This is the home page of Social Justice Connections -- the hub from which the rest of the website can be found. Go to any of the 5 images and click towards the center.

Here is my August 27 comment on the life in the USA:

In the midst of the big story from Denver, you may have missed the death of Del Martin. If you did hear of her death, you almost certainly heard about it in the context of her marriage in California to her longtime partner, Phyllis Lyons, a few months ago.

For many of us, that marriage was simply a touching moment, two elderly women finally able to legally express many decades of commitment. But there were very good reasons why that particular couple was singled out by community leaders in California. They recognized the contributions of these two and put them first on the list when the marriage opportunity came up.

I will focus on Del, because she has passed, and because I know she was a leader in one of the great victories for social justice in my lifetime.

Her book, Battered Wives, was published in 1976. Here's a description from the Volcano Press website, attributed to the National Clearinghouse on Domestic Violence.

"Published in 1976 and updated in 1981, Battered Wives was the first book on the subject of domestic violence in the United States and still the best general introduction to the problem of abuse.This book includes excellent critical summaries of the legal and political status of battered women, and the extent to which their immediate predicament must be understood in broad political terms."

More than 32 years ago, this courageous woman chose to not only speak up against, but to analyze and to publicly attack, the practice of wife beating. She did this from the vulnerable and marginalized position of a San Francisco Lesbian. All she had was the truth -- and the knowledge that the feminist movement might have the power to carry that truth forward, and to lead a constituency against domestic violence.

What was the result?

Today, every law enforcement officer, every social worker and every public health official knows -- at least at an intellectual level -- that no person has the right to physically abuse a souse or partner, no matter what their relationship is.

Today, wherever you live in this country, there is almost certainly a domestic violence shelter in your area. Underfunded, crowded, struggling -- but it's there.

Today, almost every single child growing up in this country, at some point in early life, is going to hear the message I see emblazoned on the home page of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance -- "Nobody Has the Right to Force You."

Almost none of this was true when Del Martin began writing her book. Wife beating was not only not a crime in most cases, it was literally a joke -- in comic strips, in social conversation, on TV.

Del Martin spearheaded this profoundly significant revolution. Her passion and her intellect undermined patriarchy's first line of defense -- the right to physically control, harm and even kill women and children.

Those are strong words, but that right did exist. If you doubt it, read A Letter From a Battered Wife, part of the 1976 book.

Del Martin moved all of us - women, children and men -- towards genuine love and away from the contempt, sorrow and waste of relationships determined by violence.

Every one of us who believes in human self-determination ought to stop for a moment -- and thank and honor Del Martin in whatever way our spirits move us. Every one of us ought to learn from, and be empowered by, her example.

and here is a comment on another issue that just does not go away:

And my thoughts on Rev. Jeremiah Wright are on this page.

This is a personal site. I would very much like to hear from you if you find it useful or interesting.

An occasional feature, based on current articles:

How and Why the Washington Post Maintains the Status Quo

I have also restored something I posted on this site originally in 1999:

Is Your Social Justice Work Building a Strong Movement?