SOCIAL WORK MODELS: CO-OPS AND UNIONS * NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS * SUFFRAGE STORY * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol. 11 * Oct. 23, 2010

JANE ADDAMS' VISION OF SOCIAL WORK

INCLUDED CO-OPS & LABOR UNIONS

Coffeehouses like Uptown Bill's and Wild Bill's are one of the models for social work

practice pioneered by Jane Addams and the other residents of Hull House.

They tried lots of other things, too, experimenting with many different ways

to improve people's lives and build better communities.

Two models they found particularly effective were cooperatives and labor

unions. Addams and the others helped start several cooperatives, including

one to buy coal in bulk for heating and another to provide housing for single

women working in Chicago. They also helped organize several labor unions,

including one for women in the garment industry.

Addams believed very strongly that individuals and communities should

have a say in their neighborhoods and their jobs. She saw co-ops and labor

unions as ways to extend democracy into the marketplace and the the

workplace. This theme of extending democracy appears in nearly every book

she wrote and in more than a dozen articles.

Addams also saw co-ops and labor unions as organized ways for people to

take care of each other. And she imagined that both could help transform

society in a more peaceful and more equitable place.

STILL A VISION

FOR US TODAY

It's been more than a century since Addams first outlined her vision of

social work: a quest for a society with peace and justice for all. But

it's a vision which still can be applied in our time. Co-ops and labor

unions still have the potential to extend democracy into the marketplace.

The resurgence of co-op grocery stores shows this vision is still

relevant. New Pioneer in Iowa City is one example of this economic

democracy described by Jane Addams. Other examples: Organic

Valley, the farmer cooperative which distributes organic dairy products,

and Frontier Co-op, a supplier of herbs and spices based in Norway,

Iowa. 

There also has been a renewed interest in labor unions. COGS, the UE local

which represents graduate assistants at the University of Iowa, is one

example. This union emerged because graduate students wanted a voice in

their workplace.

Several years ago, there were discussions about the idea of Wild

Bill's Coffeeshop operating as a cooperative. In fact, a study team of 

business students looked at the idea, and concluded that a co-op 

would be possible. At the moment, there are no models for co-ops at the

University of Iowa. But several neighboring universities have cooperatives

on campus. And some years ago, there was a student housing co-op here 

in Iowa City. 

COMING UP THIS WEEK

IN THE COFFEE HOUSE

Here's a look at some of the activities planned during this coming week at Uptown Bill's:

Sunday, Oct. 24

2 pm -- CD Release Party with Gwendolyn Countryman

Wednesday, Oct. 27

6 pm: Chess Club

6:30 pm: Showing of "A Friend Indeed"

Thursday, Oct. 28

6-8 pm: Art & Music Night. Halloween is this week's theme

Friday, Oct. 29 

7-9 pm: Open Mic

Saturday, Oct. 30

7-9 pm: Saturday Night Music

Sunday, Oct. 31

2-5 pm: Halloween Party, Music jam with Kalimbaman

For information on these and other events, visit the Uptown Bill's page on Facebook. 

WE'D LOVE TO

HAVE YOU

Student and community groups are welcome to meet at Uptown Bill's. We have 

a nice community room which can hold groups of up to 50 people. Call for details,

339-0401.

HOW ABOUT 

LIVE MUSIC?

In a band? Would your band like to play at Uptown Bill's? We welcome all styles of music 

to our performance space. In the past few weeks, the coffee house has hosted everything from folk to hip hop and from rock to old time fiddlers. Want more details? Call

Tom G. at 339-0401. 

BIG PLANS FOR THE AREA

AROUND UPTOWN BILL'S

Big things are being planned for the part of Iowa City which includes Uptown Bill's. The neighborhood, which the city has dubbed "Riverfront Crossings," is targeted for a major "revitalization," including more housing and retail stores. The university has a stake in this as well, with plans for a new music building. And there could be train service to Chicago with a stop just a block from Uptown Bill's. Find out about these possibilities and more in the October issue of Little Village. Here's a link to the issue online:

http://littlevillagemag.com/content/2010/10/07/lv-96-october-2010/

WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE:
A STORY FROM IOWA

Iowa has a reputation for fair elections. But there was one during the
early part of the 20th century which still raises a lot of questions.
It's a story worth recalling this year when we celebrate the 90th anniversary 

of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.

The year of the questionable election was 1916. That was the year Iowa
voters (then only men) were deciding on a measure which would allow women
the right to vote.

Advocates had been working for years to get the suffrage question through
the legislature and onto the ballot. Their efforts gained new momentum in
1913 when Flora Dunlap, a friend of Jane Addams, was elected president of
the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association. She headed the Roadside Settlement
House in Des Moines.

Dunlap brought new energy and renewed activism to the suffrage movement in
Iowa. In 1915, the state assembly finally approved a state suffrage
amendment and put it on the ballot for the next year. National suffrage
leaders poured a lot of energy into Iowa, hoping to make it the 16th state
to give women the right to vote. Among them was Carrie Chapman Catt. then
head of the National Women's Suffrage Association.

The prospects of approval in Iowa looked good. Key newspapers
endorsed the ballot measure and pro-suffrage crowds were large at rallies
around the state.

But when the votes were counted, the measure had been defeated by more
than 10,000 votes. Supporters were stunned.

They were even more surprised when they analyzed the votes. It turned out
that there were over 29,000 more votes on the suffrage amendment than
there were for all the candidates for governor. A spot check of 15
counties turned up 8,000 more ballots cast than the total of voters
voting. "Victory was literally stolen from the women of Iowa," concludes
Louise Noun in her book "Strong-minded Women" (Iowa State University Press,
1969).

National suffrage leaders decided to turn their attention from the states
to the federal level. Congress approved a national suffrage amendment in
1919; it was added to the US Constitution on Aug. 26,1920 after approval

by two-thirds of the states.

_____________________

Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of the legacy of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's. Published since 2000, the Newsletetr is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now director of Uptown Bill's. A file of selected back issues can be found at the Coffee and Community Blog: http://coffeeandcommunity.blogspot.com.

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. Located in North Hall, has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for over 35 years. The coffeeshop is open weekdays from 8 am. For more information, call (319) 335-1281. On Facebook, look for Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop.

Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of the original coffeeshop. Now located at 730 S. Dubuque, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other enterprises in addition to a coffeeshop. The cofeeshop is open every day from 8 am. For more information, call (319) 339-0401. On Facebook, look for Uptown Bill's Small Mall. Also, look for the website www.uptownbills.org.