WomenCount Launches New Campaign: "I'm a Woman. I Have Issues."
Sunday September 21, 2008
By: Stacy Mason

Partners With Tokoni to Collect Women’s Personal Stories of Political Concerns that Matter Most

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 23, 2008 - In a move that signals women want to move the dialogue surrounding the presidential election away from politics and toward substance, the non-profit organization WomenCount is launching a new campaign today entitled, “I'm a woman. I have issues.”

 “It's time for the candidates and the mainstream media to stop talking about the politics of the women's vote and to start listening to the substance of the issues we care about,” said Stacy Mason, executive director of WomenCount.

Through a partnership with Tokoni (www.tokoni.com), a new social media community that enables people to share stories of life’s diverse experiences, WomenCount is encouraging women to voice their opinions about the political issues that matter most to them at a dedicated campaign site, www.womencount.tokoni.com. To ensure women’s voices are heard, WomenCount will collect the individual stories [MB1] and deliver the messages to the presidential campaigns, the media and party leaders.

Going beyond the perceived traditional women’s issues, including reproductive rights, pay equity, education and child care, for example, WomenCount has identified other categories women are equally concerned about, including the economy, energy, the environment, welfare reform, foreign policy, healthcare and Iraq.

Women are able to post their stories, invite comments from community members, and engage in dialogue with others who share their concerns. Also, participants are able to link their stories on other social media and networking sites, furthering the reach of their individual points of view.

“Tokoni and WomenCount share the common goal of ensuring everyone’s voices are heard, and this campaign puts that conviction into action,” said Mary Lou Song, co-founder of Tokoni. “At Tokoni, we believe shared storytelling allows people to explore issues and points of view with greater understanding and appreciation.”

WomenCount, which was originally created as a PAC in May, launched its non-profit arm in July to give women a voice in the political process. Using MoveOn as its model, the group focused on issues of gender bias throughout the summer with its “Stop the Silence on Sexism” campaign. The gender bias effort, which serves as a watchdog for attacks against women on the campaign trail, will continue to run alongside the new campaign.

 “We originally grew out of a need to make sure the voices of women were being heard,” said Rosemary Camposano, communications director for WomenCount. “That urgent need is here again, this time to make sure the conversation is about issues, not lipstick.”

To post a story as part of the “I'm a woman. I have issues.” campaign, go to www.womencount.tokoni.com. Or visit www.womencount.org.

 

About WomenCount

WomenCount is a non-profit political organization that gives women of all generations and backgrounds from around the country a powerful voice in the political process. Our organization has two arms: a 527 that conducts issue-related campaigns and a PAC that raises and donates funds to candidates for office.

The Internet has transformed grassroots activism. Instead of organizing in living rooms, campaigns are sprouting online. The web has become a powerful tool in the political process – for issues, for candidates, for fundraising. It's time for the women’s movement to leverage these opportunities.

Think of WomenCount as a MoveOn for women’s issues and ideas. We’ll be flexible, adaptable, and participatory – a political force to be reckoned with.

 

About Tokoni

Founded in August 2007 by former eBay executives, Tokoni is a social media community where people share their diverse stories of life experiences to entertain, inform, influence and inspire others. Tokoni is helping to shape the next generation of social media by breaking down existing content, connect and community barriers of today’s social Web experience. The company is funded by its founders, eBay Inc. and a number of well-known angel investors, including the founder of eBay and active investor in the participatory media space, Pierre Omidyar. More information about Tokoni is available at www.tokoni.com.