Campaign for Gender Equality is a non-profit 501c3 organization whose mission is to raise public awareness of the benefits of gender equality, regardless of age, race, class or sexual orientation, through education and advocacy.

Our vision is a society that values Gender Equality.

• We believe Gender Equality is a Human Rights issue.
•  
• We believe what are called “women’s issues” not only affects women, but also affects men and families as a whole.
•  
• We believe the United States needs a national conversation about gender INequality that still exists in this country.
•  
• We believe in partnership and that working together we are stronger.
•  
• We believe Knowledge = Action = Change.
•  
  
•  

OUR HISTORY

The candidacies of Hillary Clinton for President and Sara Palin for Vice President raised the public’s awareness of the gender inequality that still exists in this country. During the 2008 election we saw an awakening and a new understanding of the way our culture treats women.

Campaign for Gender Equality was formed in September 2008 to activate and educate the public on the benefit of achieving full gender equality.

Our first partnership was with WomenCount. In September 2008, CFGE met with WomenCount to discuss the idea of calling for the establishment of a Presidential Commission on Women. We worked together for three months to develop the plan of action that launched the Presidential Commission on Women petition drive. A Presidential Commission on Women is one way to initiate a national conversation about gender inequities and to call for needed changes. We are pleased that President Obama created a White House Council on Women and Girls. We believe that The White House Council and the Presidential Commission on Women can work together in collaboration - the Council working within the administration and the Commission working to bring issues to light, creating a national conversation to improve women’s lives.

Campaign for Gender Equality is working on the grassroots level to ask individuals and organizations to support the creation of a Presidential Commission on Women.

Our second partnership, developed in December 2008, was with University of California, Santa Cruz Feminist Studies professor, Dr. Bettina Aptheker to promote her acclaimed class Introduction to Feminisms available on DVD. To achieve Gender Equality in our society we must first understand how sexism, racism, classism, and homophobia are interconnected. Dr. Aptheker’s "Introduction to Feminisms" emphasizes the diversity of women's lives. She talks about everything from unlearning racism, to loving ourselves, to women, immigration and the global economy, to women and body image, to the politics of rape and how they all interrelate with each other.

We have established a database of and are communicating with over 1,500 national, state and local organizations and thousands of individuals. We are expanding our network everyday, developing new partnerships, and using technology to encourage active participation to improve women’s lives. Please join us. Unite and be Heard!

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Pat Bakalian (Executive Director) has been a strong advocate and leader for women since she bought the first Ms. Magazine in 1972. Since then she has served on her county’s Commission on the Status of Women and was instrumental in forming the county’s Domestic Violence Commission. She learned first hand what many women face when she worked as a medical assistant and councilor at an abortion clinic. She has an extensive background as a community organizer and consults with non profit organizations on partnership development and coalition building. Her passion is connecting the dots and making positive change happen, especially to improve women’s lives. Pat has worked as a political field director and campaign manager as well as with the Center for Disease Control consulting with public health departments around the country in the areas of community collaboration. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA with her husband of 38 years. They have three grown daughters and two wonderful son-in-laws.

Jill Buntenbach (Outreach Director) grew up in the heart of the Midwest and from an early age began to question a “woman’s role.” As she became her own woman she saw the importance of being a nurturer and a mother figure but also saw that being strong, confident, and self driven was equally important. She has dedicated most of her life working as a residential care technician with the handicapped and assisting the elderly whom were mostly women. As a single mom for the early years of her son’s life she faced many of the same obstacles as other single mothers. She has managed volunteer efforts and voter outreach for local and national campaigns. She is managing the extensive outreach effort for the Campaign for Gender Equality’s current petition drive to establish a Presidential Commission on Women. She believes that unless we stand together as one community women will never achieve full equality. She is committed to reaching out, bringing individuals, groups and organizations of all sizes together to end gender discrimination.

Shawn Kumagai (Marketing and Communications Director) grew up the eldest son to a single mother. Watching his mother work her way through college, and advance in a career in government service and public health, he witnessed the many hurdles that single mothers face in the workplace and in society. He has worked in military intelligence for eight years as an active duty service member and in his career, has been inspired by the determination of women serving in the military in the face of soft bigotry and prejudice. This has instilled in him the desire to work to eliminate gender inequalities in this country. He understands that sexism of any kind ultimately has a negative effect on both women and men, as well as their families, and is a violation of all our civil rights. He has a background in technology, communications, and organizational management and currently works as a language instructor in Monterey, CA.