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16 November 2 • 2017 jn Women's Convention in Detroit included a strong Jewish presence. A Chorus Of Women's Voices R obyn Canvasser spent three days eagerly soaking up the advice and the wisdom of women engaged in social and economic justice issues ranging from clean water legislation to educa- tion parity to gun control to reproductive rights. Her takeaway from the first Women's Convention, which brought more than 4,000 women to Cobo Center in Detroit last weekend: People of color are sub- jected to stressors every day that white people either ignore or inadvertently foster, and real political change starts in one's backyard. "I found it invigorating," says Canvasser, 53, of West Bloomfield. "It was empow- ering to meet women from all over the country who are just as interested as I am in saving our democracy." The convention, an outgrowth of the Women's March in Washington last January, was a roll-up-your-sleeves affair in a shirtsleeves kind of city. The 170-plus panel discussions and workshops focused on hyperlocal organizing to get-out-the-vote strategies to running for local office to using social media to grow networks of like-minded voters. The sense of purpose was palpable in the packed conference rooms and halls of Cobo. National Council of Jewish Women had a place at the table, as did Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish advocacy organization, and Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, whose director, Audrey Sasson, led a workshop on anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Stosh Cotler of Bend the Arc spoke about intersectionality — how each of us has a diversity of identities that affects how we see and are seen. Detroit was selected as the site of the convention because of its history of growing grassroots activists — and because the issues that are most acute in the nation are "starkly visible in Detroit and its surrounding areas: economic inequality, environmental injustice, de facto segregation, ICE raids, violent policing, and overall unequal access and opportunity," says Sophie Ellman-Golan, deputy director of communications and outreach for Women's March and an activist in progressive Jewish causes. The event started Friday morning with jolting speeches by the convention's national co-chairs, including Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian Muslim who has raised hackles because of her anti-Zionist state- ments on social media and her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. In fact, some Jewish women stayed away precisely because of Sarsour's involvement. Debra Zivian of Farmington Hills did not attend the convention because the organizers of the Women's March in January — Sarsour among them — excluded anti-abortion activists (who participated but were not granted partnership status). And, she says that Sarsour, as a feminist, should come out against the practice of genital mutila- tion of young girls in the Muslim community. "For them to hold a convention in Detroit where there's such a large Arab population and for her to be silent, I find that disturbing," said Zivian, 55. "My biggest problem with this group is that unless you JULIE EDGAR CONTRIBUTING WRITER jews d in the TOP LEFT-RIGHT: Carole Caplan of Ann Arbor, Diane Orley of Bloomfield Hills and Robyn Canvasser of West Bloomfield. Joan Roth. Miriam Halprin and Nina Robb of Bloomfield Township. ABOVE: The Cobo Center atrium. Sophie Ellman Golan and Linda Sarsour at continued on page 18 PHOTOS BY JULIE EDGAR