Peter DeFazio, sent a video tape describing his views about women's rights in the U.S. A women from the state governor's office also spoke. Two hour workshops were held throughout the day. The conference concluded at 6 p.m. with music from a local drumming group, "Women at Play". The satellite broadcast was well received especially when Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright spoke. However, they felt that the broadcast attempted to cover too many topics.

Iowa had mixed opinions of the satellite broadcast. Those individuals not previously involved with the issues raised in Beijing, were impressed with the broadcast. However, participants involved in the Beijing process felt that the broadcast was light in substance. At the local conference in Iowa City, the participants decided to meet in early October at a public library to draft a one page Action Agenda. This document will serve as input for the National Action Agenda as well as input for local decisions regarding women's rights. The participants felt that the conference provided service by setting a target date around which people could organize. An individual called on October 2, 1996 inquiring as to where and when the teleconference was to take place in his local area. A woman who attended the conference in Vermont wrote the Interagency Council to express her disappointment at the satellite broadcast. She felt the broadcast was "a big letdown after working hard all day to prioritize the information we wanted to share with you and the other states." She also feels that reducing smoking among teenage girls is not the major issue confronting young women today.

A college graduate who attended a local conference in Delaware found "this conference to be an excellent opportunity to further my professional interests while learning more about the work being done in my community and around the world in regard to improving the lives of women and their families." She continued by stating that "as a result of the conference, I am more knowledgeable about the issues and concerns of women locally and internationally. I look forward to becoming an active part in implementing positive change in my community for both women and girls."

The Delaware site had 350 participants. This conference site also had 16 partners and two co-sponsors (The News Journal and the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor). Through registration fees, the local conference raised $2,500 for 125 schola rships.

At a site at the University of California, Santa Cruz, "40 women and a few men, all ages, ethnic groups, abilities and disabilities, sexualities, students, staff, faculty and community activists" gathered. They were pleased with the satellite broadcast a nd expressed the desire for the Interagency Council to continue beyond December.

The conference in Seattle, WA intends to develop "proceedings" from the conference. From the many workshops held throughout the day, "several excellent recommendations emerged from these workgroups that we want to share locally and nationally." Further more, WHERE intends to write about the conference in its November newsletter which is distributed to over 2,000 individuals and organizations.

The local conference in New Hampshire conducted approximately 40 workshops throughout the day. Participants plan to return home to volunteer in their local areas. Approximately, 50 students and teachers from a local prep-school attended the conference. Their major concern as young women was sexual harassment. The coordinators for the New Hampshire site also persuaded local newspapers to examine the issue of domestic violence for the month of October. Overall, the participants in New Hampshire felt that much dialogue had been shared about the status of women locally as well as internationally.

In Los Angeles at Pacific Bell they had an opening ceremony with historical women out of the past. There were 4 break-out session 3 went very well; 1 which dealt with CA initiative 209 had a lot of disruptions. The health action group will continue to meet. The attendees were very interracial which they felt Beijing made possible by breaking down racial barriers. The LA groups have decided they represent a new coalition and should keep going. Action resolutions were passed. They are having a follow-up session on Oct. 26. Were not wildly enthusiastic about broadcast - too long, too white, too old, too conservative. Very negative reaction to Amb. Albright's comment about U.N. policy is U.S. policy. Also resentment followed by laughter that M. Reagan took credit for wages for unwaged work initiative. They had before and after coverage by the Daily News. Low turn-out partly attributed to 3 rallies for 309 that day as well as leaders of UNA meeting in Santa Barbara.

Pitzer College in Claremont, CA lost transmission half way through when it was switched to cartoons.

In Alaska they had about 70 with 20 who stayed on afterward to discuss an Alaskan agenda for women. Two t.v. stations covered the conference and interviewed our state contact, Susan Olsen. A panel discussion followed broadcast to discuss reactions. The U. of Alaska-Anchorage made video tapes and there have been many requests for copies around the state.

In Washington, D.C. about 450 people attended. Three of their speakers also participated at the uplink program. There were 18 issues tables - all well attended. At the end of the day they all stood and sang the opening song from the NGO forum which was queued on the monitor.

In Chicago about 300 attended an all-day conference with 7 workshops. They were competing with another conference which dealt with violence against women. Reaction to telecast was too long, not crisp, and lacked diversity in class and color on panel and in audience. Based on conference findings they will put together the state-wide and local agendas for women.

Montgomery County, MD had 185 at all-day conference. Sec. Shalala welcomed the group and Caremen Delgado Votaw gave the keynote. Panelists at workshops included Rep. Connie Morella, Heidi Hartman, and Linda Tarr-Whelan. At noon plenary they had to make use of an overflow room. Broadcast given rave reviews although their reception was of poor quality. Channel 21 interviewed the organizers the Wednesday before.

In Garrett County, MD there were 12. However, it was a diverse group and priorities were reached. They also taped the program to give to other organizations.

At U. of MD-Eastern Shore they bused people in from 6 counties. Over 100 attended. Joan Hurley, former First Lady of the Virgin Islands, spoke.

Loyola/College of Notre Dame in Baltimore had 22. Anne Bryant spoke.

In Mississippi 20 people attended. They had a good discussion and wound up staying an extra hour.

In San Juan, PR 45-50 people including 2 girl scout troops. All parties concerned were represented. They had very good reception of the telecast. They will get together after the election to plan for March 8 events [International Women's Day].

In the Virgin Islands there were 45 at St. Thomas and 30 at St. Croix. During the first hour of the broadcast there were long lapses, particularly during the first lady's remarks, so they are planning a follow-up meeting for a teleconference between the 2 islands and hope to have a copy of the tape to show. They also want to take the video into the schools.

There were 85 at a half day conference in Madison, WI where the woman who sang the opening song in Beijing happened to be in town and sang the song at the beginning of their program.

At the Apple Computer site in Cupertino, CA the broadcast was followed by a panel of dynamic speakers. A direct outcome was the decision to set up a corporate/community council bringing together corporate women and grassroots women to work together. They are also planning to set up a funding consortium. Officials from Apple set up 2 chat lines on the internet, put up large posters and a photo wall from Beijing, and taped the broadcast for purchase by the public. Members of the audience were upset by the CEDAW discussion during the broadcast but no discussion followed.

About 75 attended Bellevue, WA event. It was very powerful and the most multi-cultural event they have had. They never say such cross-cultural discussion.

There were 85 people at an all day conference in St. Louis, MO. After the broadcast the speaker, Sue McDaniels of Missouri Women's Council for Economic Development, challenged members of the audience on what each of them were going to do and got people to volunteer to take on specific projects. The coordinators were interviewed on a half-hour newsmaker t.v. program the week before the conference.

There were 3 sites in South Carolina. Each had pre-discussion and wrap-up. At all sites there was an individual who went to Beijing. Local t.v. interviewed at each site.

Alabama: Natalie Davis.
One site dropped (Montgomery) Added another at Anniston at last moment. About 50 people per site: 150-200 total. All sites interlinked. Phone bank person was excellent. Had good press coverage. Natalie did 3 standups for tv. Many new people showed up.

Arizona: Lynda Crowell.
Over 300 people total. Tempe site had 150. They did 7 hours of programming, beginning with an overview; then broke into seminars. Had 6 simultaneous workshops. Interactive voice and tv statewide. Good press coverage, including Channel 12 and the ASU paper. Greatest diversity she had ever seen in a conference. Handicapped; governor of the Gila River Indian tribe; Girl Scouts; Bar Assn; Episcopal Women United; Seroptimist were among the participants.

Florida: Sandy Beare.
Over 1300 people statewide.

• FIU (North Dade): over 200.
• Palm Beach: over 200
• Tampa: over 300
• Ft Lauderdale: over 200
• U. Fla: 130
• Tallahassee: over 200
• Church site: 50

Many people called for the coordinates saying they were having "7 people over to watch the program in our living room." She has no count on how many such sites there were across the state. Ria Chiles and Carol Rascoe spoke at the Tallahassee site. All of the organizers are meeting in 2 weeks to develop concrete follow-up plans. Good advance press. Coverage on 2 channels in the Tallahassee area. No follow-up newpaper coverage.

FIU (North Dade site); Great enthusiasm. People left wanting to know how to stay in touch and donate time. Were sorry there was no built-in follow-up activities the audience could get involved with on the spot.

Idaho: Wendy Matlock.
Connection very good at VA Hospital. 15 participants. Presentation by 2 women who went to Beijing. 5 organizations signed on to Contract for America.

Georgia: Vickie Traylor.
400 people at Spelman. No satellite downlink. Technician walked off job without connecting them. Conference went very well. Over 30 new actions developed in Atlanta meeting that were inspired by the platform for action. Preparing report outlining strategies to go forward. Looking for sponsor to print it. Had approximately 1000 people statewide. 200 in Gainsville; 25 in Rome; 75-100 in Athens; 30 in Savannah. Not have final numbers on other 3 sites.

Massachusetts: Marty Chadwick: Simmons College.
1400 participants. Rosario Green keynoted. Susan Weld and Theresa Hines spoke. Great grass roots participation. Report being prepared for us. Have treasury for implementation, from the fees they collected, although they had a number of reduced fee participants, and some who came without paying. Rhode Island Foundation is interested in giving money toward their followup efforts. Sarah Sheldon is chair of their followup activities. A meeting is set for early November. The big media ignored the conference totally. Nothing in the Globe or Herald. Even Channel 4, who was a sponsor, didn't cover it. Wellesley township had good coverage.

Dot Burrill: Cape Cod - 50 people (capacity of site). Wonderful publicity. Some local technical difficulties, but transmission ultimately came through. Followup planned.

Avery Ouellette: Amherst College 40 participants. Theresa Hines cancelled (mutually agreed) They didn't think the participation was large enough to warrant her attending. Panel was great. College newspapers from Mt. Holyoke, Amherst, Smith, and Hampshire all covered it.

Oregon: Joella Werlin and Linda Hawkins.
Portland Cable Access - 60 women who had been to Beijing were in the studio audience. They began with a 30-minute program on Beijing; had the teleconference, and followed with an hour wrap-up session. They are sending us the tape of their program, which aired for the 375,000 homes in Oregon and Washington they provide cable service to. They have had great response from the public. At the followup session they had six sections dovetailed to our topics (environment; violence; girl child; education; health; housing). They are also sending Morgana Morgaine of New Mexico the tape of the teleconference, since the N.M. reception was interrupted.

Tennessee: Nancy Ranson.
Nashville site had 29 people. They have a followup committee for a March program, with focus on Nashville issues. Very little press coverage. 5 line notice in the National Tennessean stating that the first lady spoke. They registered voters at their site. No speakerphone, so Nancy spoke with the expert on the phone bank and relayed the conversation to the audience.

Chatanooga: Grace Hewell - Over 100 participants. Followup activities built into program. Emphasis on environment and health. Sponsors included Dupont, who printed program; local supermarket donated food; bakery donated baked goods; Coca Cola donated drinks, Mead Corp gave 14 boxes of yellow legal pads.

Utah: Bev White.
55 people (close to capacity). Well received. None of the other organizers (Jan Bennett or Carol Bench) participated. 3 members of Commission on Women attended. Had no disruptions. Eagle Forum participated, wanted more on families and children.

New Jersey: Shelley Mintz.
22 sites. About 40 participants per site. Only hard numbers are from Princeton, Essex Co, Rutgers, and Burlington. March 8 planning going forward. Had press coverage: Trenton Times; Newark Star Ledger; Home News and Tribune (Central Jersey); tv news, Channel 12. She is trying to trace down the articles. Felt that the uplink program was not spontaneous enough and did not have a feeling of immediacy about it. Should have taken more questions from across the country. Wants a meeting in November between us and the leaders of statewide groups in New Jersey (League of Women Voters, Hispanic Women's League, etc) to put some teeth into the Interagency Council and insure that there is real followup on women's issues.

West Virginia: Missy Wolverton.
75 people. Good reception, and good followup plans. No print coverage. 2 separate tv crews covered conference. They termed their conference a town meeting.

Kentucky: Virginia Woodward.
75 people. High youth involvement.

Virginia: Sue Rosenberg.
100 people at Fairfax site. One speaker cancelled. Great enthusiasm.

Montana: Vivian Brook - Missoula.
35 people. Several different organizations represented, and representatives wanted to get their organizations involved in followup activities. Community groups planning to work with Women's Studies program to get more community interest. Several university students got involved. Had tv and newspaper coverage. No numbers from other sites. Beautiful day. After teleconference they moved the conference outside. That's when the tv cameras came.

New York City: Francois Jacobsohn.
About 800 people at her sites; another 100 at Elaine Wolfson's. Manhattan: over 200; Queens: 200; Bronx: 100; Brooklyn: 70. Planning for March 8 as followup. New York Times is giving them 1000 reprints as apology for running their full-page ad in the News of the Week section a week late (It aired Sept 29). Diverse and enthusiastic groups at each site.

Wisconsin: Beaver Dam.
12 people. Felt our program was bland.

North Carolina:
About 200-250 people statewide, in 6 sites. Greenville had 2 tv spots and 3 newspaper articles.

Oklahoma: Claudia Tarrington.
250-300 participants statewide. Oklahoma City: 12; Lawton: 140. Good press and radio. Claudia did a radio interview on the biggest country and western station. It ran every 25 minutes all day, and was beamed across 8 states. Although disappointed in the actual turnout, she felt the exposure generated by the teleconference was invaluable. She mailed to 3500 people statewide. 200 Advisory people have our questionaire and are expected to return recommendations. The Advisory Council is using the conference to plan for the future, with a March 21 Summit date set. Their issues are: education and the economy; crime, corrections, justice, and safety; and health. There was trouble with Tulsa downlink that they felt generated from the feed. They have taped the program, and are airing it for 3 groups later this month, and expect at least another 300 people will see the program.

Recommendation: The Interagency Council has created a wonderful network to get our message across the country, and to inform people across the country about the initiatives that the government is generating on women and family issues. The information she has received from us has been invaluable in her work -- such as the Dept of Labor pay equity reports and the SBA information. She would like to be on a mailing list for each Cabinet Office to recieve such information. She in turn feeds her information across her state, to over 300 organizations and agencies. She would like us to continue the network, and use it to keep the country informed about the latest initiatives on women's issues.

Rhode Island: Myrth York.
95 people. (An excellent turnout, considering the President and the Literacy Walk were in direct competition with them). Group discussions were small, but good. Providence Visitor (Catholic newspaper) urged its readership to attend. Their presence added immensely to the day and the vitality of the discussions. They had terrible press coverage. No main-stream paper covered the event. They are planning a followup report, and want to use the issuance of the report as a media event to generate press coverage for the issues. Some of the proceedings were video-taped and will be replayed on cable.

California: Barbara Perkins (L.A.).
About 170 people: 100 at one site; 70 at other. Facilitators good. Evaluations were very good. Group that had the phone bank conversation with Linda Tarr-Whalen is planning to stay in touch with her, and continue to work on the issues they discussed. Susan Fogel will be the head of the followup effort. Opportunities For Women recruited 3 women for its speakers bureau. They printed up t-shirts with the logo.

In New Hampshire 500+ attended including volunteers and 80 speakers. Of the 74 who completed the evaluation sheet 60 indicated they were like to see NH elect more women legislators and 48 support passage of CEDAW in NH. Several legislators have introduced a bill to ratify CEDAW in the upcoming session. As a result of the conference they will meet with women on the possibility of starting a Women's fund for NH; there is a site for a conference on "the Girl Child" for next year; and they will be looking at collaborative efforst with other women's organizations.

In Maine 24 attended a 1/2 day conference - mostly older women although they had sent out a mailing to 5,000 and put up 200 posters. They charged $5.00. They were disappointed they couldn't get of list of who went to Beijing from Maine. Ellen Wells put up a lot of her own money to cover expenses. Disappointed the teleconference wasn't more interactive. There was tv coverage in Bangor and some mentions in local press.

In Buffalo 75 attended 1/2 day conference although the weather was horrible all day so they probably would have had at least another 25 who had prepaid. They had 4 issue caucuses with facilitators which were excellent. They plan to have follow-up. Most liked the telecast although those who had been in Beijing were less enthusiastic. They plan to do a report and meet with County Commission on Women. Had very good community cooperation -- the mayor arranged for signers for hearing impaired, the Girl Scouts contributed cookies at the break, office space and mailings were donated, etc. Press coverage not good as President Clinton was in area that day. Downside was not enough lead time to plan. would like to see a permanent government structure for follow-up.

Cincinnati had the largest turnout in Ohio at the U. of Cincinnati-College of Law - over 200 with standing room only at an all-day conference with 6 panels. It was the largest conference ever held in Cincinnati. The mayor issued a proclamation. There was lots of press and excitement. They want a 2-day conference next year! Charge of $10 included lunch. Good cross section in attendance. Mostly positive reaction to telecast. No conference held in Columbus as they couldn't get past their political problems to get organized.

In Portland, OR 30 people attended the cable access program at the station while another 30-35 participated in an all-day conference at Portland State University. Many of the people at the tv station went to Beijing and gave commentary about their experiences a half hour before the broadcast and were available afterward to respond to question and comment. A local tv anchor moderated the program. They also posted bulletin boards on the screen for who to contact locally on various issues. Follow-up events are taking place in Oct. and Nov. Also there is an ongoing organization called WEBB [Women Empowered Beyond Beijing]. All feedback was positive. Program ended with a women's chorus and closing circle. Very disappointed that there was no press coverage.

There were 150 women at Temple U. in Philadelphia. Marjorie M. Mezvinsky opened the plenary session and set a positive tone as well as gave useful information on Beijing follow-up. There were panel discussions, followed by the downlink and then a speak- out. Reaction to teleconference was very positive and found to be informative, especially the videos showing what groups are doing around the country. Negative comments were that the panel wasn't diverse enough and the person who addressed the welfare issue was the one Afro-American. Had good press coverage including tv channels 6 and 29. Thought this was a wonderful effort by the Interagency Council for highlighting these issues across the country. The steering committee will continue to meet as an Action Committee which will also incorporate the 150 women from Philadelphia who went to Beijing and have continued to meet ever since. Tahiya thanks the Council for being a motivating force.

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