Clinton St. Quarterly, Vol. 7 No. 4 | Winter 1985 (Seattle) /// Issue 14 of 24 /// Master# 62 of 73

building alliances and working to educate others. This past summer more than 140 women from throughout the Pacific THE CHALLENGE I FACED WAS TO UNTHINK THE CULTURAL ARMOR AND TO BEGIN TAKING ACTION BY BUILDING ALLIANCES AND WORKING TO EDUCATE OTHERS. Northwest attended the Women and Technology conference in Portland that I organized. Workshops ranged from discussions on how technology affects the workplace and how to start a technologybased business to learning about career planning and office automation issues. The audience was diverse and at times the dialogue was tense or downright confrontational, especially where labor and management issues were concerned. Many discussions resulted in more questions than answers. But the event was an exciting one where women from many diverse backgrounds explored how technology affected their lives. There was one moment during this fast-paced day of making speeches and attending to details when I looked over my shoulder and saw an executive dressed in a tailored suit, high heels and a bowtie, a Hispanic secretary who had just been denied a promotion, a software engineer, and a black union organizer engaged in a heated discussion. They definitely had something to say to each other; I was thrilled. With a broad community-based understanding of the issues, I sensed that collective action could make a difference. As consumers we can boycott technologies that we feel are unconstructive and demand from manufacturers what we want, rather than have corporate entities dictate how a technology is used. My role as a feminist technologist continues to be one of making connections with people and ideas, and learning about the inter-relationships between our social, political, and economic choices and the applications of technology. This path continues to be a meandering one, on which I attempt to integrate the complexities and ambiguities inherent in a rapidly changing world. My home is now an “electronic cottage” where I write about software, electronic communication, and the connections between humanism and technology. Using my computer and modem, I am now exchanging ideas with people nationwide who are organizing similar actions and sharing humanistic values about technology. The bottomline has been my discovery that technology is political. Mimi Maduro is a technical writer living in Portland. She has long been involved with RAIN magazine. Artist-gardener Susan Gustavson lives in Portland. SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THEM I trust you and I believe in Santa. Send the following folks a subscription to the CSQ. I have enclosed $12 for 8 issues. They will receive a card saying I sent it. TO_______________________ _____________ ADDRESS----------------------------------------------------- CITY STATE____ ZIP FROM___________________________________ ___________________________________________ ________ Yeah sure. I have enclosed $22 for 2 subscriptions ...o n e for me, one for them. (or make up a list of friends... each additional subscription only $10. TO_______________________ „ ADDRESS_____________________ , C I T Y STATE____ ZIP FROM________________________________________________________________________________________ f 1930 s Bakelife Jewelrij* * NEW FROM NANCY'S 3 NEW LOWEAT YOGURT FLAVORS Essence of Lemon, Vanilla, and Maple. Watch for them! ALSO AVAILABLE Nancy's Plain Lowfat Yogurt in handy 8 oz. size. on Capitol Hill — Defy Your Clothes Budget FOREIGN INTRIGUE 1828 B 3 R 2 O 2 A - D 7 W 78 A 9 Y SAVE 10% WITH THIS COUPON m n 0 TAKE-TWO consigned apparel & accessories A CONSIGNMENT CONCEPT • Specializing in Designer Fashions • Catering to Career Conscious Women • duality at Lowest Possible Prices 1632 - 12TH Avenue 322-9180 624-2220 $ 1622 FOURTH AVE. located between The Bon & Fredericks on the lower level of Fidelity Lane Coupon Expires (an 31. 1986 Clinton St. Quarterly 11

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