In this episode of, My Blunt Truth: Candi will be speaking with Denise Harrington (Advocacy Chair of the LWV-VA) and Heather Booth (Organizer of The JANE Movement) about women’s reproductive health.
Denise Harrington has a BS in Music Education., and began her teaching career in York County, Virginia. In 1993, where she obtained an endorsement in applied linguistics specifically in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages , and began working with English Learners while continuing to teach Music. After teaching in York County for 16 years, she taught in a Title One school for 19 years in Henrico County Virginia. Denise obtained her MA in Administration and Supervision, and implemented an Action Research Project that improved the Social Studies scores for the school a Positive Behavior Intervention Plan. Prior to retiring, she obtained her MS, a second Masters in Diagnostic Reading (with an emphasis on Dyslexia and Diverse Learners), and began her Doctorate specializing in Teacher Leadership at Walden University.
Throughout her career, she continued to be an Advocate for children and public education and served the Virginia Education Association (VEA) in the following capacities: Vice-President of the York Education Association, Board member for 2 years of the Henrico Education Association, and the Executive Political Action Committee(15 years). Also served, for 15 years as the State Legislative Liaison for the Virginia Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (VATESOL). Both experiences allowed her to Lobby the Virginia General Assembly and Congress. At present, she is serving as the State Director of Advocacy of the League of Women Voters of Virginia. She is a recent graduate of the Minority Political Institute Leadership Institute (MPLI) from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Doug Wilder School of Government ‘s, Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute (GEHLI).
Heather Booth is one of the leading strategists about progressive issue and electoral campaigns. She has been an organizer starting in the civil rights, anti-Vietnam War and women’s movements of the 1960s and continuing through today. She created JANE, an underground abortion service started before Roe.She was the founding Director and is now President of the Midwest Academy (http://www.midwestacademy.com/), training social change leaders and organizers. She has been involved in political campaigns and was the Training Director of the Democratic National Committee. In 2000, she was the Director of the NAACP National Voter Fund, which helped to increase African American election turnout by nearly 2 million voters. She was the lead consultant, directing the founding of the Campaign for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2005.In 2008, Heather was the director of the Health Care Campaign for the AFL-CIO. In 2009, she directed the campaign passing President Obama’s first budget. In 2010, she was the founding director of Americans for Financial Reform, fighting to regulate the financial industry. She was the National Coordinator for the coalition around marriage equality and the 2013 Supreme Court decision. She was strategic advisor to the Alliance for Citizenship (the largest coalition of the immigration reform campaign). For More Info On Heather: (http://www.democracypartners.com/).(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Booth)
Grab your drinks, and LET’S TALK!!
A free documentary screening will be shown on September 12th at the Williamsburg Library. This film is Directed by Oscar-nominee Tia Lessin (HBO’s Trouble the Water) and Emmy-nominee Emma Pildes (HBO’s Jane Fonda in Five Acts), The Janes gives first-hand accounts from the women, speaking on the record for the first time.
To Get Your Ticket For The Viewing of The JANES Click:
https://thejanes-williamsburglibrary.eventbrite.com/
To Learn More About The League of Women Voters of Virginia Click:
https://lwv-va.org/
