Dear NWSA organizers,

We know, as articulated clearly in the NWSA's official statement issued 5/17 (see link to right), that NWSA's mission and leadership oppose all forms of oppression and is not in support of Georgia's recently passed anti-immigrant legislation (see link). It's members are similarly invested in challenging oppression and working for social change and justice.

We write to you today as members of NWSA who would like to ensure that our organization collectively considers more options before deciding that we cannot adhere to the boycott called by Somos Georgia, Southerners on New Ground,  National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, National Day Laborers Organizing Network, U.S. Human Rights Network, and others (see links). Our goal is to stop the spread of this type of legislation. We believe that it would be fruitful to brainstorm strategies with the membership of NWSA.

When Arizona passed the first legislation of this kind a similar boycott was called. Organizations responded creatively to move or cancel their meetings, ensuring that a state which enacts such repressive anti-immigrant measures would not benefit from membership revenue. Perhaps we can learn from those examples.  Mujeres Activas en Letras Cambio Social (MALCS) and the Law and Society Association (LSA) honored the boycott by not holding conferences in Arizona last year (see links).

We the undersigned are committed to exhausting all possibilities for supporting immigrant justice in Georgia before we register for the upcoming conference and settle for panels. We hope that we can work together towards this goal and respectfully request that the decision be reconsidered.

The following nine names below sponsored this petition.

Feminist Science and Technology Taskforce Chairs
Piya Chatterjee, PhD, UC Riverside, Women's Studies
Gwen D'Arcangelis, PhD, Scripps College Gender and Women's Studies
Kolleen Duley, UCLA Women's Studies
Sara Giordano, PhD, San Diego State University Women's Studies
Laura L. Mays Hoopes, PhD, Pomona College, Molecular Biology
Angie Willey, PhD, Carleton College, Women's and Gender Studies
Diana Pei Wu, PhD, Antioch University, Urban Community and Environment
Kay Austen, PhD, English Literature (retired)

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