NEW YORK—Today, in celebration of Ms. Foundation for Women co-founder Gloria Steinem’s 75th birthday, the Ms. Foundation announces an online social change campaign: Outrageous Acts for Simple Justice. Outrageous Acts, inspired by Steinem and Ms. Foundation grantees—grassroots women activists across the U.S.—invites everyone to engage in, share and support outrageous acts in the cause of simple justice for women, families and communities.

For more than four decades, to further the power of grassroots organizing, Gloria Steinem has encouraged audiences to turn their outrage into action, and to have fun doing it: “If each person in the room promises that…the very next day she or he will do at least one outrageous thing in the cause of simple justice, then I promise I will, too. It doesn’t matter whether the act is as small as saying, “Pick it up yourself” …or as large as calling a strike….” [view the Gloria Steinem video]

Sara K. Gould, President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation is encouraged by the potential of this new viral campaign. “Outrageous Acts reminds each of us of our power to create change,” says Gould. “It also helps us imagine what’s possible when we link the power of our own outrageous acts with others’. We're certain that in the spirit of Gloria Steinem, the more outrageous each of us can be, the more power we'll have to bring about the kind of change we want to see for women and girls, our communities, our country and our world.”

Outrageous Acts is already catching on: Kymberly Blackstock of Alaska used Facebook to organize a rally protesting Governor Palin’s rejection of federal economic stimulus money; in a video, Claire Tran of FIERCE, a Ms. Foundation grantee in New York City, suggests that viewers commit an outrageous act by signing onto their white paper advocating for access to public space on the Hudson River Park for LGBTQ youth of color; and Jacki Zehner, a women’s leadership and workplace commentator brought her outrageous act to CNN when she appeared to discuss the impact of the economic crisis on women while wearing a Wonder Woman t-shirt.

“The times demand this kind of creative action,” asserts Gould. “We face great challenges -- from the economic crisis and barriers to reproductive health care to gender-based violence and war. But we also live in a moment of tremendous opportunity. More and more people are poised to create change from the grassroots. And on the heels of an historic presidential election, we're reminded of just how effective outrageous acts -- from bake sales and buttons to signatures and songs -- can be.”

For more information on Outrageous Acts visit http://outrageousacts.org or join the Facebook cause at http://causes.com/outrageousacts

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About the Ms. Foundation for Women
The Ms. Foundation for Women, a social justice foundation, delivers strategic grants, capacity-building and leadership development to over 150 grassroots and national advocacy organizations throughout the U.S. Ms. Foundation support enables groups to create connections across issues, constituencies and policymaking levels to strengthen social movements and ignite change on behalf of women, families and communities. Since 1973, the Foundation has granted more than $50 million to organizations in rural and urban areas nationwide. For more information, visit: http://ms.foundation.org.

 

For More Information Contact:
Irene Schneeweis, Communications Manager
Office: (212) 709-4418
Mobile: (347) 546-3964
ischneeweis@ms.foundation.org