The Zonta Club of Fort Smith is, according to president Judi Hansen, “orange-ing” the world as a sign of commitment to the Zonta Says Oo and 16 Days of Activism campaigns.

Starting the local campaign, the club provided orange ribbons and bracelets to club members, local international university students and other citizens. Another early action was the presentation of US$1,000 to the club’s local Crisis Intervention Center, as well as a tour for club members.

Additionally, using the club’s international flags to emphasize the international nature of the two campaigns, advocacy chairman Sheryl Flanagin prepared a library display.

To increase impact, the club purchased a large Zonta Says No banner. Bookmarks and other information about the campaigns were also made available to library patrons. To further increase community awareness, Sheryl participated in two local radio interviews.

As a result of one of these interviews, a grass-roots activism campaign occurred. In preparing for this interview, Sheryl discovered that the station’s website contained photos that objectify women.

Club members quickly emailed and called the managers to express disapproval. The “Babe of the Day” photos were removed within three days on one of the sites. However, the members are continuing to protest these degrading photos that remain on another site.

Clear Channel has over 1,200 stations throughout the US. Ideally, all US Zontians will check out their radio websites and take action if necessary. Obviously, reducing women to sexual objects contributes to violence against women.

As a final action, daily tweets and Facebook posts with the hastags #zontasaysno, #16days, and #orangeurworld have been shared.