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Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971

1970-07-10 "Ain't I a Woman?" Page 12

Women's Collectives Bring us Together

In the interest of bringing women together and in an attempt at experimenting with communal living several sisters in Iowa City have formed an all women's collective. We’re hoping that living together will do several things. First, by pooling all our incomes we can free some of the sisters from oppressive work so that they can do full-time worthwhile work. Also, living together makes us physically close, enabling us to study together, work together, share the shit work, and to share the exciting moments together. We formed the collective hoping that it would be a place where all our sisters and us could come to get ourselves together and eventually find alternative lifestyles and philosophies for the future.
   We have lived together in a large house for just about one month. There are six sisters who actually live in the house and two more sisters who will join us in the fall when they return from traveling. Two of the sisters help organize and run the two free day care centers in Iowa City. Other sisters in the house help at the day care centers and work full-time at straight jobs. All the money that people earn is pooled together. Sisters contribute anything from a full month’s salary to food stamps only. This all goes into either our household kitty for our checking account.
   Thus far the collective has made several structural decisions. First, we have regular closed meetings to discuss issues or problems at hand. This is a time when we have been consciousness raising. At first we thought that having closed meetings may have been an elitist thing to do. But in the interest of experimenting with a small core of the same people we decided that it was necessary. Also, we have decided that there will be no men in the house. This decision was made in the effort to support the goals that we have made for ourselves. If women are truly to get themselves together then they need someplace where they may go and always know that the open arms of a sister await them. We think of our house as a place where married sisters, high school sisters, and all others may come to talk if they have 

[hand drawn cartoon]
It's QUACKMAN [down arrow]
[hand drawn man/eagle]
hiding behind the star emblazoned shield of American manhood!
Right on!
Looks kinda sick, doesn't he?

problems or to have fun if they need to get away for a while. It has been difficult to not allow men in the house, because there always seem to be those exceptions. However, the rule of never any men in our house has established an atmosphere to the house that we all agree is wonderful. It is very important that we do not become co-opted on this point. We also decided that there will be no dope in the house. Especially these two decisions came after a large discussion on how disciplined we want to become.
   As previously mentioned we had decided to have collective meetings at least once a week. We usually try to schedule collective meetings on a night when there are no cell meetings and as often per week as we can. Initially these meetings were mainly concerned with very basic functions of the collective. For example, we had to discuss how housework, money, meetings, cars, etc. were to be taken care of. However, we also began to discuss theoretical issues such as sisterhood, loving women, elitism, self-disciline, group protection, pigs, etc. All of these discussions led to consciousness raising. In the future we hope to have special periods of time set aside just for consciousness raising.
   The household responsibilities have been divided so that two people cook every evening meal. and two people do the pots and pans after each person does their own dishes. We all eat dinner together at seven o’clock, and usually there are many other sisters to sit down to eat with us. The weekly cleaning is done on Saturday when two sisters plan the meals for a week and buy the groceries, to do all the laundry, and two plus any other sisters who come clean the house. These jobs are rotated each week, and no one is ever left to do anything by herself.
   We’ve not had a lot of time to really become as close to each other as we hope to become. Thus far many of us have been out of town frequently. However, in a month’s time we have definitely become much closer among ourselves and to the many sisters who spend a lot of time at our collective.

ADS
   Tired of Male stereotypes
Male fantasies, Male power structures
   Subscribe to APHRA
First feminist literary magazine.
   Now Ready—Spring Issue
   The Woman as Artist:
   Drama, fiction, poetry,
   criticism, sculpture.
One year’s subscription (4 issues)
   $3.50. Single issues $1.00. Send check or money order to APHRA 
   Box 355, Springtown, Pa. 18081

SOCIALIST REVOLUTION
   Agenda Publishing Company
   1445 Stockton Street
San Francisco, California, 94133
   Single Issue $1.50
Subscription (6 Issues) $6.00

   Economically, women’s collectives are highly desirable. A single woman has much harder time than a bachelor. She receives less pay for more and shittier work, insurance companies’, the government’s and other institutions’ policies make it harder financially to be single. However, if the woman marries, she fits right into the capitalistic system of economics. She can be written off as a “dependent” or an “exemption.” A collective with other women would be less expensive since costs would be shared. The collective would be an institution (a new institution in society!) and as such, could buy food etc. more cheaply.
   Women, by forming their own collectives are Saying two things at the same time; “Fuck men” and “Up with the new revolution.”
   In saying “Fuck men” the collective points out that women’s oppression exists today and will continue to exist unless women learn to depend more upon each other and less upon men. In the collective women would live together, acquire knowledge of their own strength, and constantly reinforce each other’s efforts. In co-ed collectives it has been all too easy for women to assume the traditional roles of cooking, cleaning, etc. In a woman’s collective women would learn to make repairs, keep the car running, make furniture, etc.
   More importantly however, in a woman’s collective women would learn to look to their sisters, not men, for approval. This will come about through living together which necessitates decisions and actions that will reinforce strength and confidence.
   If the idea of women’s collectives sounds that men, [it]? is; to men. Women are making [missing word?] definite political move which puts pressure on the men to overcome their male chauvinism[?]. Women are saying our oppression will not be passed over in the revolution as it has everywhere else. (In Cuba and China they [missing word] slowly working out women’s equality[?].
   Further, women are saying there will not be another rev[olu?]tion unless women’s oppression
[is?]  ended. Women’s collectives are [missing word] start at getting women to dep[end?] upon each other and a start t[o?] relieve oppression, both of [which?] will be necessary achievements
[missing word?] women are to be liberated in [missing word?] forth coming revolution. In f[?] the liberation of women in the revolution insures that it will [missing word?] be socialist or communist as [missing word?] and female roles and relationships are destroyed.
   Learning to stop competing with our sisters and to start [re?]lying upon them will be impor[tant?] lessons in the commune. Once [missing word] trust, rely upon, and love each[?]
other it will give us faith and[?] strenth to convince other women[?] (because they really are worth our time and effort) and to s[missing letters] males from oppressing us. We [missing word] love and receive strength from each other in our struggle to [missing word] fect a revolution which must [missing word] erate women in order to be successful.   
   Up with women’s collectives! Power to the sisterhood!   Grinnell

12     Vol.1 No.2     July 10, 1970   Ain’t I?

Saving...

Women's Collectives Bring us Together In the interest of bringing women together and in an attempt at experimenting with communal living several sisters in Iowa City have formed an all women's collective. We’re hoping that living together will do several things. First, by pooling all our incomes we can free some of the sisters from oppressive work so that they can do full-time worthwhile work. Also, living together makes us physically close, enabling us to study together, work together, share the shit work, and to share the exciting moments together. We formed the collective hoping that it would be a place where all our sisters and us could come to get ourselves together and eventually find alternative lifestyles and philosophies for the future. We have lived together in a large house for just about one month. There are six sisters who actually live in the house and two more sisters who will join us in the fall when they return from traveling. Two of the sisters help organize and run the two free day care centers in Iowa City. Other sisters in the house help at the day care centers and work full-time at straight jobs. All the money that people earn is pooled together. Sisters contribute anything from a full month’s salary to food stamps only. This all goes into either our household kitty for our checking account. Thus far the collective has made several structural decisions. First, we have regular closed meetings to discuss issues or problems at hand. This is a time when we have been consciousness raising. At first we thought that having closed meetings may have been an elitist thing to do. But in the interest of experimenting with a small core of the same people we decided that it was necessary. Also, we have decided that there will be no men in the house. This decision was made in the effort to support the goals that we have made for ourselves. If women are truly to get themselves together then they need someplace where they may go and always know that the open arms of a sister await them. We think of our house as a place where married sisters, high school sisters, and all others may come to talk if they have [hand drawn cartoon] It's QUACKMAN [down arrow] [hand drawn man/eagle] hiding behind the star emblazoned shield of American manhood! Right on! Looks kinda sick, doesn't he? problems or to have fun if they need to get away for a while. It has been difficult to not allow men in the house, because there always seem to be those exceptions. However, the rule of never any men in our house has established an atmosphere to the house that we all agree is wonderful. It is very important that we do not become co-opted on this point. We also decided that there will be no dope in the house. Especially these two decisions came after a large discussion on how disciplined we want to become. As previously mentioned we had decided to have collective meetings at least once a week. We usually try to schedule collective meetings on a night when there are no cell meetings and as often per week as we can. Initially these meetings were mainly concerned with very basic functions of the collective. For example, we had to discuss how housework, money, meetings, cars, etc. were to be taken care of. However, we also began to discuss theoretical issues such as sisterhood, loving women, elitism, self-disciline, group protection, pigs, etc. All of these discussions led to consciousness raising. In the future we hope to have special periods of time set aside just for consciousness raising. The household responsibilities have been divided so that two people cook every evening meal. and two people do the pots and pans after each person does their own dishes. We all eat dinner together at seven o’clock, and usually there are many other sisters to sit down to eat with us. The weekly cleaning is done on Saturday when two sisters plan the meals for a week and buy the groceries, to do all the laundry, and two plus any other sisters who come clean the house. These jobs are rotated each week, and no one is ever left to do anything by herself. We’ve not had a lot of time to really become as close to each other as we hope to become. Thus far many of us have been out of town frequently. However, in a month’s time we have definitely become much closer among ourselves and to the many sisters who spend a lot of time at our collective. ADS Tired of Male stereotypes Male fantasies, Male power structures Subscribe to APHRA First feminist literary magazine. Now Ready—Spring Issue The Woman as Artist: Drama, fiction, poetry, criticism, sculpture. One year’s subscription (4 issues) $3.50. Single issues $1.00. Send check or money order to APHRA Box 355, Springtown, Pa. 18081 SOCIALIST REVOLUTION Agenda Publishing Company 1445 Stockton Street San Francisco, California, 94133 Single Issue $1.50 Subscription (6 Issues) $6.00 Economically, women’s collectives are highly desirable. A single woman has much harder time than a bachelor. She receives less pay for more and shittier work, insurance companies’, the government’s and other institutions’ policies make it harder financially to be single. However, if the woman marries, she fits right into the capitalistic system of economics. She can be written off as a “dependent” or an “exemption.” A collective with other women would be less expensive since costs would be shared. The collective would be an institution (a new institution in society!) and as such, could buy food etc. more cheaply. Women, by forming their own collectives are Saying two things at the same time; “Fuck men” and “Up with the new revolution.” In saying “Fuck men” the collective points out that women’s oppression exists today and will continue to exist unless women learn to depend more upon each other and less upon men. In the collective women would live together, acquire knowledge of their own strength, and constantly reinforce each other’s efforts. In co-ed collectives it has been all too easy for women to assume the traditional roles of cooking, cleaning, etc. In a woman’s collective women would learn to make repairs, keep the car running, make furniture, etc. More importantly however, in a woman’s collective women would learn to look to their sisters, not men, for approval. This will come about through living together which necessitates decisions and actions that will reinforce strength and confidence. If the idea of women’s collectives sounds that men, [it]? is; to men. Women are making [missing word?] definite political move which puts pressure on the men to overcome their male chauvinism[?]. Women are saying our oppression will not be passed over in the revolution as it has everywhere else. (In Cuba and China they [missing word] slowly working out women’s equality[?]. Further, women are saying there will not be another rev[olu?]tion unless women’s oppression [is?] ended. Women’s collectives are [missing word] start at getting women to dep[end?] upon each other and a start t[o?] relieve oppression, both of [which?] will be necessary achievements [missing word?] women are to be liberated in [missing word?] forth coming revolution. In f[?] the liberation of women in the revolution insures that it will [missing word?] be socialist or communist as [missing word?] and female roles and relationships are destroyed. Learning to stop competing with our sisters and to start [re?]lying upon them will be impor[tant?] lessons in the commune. Once [missing word] trust, rely upon, and love each[?] other it will give us faith and[?] strenth to convince other women[?] (because they really are worth our time and effort) and to s[missing letters] males from oppressing us. We [missing word] love and receive strength from each other in our struggle to [missing word] fect a revolution which must [missing word] erate women in order to be successful. Up with women’s collectives! Power to the sisterhood! Grinnell 12 Vol.1 No.2 July 10, 1970 Ain’t I?