Subject: War on Women at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture
October 19, 2012
Dear President Obama:
I, along with many women who supported your election, closely watched your second debate with Governor Romney, mainly to hear what you had to say about women, particularly your position on civil rights. You said that you were against discrimination and supported women’s equality; you talked about your grand-mother, your mother, and your daughters. Contrary to your statements, we feel that you have failed to protect us (grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, married and single women), based on our horrendous experience in your administration over the past four years.
We reported that there is a “War on Women” at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), Forest Service (FS), we marched against both agencies, we protested in the streets, we wrote letters to you and Congress, we formed groups and created websites – yet we have been ignored. Women have been seriously injured, personally, financially and professionally damaged, and forced out of our jobs on your watch by your political appointees, such as the EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and DA Secretary Vilsack.
As you stated clearly last night, the buck stops with you, so we are holding you accountable for their negligence in failing to protect us and turning a blind eye on our reports of discrimination, sexual abuse, retaliation, nepotism, misuse of federal funds, abuse of authority and power, non-use of the merit system, and violations of civil rights laws and regulations. You have been accused of not keeping your commitments because your statements do not always match what is happening in your administration, and we are prime examples of that problem. We are growing larger as a group every day and to our chagrin, we feel that we did not and could not have done worse under a Republican administration.
We have seen and experienced the corruption in these agencies, happening for decades, using the very systems that have been put in place to protect us. EPA has even resorted to requesting that employees be criminally prosecuted and jailed. One man was put in jail for three years by EPA after being a witness in a discrimination case they lost; a young single Black female was recently put in jail overnight after taking her out of the agency in handcuffs based on educational courses; they attempted to do the same to me, but failed. They used the performance system to force other women out, while they engaged in nepotism and continued to violate the merit system. There has been no justice for these public servants, who are simply trying to serve your administration, meet their commitments to the taxpayers, and earn a living.
We would like to know what you plan to do to stop this “War on Women” in your administration over the next three weeks, particularly at these two agencies. We would like to hear from you and will publish your response. I can be contacted via email at LaLift1@aol.com. We are asking other women to sign up with us on various websites, so that the extent of this travesty against women in your administration can be realized.*
Sincerely,
Susan M. Morris, President, Network for Women’s Equality
Former EPA Office of Civil Rights Assistant Director
Lesa L. Donnelly, Vice President of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees
Nancy Geehan, Natural Resource Specialist, USDA Forest Service
Alicia Dabney, Firefighter, USDA Forest Service
Alease Wright, Former EPA National Federal Women's Program Mgr
Angela Sanchez-Hand, Fire Battalion Chief, USDA Forest Service
Jonel Wagoner, Fire Training Specialist, USDA Forest Service
Darla Bush, Fire Captain, USDA Forest Service
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, President, No Fear Coalition
Margaret Flowers, Organizer OccupyDC
Stacy Cunningham, former USDA Forest Service
Priscilla Peterson, GIS Specialist USDA, Forest Service
Darlene Hall, Fire Training Specialist, USDA, Forest Service
Elisa Lopez, Recreation Technician, USDA Forest Service
Kristine Levitoff, Fire Training Specialist, USDA, Forest Service
Janine McFarland, Archaeologist, USDA, Forest Service
Pam Balazer, Fuels Specialist, USDA, Forest Service
Anonymous, Former EPA HR employee
*(If you would like your name added to this letter either in support of these women or based on your own experience, please write us atOccupyEPA@aol.com or LaLift1@aol.com requesting that your name be added, along with your agency. If you wish to remain "Anonymous" because you are afraid of retaliation or in a process, please say that you would like to be on the list anonymously.)
Dear President Obama:
I, along with many women who supported your election, closely watched your second debate with Governor Romney, mainly to hear what you had to say about women, particularly your position on civil rights. You said that you were against discrimination and supported women’s equality; you talked about your grand-mother, your mother, and your daughters. Contrary to your statements, we feel that you have failed to protect us (grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, married and single women), based on our horrendous experience in your administration over the past four years.
We reported that there is a “War on Women” at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), Forest Service (FS), we marched against both agencies, we protested in the streets, we wrote letters to you and Congress, we formed groups and created websites – yet we have been ignored. Women have been seriously injured, personally, financially and professionally damaged, and forced out of our jobs on your watch by your political appointees, such as the EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and DA Secretary Vilsack.
As you stated clearly last night, the buck stops with you, so we are holding you accountable for their negligence in failing to protect us and turning a blind eye on our reports of discrimination, sexual abuse, retaliation, nepotism, misuse of federal funds, abuse of authority and power, non-use of the merit system, and violations of civil rights laws and regulations. You have been accused of not keeping your commitments because your statements do not always match what is happening in your administration, and we are prime examples of that problem. We are growing larger as a group every day and to our chagrin, we feel that we did not and could not have done worse under a Republican administration.
We have seen and experienced the corruption in these agencies, happening for decades, using the very systems that have been put in place to protect us. EPA has even resorted to requesting that employees be criminally prosecuted and jailed. One man was put in jail for three years by EPA after being a witness in a discrimination case they lost; a young single Black female was recently put in jail overnight after taking her out of the agency in handcuffs based on educational courses; they attempted to do the same to me, but failed. They used the performance system to force other women out, while they engaged in nepotism and continued to violate the merit system. There has been no justice for these public servants, who are simply trying to serve your administration, meet their commitments to the taxpayers, and earn a living.
We would like to know what you plan to do to stop this “War on Women” in your administration over the next three weeks, particularly at these two agencies. We would like to hear from you and will publish your response. I can be contacted via email at LaLift1@aol.com. We are asking other women to sign up with us on various websites, so that the extent of this travesty against women in your administration can be realized.*
Sincerely,
Susan M. Morris, President, Network for Women’s Equality
Former EPA Office of Civil Rights Assistant Director
Lesa L. Donnelly, Vice President of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees
Nancy Geehan, Natural Resource Specialist, USDA Forest Service
Alicia Dabney, Firefighter, USDA Forest Service
Alease Wright, Former EPA National Federal Women's Program Mgr
Angela Sanchez-Hand, Fire Battalion Chief, USDA Forest Service
Jonel Wagoner, Fire Training Specialist, USDA Forest Service
Darla Bush, Fire Captain, USDA Forest Service
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, President, No Fear Coalition
Margaret Flowers, Organizer OccupyDC
Stacy Cunningham, former USDA Forest Service
Priscilla Peterson, GIS Specialist USDA, Forest Service
Darlene Hall, Fire Training Specialist, USDA, Forest Service
Elisa Lopez, Recreation Technician, USDA Forest Service
Kristine Levitoff, Fire Training Specialist, USDA, Forest Service
Janine McFarland, Archaeologist, USDA, Forest Service
Pam Balazer, Fuels Specialist, USDA, Forest Service
Anonymous, Former EPA HR employee
*(If you would like your name added to this letter either in support of these women or based on your own experience, please write us atOccupyEPA@aol.com or LaLift1@aol.com requesting that your name be added, along with your agency. If you wish to remain "Anonymous" because you are afraid of retaliation or in a process, please say that you would like to be on the list anonymously.)
