LESBIAN ACTIVISM CHANGING THE WORLD: Old Lesbians Organizing for Change

25th Anniversary Celebration at our National Gathering July 23 – 27, 2014

Oakland California Marriott Hotel & Convention Center

________________________________________________________

RECIPIENTS OF THE DEL MARTIN OLD LESBIAN PRIDE AWARD ANNOUNCED!!

OLOC is delighted to announce that the Del Martin Old Lesbian Pride Award will be presented at this year’s 25th Anniversary Celebration to TWO deserving Old Lesbians, Arden Eversmeyer of Houston Texas, and Joan Emerson of the OLOC Bay Area Chapter. The recipients will each receive $500. The Awards presentation will be held at the Gathering's Opening Night on July 23rd, after greetings from local officials and hosts.

ARDEN, a committed member, served as OLOC’s Co-Director of OLOC from 1997 to 2004 as well as serving on its Steering Committee for 14 years. She founded The Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project, (OLOHP) in 1997, collecting stories of Lesbian friends who were ill and dying in the Houston Texas area where she lives. Now, she and others continue to collect the life stories of Lesbians 70 and older wherever they are and whenever they are willing to share them, with OLOC’s support and help. Arden co-edited two collections of OLOHP stories. A Gift of Age: Old Lesbian Life Stories and Without Apology: Old Lesbian Life Stories can be ordered at www.alibris.com"

JOAN taught sociology at Carleton College where she also wrote articles that became classics. She left her academic career to train as a psychotherapist, working with children. Joan attended the OLOC National Gathering in Minneapolis in 1996 at age 61. Arriving “to explore the lesbian world”, 24 hours later she enthusiastically joined the Old Lesbian community and for 18 years - 1996-2013 - she worked in revitalizing and coordinating OLOC’s San Francisco chapter. Joan says: “Old age has been the best time of my life”.

This award solicits nominees worldwide and nominations include a description of the outstanding accomplishments of the nominee who must be alive and over the age of 70, and whose life and/or work has impacted the lives of Old Lesbians.

This is the third award to be given. The first was in 2010 at the National Gathering in Cleveland to activists Carmah Lawler and Kathy Glass. In 2012 the award went to Joy Griffith, long-time organizer of the annual Golden Threads Gathering in Provincetown MA.

***************************

Old Lesbians Organizing for Change

Oakland California Marriott Hotel & Convention Center

This is a call to Old Lesbians in their 60th year or more to join hundreds of our peers at OLOC’s Biennial National Gathering -- 5 days of workshops panels, caucuses, entertainment and socializing with some events welcoming women of all ages!

To date a diverse lineup of award-winning presenters and performers have been confirmed…with more to come!

· Dorothy Allison, http://www.dorothyallison.net/ Poet, Storyteller, Feminist

· Cherrie Moraga, http://www.cherriemoraga.comPlaywright, Essayist, Activist Educator

· Chrystos. http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/chrystos.phpPoet, Writer, Land and Treaty Native American Rights Activist

Carolyn Gage’s riveting Lesbian Tent Revival, an Author's night, the Del Martin Old Lesbian Pride Award, and a dance with the Bay Area Women's Liberation Boogie Band add to the impressive list of events and celebrations scheduled throughout the Gathering.

An Intensive will trace the roots of feminism and envision our next steps through stories and feminist political analysis.

For and by Lesbians, OLOC works to empower and improve our lives with a support network consisting of a quarterly newsletter, regular e-news, more than a dozen chapters, and OLOC Gatherings both Regional and National. Using education and public discourse, we confront ageism, sexism, racism, classism, and we work for justice.

For more Information, please go to our website: www.oloc.org, email info@oloc.org, or call 888 706-7506