2009 NAAFA Convention Even More Successful than Anticipated!

Aug. 13, 2009 - PRLog -- Oakland, CA - NAAFA celebrated their 40th anniversary at an annual fund raising convention July 31-August 3 in Washington, D.C.  The convention ended on a high note as NAAFA sent teams to visit more than 30 U.S. Senators and Representatives, as well as the USDA, delivering the message that healthcare reform legislation must eliminate weight loss as a measure of success in healthcare and wellness programs and that we must put an end to discrimination against people of size.

During the Annual General Meeting on Friday morning, co-chair Jason Docherty highlighted the accomplishments of the past year such as the creation and distribution of the NAAFA Size Diversity Toolkit to over 96% of the Fortune 500 companies in the U.S.  He continued by sharing some of the strategic plans for the coming years.

In Saturday's Size Diversity Super Workshop, Dr. Linda Bacon opened our eyes to the concept of "thin privilege", which she defines as "unjust advantages at the cost of others."  So many conclusions are drawn about one's health, habits and capabilities based solely on the size/physical appearance of our bodies.  These assumptions lead to discrimination in employment, compensation, promotion, healthcare, housing, public accommodation and more.  Dr. Bacon encourages people of all sizes to work to end this discrimination because "it's the right thing to do."

At the Saturday night Awards Dinner and Masquerade Ball, NAAFA honored key individuals that have made major strides for the size acceptance movement over the past 40 years:  
-The Legislative Pioneer Award was presented to Mr. Sterling Tucker who was responsible for adding height and weight to the anti-discrimination laws of Washington, D.C. in 1977.
-The Size Acceptance Vanguard Award went to Bill Fabrey for being the founding father of NAAFA in 1969.  
-Dr. Linda Bacon was the recipient of the Trend-Breaking Research Award for her work in Health At Every Size.
-Dr. Lily O'Hara received the International Size Acceptance Trailblazer Award for her work in a country that has no size acceptance movement.

Monday's visits to The Hill are only the beginning.  NAAFA members will continue to follow up with our legislators and provide them with more information to reinforce our commitment to size equality.  We must provide a unified message.  We come in all sizes.  Understand it, support it, accept it!

Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.
 
On the web:  http://www.naafa.org
           
For more information contact:
Peggy Howell, Public Relations Director, NAAFA
email:  naafa_pr@yahoo.com   phone:  (707)246-6116

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Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to ending size discrimination. Our goal is for people of size to be accepted with dignity and equality and will pursue this goal through advocacy, public education, and support.