Women's Rights

In 1951, the Little 500 was created to raise money for student scholarships. Over the years, it gained incredible popularity. In 1978, 20th Century Fox released Breaking Away, a fictional movie based off the Little 500 bicycle race at Indiana University. The movie was a smashing success at the box offices and received an Oscar for best screenplay. The movie raised country-wide awareness for the bike race that now brings in more than 25,000 fans to Bloomington, Indiana every year. In 1988, a women's race was created after more than a year of hard work and petitioning by female cyclists at the university. Currently, the women's field receives much less attention than the men's and the attendance at the women's race is historically much lower than at the men's race. (Note: Little 500 ticket are $35 and give you admission into both races, despite this, many people only attend the men's race.) A remake of Breaking Away, based on the women’s race, could have a great impact on the publicity of female cycling. I believe that making this movie could do these 2 things: 1. Increase awareness of the women's race, which would lead to increased revenue. This would happen because it would: Increase attendance at the women's race Increase interest in joining a women's team or volunteering at the race Both of these outcomes would lead to increased revenue that will assist student with academic scholarships. With more students involved, more spectators will attend the race. 2. Weaken the current sexism in Little 500 and female sports. As a female Little 500 rider, I have faced sexism; on many occasions people have directly told me that the women's race is less important than the men's. A movie based on the women’s race would help break this dominant opinion. While it is impossible to eradicate sexism overnight, I believe that if 20th Century Fox (or a different movie distributor) picks up this idea and remakes Breaking Away with a female cast, a major stride will be made toward equality. Edit: Breaking Away is about a fictional movie about college aged adults in Bloomington who do not attend Indiana University. They are invited to participated in the Little 500 and call themselves “the Cutters” as many of them are limestone cutters. (Note: to participate in Little 500 you have to be a student, see 2020 Little 500 Handbook for full list of requirements. While the Cutters are a team today, they are all IU students. Additionally, the team was formed after the movie). The movie I propose does not have to be about a fictional Female “Cutters” team. In 1987 a group of female students in Kappa Alpha Theta attempted to qualify for the men’s race. At the time the women’s equivalent of Little 5 was a very short tricycle race. A movie following the actions taken by women in 1987 and 1988 could follow the basic premise of the original movie: outsiders (this time women instead of Bloomington locals) that become passionate about the Little 500. An additional note from the writer: For the past year I have been a witness to the blatant sexism surrounding Little 500. People (including current and former riders as well as Indiana University grads) have told me that the men’s race is the “real race” or is “more important.” The notion of women being less important than men (in the Little 500 as well as life) is not something that I can witness without taking action. I believe that campaigning for this movie will bring awareness to the issue at hand and start the difficult conversations that need to take place. The goals I have are to increase female involvement in the race, increase attendance at the women’s race, and chip away at the sexist beliefs that are so prevalent in Little 500 (and life). Thanks, Corrine Miller comill@iu.edu 

Petition supporters in the United States:  Please write to your elected officials in your state (letter template here) on behalf of Farida.  It can be as easy as copy-and-paste into a web form or a mailed letter.  Greater numbers will make a difference.  After an honest mistake, our dear sister, Farida Malik (a US citizen and California resident) was unexpectedly and unnecessarily jailed in India on 12 July 2019. Despite many efforts to have her released, she's been stuck there for over 120 days. She's being held in poor health in a remote jail built in the 1800s, high in the mountains, near the India-Nepal border in Uttarakhand state.  She’s been separated from her belongings and not allowed to speak on the phone with family or friends.  On 23 October, the Washington Post published a story about her ordeal (PDF here).  Another story followed shortly thereafter in the SJ Mercury News. She was traveling by bus from Kathmandu, Nepal to Delhi, India to meet friends and mistakenly thought that she could get a visa at the border. Unfortunately, she had also forgotten her valid US passport in her hotel in Nepal. Although she could've been turned away at the border and told to remain in Nepal, instead Indian border check guards arrested and imprisoned her in India. She's been there ever since (although she was reunited with her valid US passport back in August), now for over 120 days. Her friends and family are very concerned for her life, safety and well-being. She has not been allowed to speak with them. Local attorneys have been hired in India since August; and the US Embassy in Delhi, the US Ambassador to India, and the US State Department in Washington, DC have all been involved. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is well aware of the case too. But no one yet has been able to secure her release. Farida made an honest mistake and has been paying for it now for over 120 days in jail. Farida loves everything about India, especially its culture, music, movies, and food. A few years ago, she earned a certificate from Asian Academy of Film & Television (AAFT) acting school in Noida, India and has friends there. She was on her way to meet them when things went horribly wrong.  Farida believes in the power of music to bridge cultural divides.  Despite her horrible ordeal, her lawyers say she is doing her best to remain positive.   For the past 4 months, she has been awaiting a court date that will render a decision on her case, but this date keeps slipping (an unfortunate yet common occurrence in Indian courts). Meanwhile she's languishing in poor health in a cold jail, without heat, now with the Himalayan winter there. She has an injured back (herniated discs)  and overall not in great health due to her incarceration. She does not have regular access to her medications. Our ask: US and Indian authorities, take action, have her released and deported back home to USA immediately.  She has suffered enough. Please sign this petition below to show your support, add your comments too, and help raise awareness of Farida's plight.  Please forward this petition to your networks, and to your elected representatives in the US and India.  Thank you!Determined, Farida's family and friends p.s. A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up at the link here to cover significant legal, advocacy, repatriation, and PTSD treatment costs to help Farida return safely home to USA and recover from her ordeal.  Whatever you can contribute will be much appreciated! Thank you.