A collection of web sites produced by the academic units of Grand Valley State University. ||||| CLOSE The first national women's convention in four decades is poised to kick off in Detroit. Detroit Free Press 
 
 Former Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to the delegates before addressing the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Monday, July 25, 2016. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP) 
 
 Editor's Note: This article has been updated to clarify Tamika Mallory's statements regarding Bernie Sanders. 
 
 The Women's Convention will feel the Bern later this month, when Bernie Sanders visits Detroit to address more than 3,000 women and progressive activists as they get ready for the 2018 midterm elections. 
 
 The senator from Vermont, an independent who challenged Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, is to address the crowd the evening of Oct. 27, on the first day of a three-day convention organized by the Women's March. 
 
 “I’m honored to join the women at the front lines of our struggle for economic, social, racial and environmental justice. In January, millions of women came out in an extraordinary and unprecedented display of power and resistance," Sanders said in reference to the Women's March on Washington and sister protests in cities around the world on the first day of President Donald Trump's administration. "Now more than ever, we must support the leadership of women across the country and fight together to advance our progressive agenda." 
 
 Protesters carry signs at the Women's March on Washington on Jan. 21, 2017. (Photo: KishaBari/Women's March) 
 
 Sanders' unconventional campaign for president led a mini revolt within the Democratic Party, splintering off millennials and other supporters who raged along with him about economic disparities in America, a need for campaign finance reform, ways to rein in the cost of a college education and raise the minimum wage. 
 
 When Women's March Co-founder Tamika Mallory was asked: "People are going to say, wait a minute, there’s a man as the headliner at the Women’s Convention, the first women’s convention in 40 years?" she replied: 
 
 "I would say that (U.S. Rep.) Maxine Waters is also coming to the conference, and we know she has been a very, very powerful voice in terms of all we’ve seen happening in terms of this administration, particularly, and she’ll be at the conference as well. And a lot of other people have been invited to the conference and we’re hoping to hear back from these folks. Thankfully, Sen. Sanders has agreed to attend." 
 
 Mallory also noted Sanders knows how to mobilize a new generation of activists. 
 
 WASHINGTON, DC -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), gets a kiss from his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders after speaking at a campaign rally at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium June 9, 2016 in Washington, DC. After a meeting with President Barack Obama earlier at the White House, Sanders said he will work with Hillary Clinton to beat Donald Trump in the presidential election. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images) 
 
 "I think that right now, no one can deny that Bernie Sanders is probably one of the most powerful U.S. senators ... on progressive issues, women’s issues, mobilizing millennials," Mallory told the Free Press in an exclusive interview Wednesday night. "He is really in line with the principles of the Women's March." 
 
 Those principles involve working toward collective liberation for women of all races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, sexual identities, gender expressions, immigration statuses, religious faiths, and economic statuses. 
 
 Carmen Perez, left, Bob Bland, Tamika D. Mallory and Linda Sarsour attend the TIME 100 Gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, in New York. (Photo: Charles Sykes, Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) 
 
 "There will definitely be a focus on the 2018 election and how we build political power," Mallory said, "but there will certainly be an educational component to help people who are new activists and give them the tools they need to do work in their communities that may not always be political but certainly is important." 
 
 Sanders, Mallory said, brings the experience of a long-time Senator who continues to work to bring progressive change to government. 
 
 "We believe as women ... that we ought to have more than just women at the Women's Convention," Mallory said. "People want to hear from the leadership from within our government who can give us some insight about what's happening … so we can know what we need to do to be able organize." 
 
 Sen. Bernie Sanders looks on after the Vermont delegation cast their votes during roll call on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM, AFP/Getty Images) 
 
 The Women's Convention, which will take place at Detroit's Cobo Center, is themed "Reclaiming Our Time," a play on the words spoken by Waters, a California Democrat, who pushed back against Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin as he tried to derail her line of questioning. 
 
 Waters also is expected to address convention-goers, as will other politicians, activists and celebrities, including actress Amber Tamblyn. Her personal account of sexual harassment in Hollywood was published in the New York Times in September. In it, she denounced the way society dismisses women's reports of their sexual abuse, assault and harassment, drawing attention to why women so often don't speak up. 
 
 Less than a month after Tamblyn's story was published, the Times came out with an exposé revealing decades of sexual harassment and assault claims against producer Harvey Weinstein. 
 
 "The overall message is that this conference is really designed as a way to empower voices in exactly the way that you see women coming forward with their stories about Harvey Weinstein," Mallory said, whether those stories involve sexual violence, harassment, domestic violence, police brutality or any other form of mistreatment in their lives. 
 
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 "We want to make sure that women know they have the power in unity to come forward and tell their stories, whatever their stories may be, and we have the obligation to protect their voices. We hope that at this conference more women will feel empowered to speak out, to tell," she said. 
 
 "Whether that means they’re an undocumented person that wants to tell their story. Whether that means they've been abused by police and they want to tell their story. Whether that means they've been sexually violated and they want to tell their story. We want every person to feel that this is a safe place to tell their stories, to learn and organize in their local communities to do something to help others that may be experiencing the same." 
 
 Other speakers at the convention include: 
 
 Actress and producer Piper Perabo 
 
 Sally Kohn, CNN political commentator and columnist 
 
 Nomiki Konst, co-founder and executive director of The Accountability Project 
 
 Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the Trump resistance group Indivisible 
 
 Liliana Reyes, a transgender Latina activist 
 
 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams 
 
 Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc Jewish Action 
 
 Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution 
 
 Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance 
 
 Michigan state Rep. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, 
 
 Detroit City Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda Lopez 
 
 Michigan Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer 
 
 For more details about the convention, go to www.womensconvention.com. Conference tickets are available online at http://www.womensconvention.com/register.html. The ticket cost for all three days of the conference is $295 for adults and $125 for students. Single-day tickets are available for $125. 
 
 Contact Kristen Jordan Shamus: 313-222-5997 or kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2wPxIh1 ||||| 
 
 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) arrives at a news conference in Washington, on Sept. 13. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) 
 
 In two weeks, thousands of people will convene in Detroit for the Women’s Convention, the first national convention led by the organizers of the Women’s March. The January march drew millions of participants worldwide in protest of President Trump’s inauguration. 
 
 The event aims to bring together an “unprecedented” number of activists and leaders to share strategies, and build on the momentum from the march, according to its website. The convention theme? “Reclaiming our time.” 
 
 But organizers came under fire Thursday after announcing that a prime speaking slot will go to a man: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate will address the crowd on Oct. 27, the opening day of the three-day event, convention organizers said on social media. 
 
 [Women’s marches: More than one million protesters vow to resist President Trump] 
 
 The announcement immediately drew backlash. Among the critics was Stephanie Schriock, the president of Emily’s List, one of the convention’s sponsors. 
 
 “This choice sends the wrong message,” she tweeted, saying Emily’s List has reached out to the Women’s Convention organizers to “share our disappointment and offer our help.” 
 
 “We have more women leaders in elected office than ever before,” she added. “Women ARE leading in the Senate. This is a moment to highlight them.” 
 
 [Women’s March prepares for its first national convention next month in Detroit] 
 
 Sanders is one of only two men among the more than 60 people scheduled to speak at the convention, organizers said on Twitter. In a statement on Facebook, the senator said he is honored to “join the women at the front lines of our struggle for economic, social, racial and environmental justice.” 
 
 “In January, millions of women came out in an extraordinary and unprecedented display of power and resistance,” Sanders said, referring to the Women’s March. “Now more than ever, we must support the leadership of women across the country and fight together to advance our progressive agenda.” 
 
 A number of women leaders will also deliver remarks at the opening event, organizer Carmen Perez said on Twitter. 
 
 After the outcry over Sanders, organizer Tamika D. Mallory clarified on Twitter that he is not the event’s headliner. That slot is going to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). 
 
 [Maxine Waters inspires a new anthem: ‘Reclaiming my time’] 
 
 Waters inspired the theme of the weekend. In July, when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin dodged her question during a House Financial Services Committee hearing, she chided him for wasting her allotted time and repeated the phrase, “reclaiming my time.” The exchange inspired a hashtag and scores of memes. 
 
 The Women’s Convention is led predominantly by women of color, Mallory said on Twitter, who defended the Sanders decision to critics: “We announce one man as a speaker among over 60, and y’all start saying he’s our leader?!” 
 
 MAXINE WATERS IS THE #WOMENSCONVENTION HEADLINER! Y'all may not have noticed but we announced that weeks ago...#ReclaimingOurTime — Tamika D. Mallory (@TamikaDMallory) October 12, 2017 
 
 Organizers said they invited many elected officials to attend the convention, including Hillary Clinton, Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), but the event did not work with their schedules. 
 
 Still, a number of women and men on social media criticized the choice to schedule Sanders on the convention’s opening day. 
 
 “Unbelievable,” tweeted Leela Daou, co-founder of political site Verrit. “There are countless women who deserve that stage time.” 
 
 “#reclaiming our time?” another woman tweeted. “Not this way.” 
 
 Sadly not one single woman was available. https://t.co/5cKMdkxhHt — Jennifer Wright (@JenAshleyWright) October 12, 2017 
 
 A white dude is delivering the opening speech at the first women’s convention in 40 years. 
 
 
 
 Such progress. Wow. https://t.co/WNmVznMo9K — Imani Gandy is definitely irritated. (@AngryBlackLady) October 12, 2017 
 
 Organizers expect upward of 3,000 people to attend the convention — by late last month 2,300 people had registered, The Washington Post reported. The registration fee is $295 per person and $125 for those under 25. The convention is pegged to be one of the largest of its kind, and it will offer a variety of workshops and training sessions, according to its website. 
 
 In contrast to the Women’s March the day after President Trump’s inauguration, which was an emotional protest, the October convention will focus on instruction and training on leadership and activism, organizer Linda Sarsour told The Post last month. 
 
 “These are people who are still fired up,” Sarsour said. “What they are looking for is another opportunity to build and feel inspired and motivated.” 
 
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 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| On Thursday, October 12th, the Women's March, a movement that formed in late 2016 with the mission to “harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change,” announced that Senator Bernie Sanders will open the first Women’s Convention, set for October 27-29th in Detroit. 
 
 We deeply appreciate the volunteer time, energy, sweat and tears that the Women’s March co-chairs, board, and committees give to this vital movement. Women know that our time and work is often undervalued, underpaid, and unknown. Your work is not unknown. Thank you. 
 
 At this moment, however, we must voice our deep disappointment with the choice to have Senator Sanders, a male, open the Women’s Convention. 
 
 Sign this petition to let the Women’s Convention organizers know that we do not want Senator Sanders to OPEN the Women’s Convention. We believe a female-identifying individual should open the Women’s Convention, as optics are important, and there is no one more qualified to speak about women’s issues than a woman. 
 
 In an October 12th USA Today article, Women’s March co-chair Tamika Mallory (whom I highly respect), states that Sanders was chosen because he “knows how to mobilize a new generation of activists,” and “is probably one of the most powerful U.S. Senators ... on progressive issues, women’s issues…” 
 
 We believe: 
 
 o Bernie does know how to mobilize a new generation of activists (for that we are grateful) but did the organizers forget that WOMEN organized the largest protest in US history? 
 
 o Bernie has been a long time champion for progressive values (again, we are grateful) 
 
 o Bernie’s voice, and the voices of ALL men, women, non-conforming, non-binary, cis, and transgender people who share a passion for the unity principles of the Women’s March are needed and necessary voices for this movement. We want them at the convention. We want them listening. We want them leading. We want to learn from them, be challenged by them, changed and ignited by them. We even want them speaking at the Convention - just not opening it. 
 
 o Optics are extremely important. The Women’s Convention, in her goal of empowering and putting the voices of women on the front lines, should lead by example and have a woman open the convention. The individual who kicks off an event often becomes the “face” of the event. It is only right to have a woman's face for the Women’s Conference. Having a man’s face only continues the invisible presence, work, and voices of women. 
 
 o Women are best qualified to speak about women’s issues. 
 
 o Sanders' reference to Planned Parenthood as “the establishment” makes him a divisive opener. 
 
 Not choosing a woman clearly communicates that the organizers don’t believe a woman is qualified, available, or equal to the task of opening the Women’s Convention, and further communicates there are no strong female leaders in our nation right now. We know this is not true and strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to have Bernie Sanders open the convention. 
 
 Thank you. 
 
 Amanda 
 
 Mother, Minister, Magic-Maker ||||| Washington (CNN) Organizers behind the Women's Convention still feel the Bern -- and for that, they are feeling the backlash. 
 
 On Thursday, the Women's Convention organizers -- who also led the Women's March in January -- announced Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will be a featured speaker at the three-day event, which will take place in Detroit later this month. 
 
 The convention "aims to have participants leave inspired and motivated, with new connections, skills and strategies for working towards collective liberation for women of all races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, sexual identities, gender expressions, immigration statuses, religious faiths, and economic statuses," according to its press release. 
 
 The news of Sanders as one of the headliners was met by mixed reactions on Twitter. 
 
 "What ultimately disappoints me about the choice of Sanders to open the first Women's Convention in some 40 or so years is that we have some excellent leaders to choose from who are women," Valerie Street, who tweeted her disappointment, told CNN. "Ones who are blazing their own trails in American politics right now." 
 
 The 35-year-old, who is a community organizer from Austin, Texas, said she is not planning on attending the convention because of scheduling conflicts; though she did participate in the March in January. 
 
 "The Women's March nucleus has been such a woman-led movement," she said. But the Sanders news "seems like an odd departure from that at a critical time." 
 
 Others echoed this view, and questioned why a man is the opening-night speaker. The convention's official theme is "Reclaiming Our Time," inspired by the viral phrase Rep. Maxine Waters' repeated to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in August. Waters will also speak at the convention. 
 
 Sorry. I'm not attending a women's convention where the opening night speaker isn't a woman. Perhaps consider these choices next time. pic.twitter.com/HiVpQ3I78n — Jean Grey 2017 (@JeanGrey80) October 12, 2017 
 
 "Sorry. I'm not attending a women's convention where the opening night speaker isn't a woman," one Twitter user wrote, sharing a photo collage of Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar. "Perhaps consider these choices next time." 
 
 The petition, created by Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft, said: "Bernie's voice, and the voices of ALL men, women, non-conforming, non-binary, cis, and transgender people who share a passion for the unity principles of the Women's March are needed and necessary voices for this movement. We want them at the convention. We want them listening. We want them leading. We want to learn from them, be challenged by them, changed and ignited by them. We even want them speaking at the Convention -- just not opening it. ... Having a man's face only continues the invisible presence, work and voices of women." 
 
 Some of the backlash geared toward the Sanders pick also stems from leftover frustration from the 2016 election. Although the Women's March rallied thousands across the US, some argued the organizers were not inclusive enough of Hillary Clinton, who was the first woman to win the nomination for president of a major political party. 
 
 "I knew you weren't to be trusted when you threw HRC under the bus at the march, but this is beyond the pale," one user wrote on Twitter Thursday. 
 
 I knew you weren't to be trusted when you threw HRC under the bus at the march, but this is beyond the pale. — RogueArtist (@TinaDuryea) October 12, 2017 
 
 Despite the uproar, Tamika Mallory, Women's March co-president, said she feels Sanders is the perfect fit for the convention, describing him in a statement as a "fierce champion of women's rights" and someone who has bolstered "female voices throughout his career of public service." 
 
 "We invited many elected officials to our convention that align with the purpose and mission of our existence -- to harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change," she said in follow-up statement after the news was announced. "We are thrilled that Rep. Maxine Waters and Sen. Sanders will be speaking at the Women's Convention." 
 
 Mallory elaborated that while some female lawmakers won't be present, they still extended their support for the event. 
 
 "We all know how busy women leaders are, and we are grateful for the support of women like Secretary Clinton along with Sens. Harris, Warren and (Kirsten) Gillibrand," Mallory said. "Although their schedules did not allow them to join us in Detroit the weekend of October 27, they will be fighting for our shared values, as they do every day. Our program features more than 60 women leading in activism, organizing and advocacy, as well as grassroots leaders running for and serving in office across the country. We are excited to come together, to unite across our differences and to fight for the future we all believe in." 
 
 In a series of tweets on Thursday afternoon , Mallory addressed criticism from Women's March followers. 
 
 ".@womensmarch is led by women, mainly WOC. We announce one man as a speaker among over 60, and y'all start saying he's our leader?!" she wrote. "When you lash out at WOC leaders, saying we have a man as our headliner/leader, you erase our work. You erase Rep Waters' work. LISTEN TO US. To the folks yelling at @womensmarch & directly at me: Why does your version of advocating for women's rights = bashing Black women leaders?" 
 
 .@womensmarch is led by women, mainly WOC. We announce one man as a speaker among over 60, and y'all start saying he's our leader?! — Tamika D. Mallory (@TamikaDMallory) October 12, 2017 
 
 She pointed out that the convention has over "60 speakers currently lined up. Only 2 are men." She emphasized that Waters, who is a black woman, was announced as a speaker in mid-September. 
 
 A representative for Sanders said he had no further comment aside from his additional statement in the press release, in which he expressed his enthuasism for the event. 
 
 In a statement provided in the initial press release, Sanders expressed enthusiasm about the event. 
 
 "I'm honored to join the women at the front lines of our struggle for economic, social, racial and environmental justice," Sanders said. "In January, millions of women came out in an extraordinary and unprecedented display of power and resistance. Now more than ever, we must support the leadership of women across the country and fight together to advance our progressive agenda." 
 
 Other speakers include actress and activist Piper Perabo, political commentator and community organizer Sally Kohn, The Young Turks reporter Nomiki Konst, co-executive director of the Indivisible Project Leah Greenberg, Michigan Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan state Rep. Stephanie Chang, Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and others. ||||| ... 
 
 rst time in 25 years. We need to treat educators with respect and dignity and invest in our students and schools all across the nation. 
 
 I stand with the Denver teachers who have voted to strike for the fi
– The first national convention by the organizers of the DC Women's March will be held in Detroit starting Oct. 27, but there's already a bit of turmoil over one of the scheduled speakers. The Washington Post reports that Bernie Sanders is set to make remarks on opening day of the three-day Women's Convention, with the Vermont senator writing on Facebook he's "honored to join the women at the front lines of our struggle for economic, social, racial, and environmental justice." But some think that, at a convention dedicated to women's issues and rights, those front lines should be reserved for women only (at least when it comes to prime podium time), and they're grumbling about a selection they don't think should have been made in the first place. "This choice sends the wrong message," tweeted the head of the Emily's List PAC, one of the convention's sponsors. There's even a Change.org petition seeking to remove Sanders as an opening-day speaker, while still acknowledging he's been a "[long-time] champion for progressive values" for which women are "grateful." But Tamika D. Mallory, one of the event's organizers, points out on Twitter that Sanders—just one of two men among the 60-plus scheduled speakers—isn't the day's headliner (Rep. Maxine Waters is), and she points out to the Detroit Free Press that Sanders is an expert activist mobilizer. As for why someone like Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, or even Hillary Clinton wasn't helping to lead opening-day honors, Mallory adds in a statement that "many elected officials" were invited, but that their schedules didn't permit them to attend, per CNN.