Kilos Babae! (Act Now Women!)

GABRIELA Network Publishing Center released the latest edition of Kilos Babae, kaWOMENan! (Act Now Women!). kaWOMENan is a newsletter in response to the urgent need for information and education on the political, economic, social and cultural struggles confronting Filipino women and the connection of their issues with US policy decisions.

Inside the issue (Version XIX, Issue 1, Spring 2009), which is available on the kaWOMENan web page of the GABRIELA Network website:
* GABNet Demands President Obama to Protect Women’s Rights
* Stop the Traffick Jam Caravan and Concert in Southern California
* Poem by DJ Kuttin Kandi: Reflections of a Holiday Journey Home to Queens 2008
* School on Gender Rights for Filipino Domestic Workers opens in New York, led by GABNet of Mariposa Alliance and Damayan Migrant Workers Association
* In Commemoration of International Working Women’s Day
* GABNet/Ma-Al Condemns Israel’s Attack on Gaza
* 16 Days of GABNet (Against Gender Violence) & International Human Rights Day
* Exit Cuckoo, a new play about nannies and the families who employ them, opening in New York City
* A Decade of Purple Roses
* GABNet Reflections and Campaigns and more...

What’s in a name? Kilos-Babae comes from the Tagalog phrase "Act, woman," which has an effeminate connotation for men and as a derogatory command to women to do something (for men). We reclaim this phrase to mean Act Now, Women! as the foundation for militant women’s organizing and empowerment. kaWomenan combines ka from the Tagalog word "kasama" meaning companion or comrade; the English word "women;" and the Tagalog suffix "an" meaning reciprocity. Used together, "ka" and "an" mean collectiveness.