Umbrella Photo Petition Instructions
1. Take the Picture
• Take an old or inexpensive umbrella and paint, sew or stick 'RATIFY CEDAW' onto the front panels of the umbrella (those that will be visible in a photo).
• Make and attach a placard to your umbrella.
• You can create your own placard explaining why you want the Senate to ratify this Treaty, or download a copy of a placard.
• Make sure each placard clearly shows the name and state of each participant.
• Take a picture. Whether it is of yourself or a group, make sure you take a photo of the whole umbrella, the placard, and your upper torso. Make sure that the messages and the names and states of all participants are visible.
• Make sure that you have permission to use the photos you have taken. Make sure that all participants have signed a photo release.
2. Add Your Photo to The Petition
Email us your photo and we will add it to the photo petition:
- Only send one photo per email and as an attachment
- In the subject line of your email, be sure to include your name, city, state and zipcode following the format indicated below. For example:
[Your Name] tags: [Your City] [Your State] [Your Zip Code]
Patrick Jones tags: New York New York 10001
Important: Please follow this format, since the information provided here will help us show Senators their constituents are supporting this petition.
Send us your photo, name, city and zipcode to cedaw@aiusa.org
Or mail your photo to:
Campaigns Unit, Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20003
Download release form »
These photos will be published and used for campaign purposes only and only as part of the AIUSA CEDAW Ratification Campaign.
Photo Petition Equipment List
• Cheap/old Umbrella
• A poster board or something to make a sign and something to attach the placard to umbrella (tape or string)
• Digital Camera
• Consent for use of image form
• Marker pens for the placard and paint for the umbrella
Take The Photo Petition Further
Be Artful: Create a display with the umbrella. Link up local artists, schools and community groups to decorate umbrellas and put them on exhibit. Ask participants to make personal placards with messages to Senators that express the importance of CEDAW ratification.
Be Visual: Spell out the CEDAW message over a number of umbrellas (with one or two letters per umbrella). Take a picture of them at a local landmark. You can even line up 4 or 5 generations of one family under their umbrellas with personal message placards.
Be Useful: Why not engage people by being useful–on a rainy day, offer to escort people short distances under a CEDAW
umbrella, and explain about the Treaty. Use the Treaty Talking Points included in this toolkit.
Be International: Know someone abroad? Get them to take a CEDAW umbrella picture next to a famous landmark with a sign conveying the importance of U.S. CEDAW ratification. If you have connections to women's projects abroad, send us a short blurb of the project's story and an Umbrella Petition photo in front of the project. Send the photo to us at:
www.amnestyusa.org/women/cedaw.
Suggested Slogans For Placards
• Ratify For My Sake
• Women's Rights Are Human Rights
• For My Future
• I Support the Women's Treaty
