| “…I
have so many female friends who are lessened by
the male perspective, in their artistry and in
what they do on a lot of different levels, so
to have an environment [Girl Fest Hawaii] where
women are…not worshipped…but understood
and heard and respected…It was life changing.”
~ Amber Tamblyn, Actress & poet, Golden Globe,
Emmy Award, and Independent Spirit Award Nominee
- Nylon Magazine 11/2006
...........
"Congratulations
to Kathryn Xian, Honored by Soroptimist International!
Kathy Xian, Founder and Non-Executive Director
of the Safe Zone Foundation in Hawaii and GiRL
FeST Hawaii and GiRL FeST Bay Area, was honored
on Friday by Soroptimist International of the
Americas for her work on human trafficking and
sexual slavery. We were fortunate to have been
able to attend the awards ceremony--and thanks
to Kathy and Soroptimist for giving us the opportunity
to share our human trafficking and modern-day
slavery poems with them. We have added both orgs
as links to our site, along with Polaris Project
and Free the Slaves. Please learn more about the
work they do to improve the lives of women and
children all over the world.
Thanks also to
all the wonderful women from Soroptimist who spoke
to us after our performance and who even gave
us gifts. I have to say this was a really special
experience for us in so many ways. First of all,
we had no idea there would be so many of yall!
I mean, I knew that this is an international organization,
but I had no idea there would be over 1500 of
you at this event. When I walked into the Grand
Hall Ballroom at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
and saw all the tables, I was like "Oh, Shizzit!"
Catzie's reaction was similar to mine. This was
definitely the largest live crowd we've ever performed
for. And when these 1500 women so graciously gave
us a standing ovation, I almost cried. All of
these women--from Brazil, England, Japan, Korea,
Philippines, U.S. and more--are doing amazing
and important work on behalf of women who are
poor or abused, have been raped or trafficked,
and that they listened to our poetry and responded
so sincerely, really moved Catzie and me. After
the protests and petition letters written against
us this year and all the criticism we get, to
have a multinational, multilingual, multigenerational
group of women show us such heartfelt support
really makes us feel as if what we do is worth
it. We cannot express our thanks enough.
Special thanks
to Lori Blair and Eva Matyskiela from Soroptimist
and Kathy Xian for making it possible for us to
be part of this event. And BIG UPS! to Kathy--for
all the important work that you do and the wonderful
person that you are. - posted by Yellow
Rage @ 7/25/2006 10:27:00 AM EST"
...........
"I want to
take a moment to thank all of the staff of Girl
Fest Hawaii and Safe Zone Honolulu. While watching
the communication between all involved in ensuring
the safety of all female students within the UH
system, as well as their staff, it occured to
me just how much the folks of these two organizations
work on our behalf. They are the voice that many
of us haven't yet found. They walk beside all
women of Hawaii in support. Coming from my backgroud,
I cannot adequately express my gratitude to all
of you. Thank you for underscoring, again and
again, the available resources within our community
-- both of the organizations included. I consider
it an honor and a privilege to work with you in
creating a safer environment for the female population
in Hawaii." ~ via email, Kelli D., October
18th 2005, Honolulu
...........
"I'm a big
fan of Girl Fest and congratulate you for the
impact this event had this year." ~ via email,
Elizabeth Kieszkowski, Features Editor, The
Honolulu Advertiser, October 4th 2005
...........
"You are
the voices for the victims and survivors on your
campus and they need you!" ~ via email, Shael
Norris, Director, College Campaign, V-Day,
Until the Violence Stops, NYC
...........
[Kathryn] Xian
launched a "GirlFest," a multi-media
festival that exposes girls to positive role
models and builds self-esteem through film,
the arts, lectures and more. She founded a film
production company, Zang Pictures, which makes
films related to Hawaiian and American culture,
gender issues and social justice. "Kathryn
Xian has done more for her community in 10 years
than most people do in a lifetime," said
Reg
Weaver, NEA President, April 4th 2005, Washington
D.C.
...........
“[Girl
Fest is] the wave of the future...[It’s]
a creative and dynamic approach to activism
that goes to the heart of what we need, which
is a cultural evolution...This festival will
inspire and entertain, as well as educate and
mobilize.” ~ Jessica Neuwirth, Harvard
Law Professor and President of Equality
Now, NYC
...........
“I think
art can inspire, illuminate, motivate, touch
people’s hearts and minds…In order
for us to stem the tide of our culture’s
pandemic of men’s violence, we have to
make prevention a societal priority. Art is
certainly a part of that, and efforts like Girl
Fest are important cultural interventions.”
~ Jackson
Katz, Founder of MVP Strategies & Former
Member of the U.S. Secretary of Defense's Task
Force on Domestic Violence in the Military
...........
"There
is no question that art is an essential part
of healing, organizing, and social change. Girl
Fest recognizes and embraces that concept, and
is playing a central role in bringing forward
the next generation of activists for gender
equity." ~ Patrick Lemmon, Executive Director
of Men
Can Stop Rape
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