5 Years Of ISAA:
A Historic Timeline

1996: The Year Before June 1996 - Allen Steadham starts the Superfriends mailing list for people 300 pounds or larger. September 1996 International Size Acceptance Day (ISA Day) concept is presented by Allen Steadham to the Superfriends and the internet-based Size Acceptance Community. Size Acceptance Petition I, in response to diet "commercial" by CBS 48 Hours, is launched as one of the first online petitions. This petition was to show CBS that the people who signed would watch a 48 Hours show on size acceptance. 2 years and 3,300 signatures later, 48 Hours aired "America's Obsession With Thinness." Superfriends and people from size acceptance newsgroups suggest Allen Steadham form a new size acceptance organization to support the Size Acceptance Petition I and ISA Day.

1997: The Beginning May 1997 - Allen Steadham e-mails U.S. President Clinton on behalf of the International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA). The letter is to praise the President for his "War On The Waif Look," which Clinton had described as glorifying heroin use June 1997 - U.S. President Clinton sends a thank you letter to Allen Steadham and his "Size Acceptance Association." July 1997 ISAA website goes online July 1, 1997 The ISAA website is a Yahoo! Pick of the Week on July 23, 1997. August 1997 - First printed ISAA newsletter, called "Without Measure." December 30, 1997 - Russell Williams represents ISAA on CNN's Talkback Live in response to the Christina Corrigan case.

1998: The Adventure Continues April 24, 1998 - First Annual International Size Acceptance Day (ISA Day). Celebrated in Atlanta, Georgia and St. Paul, Minnesota. Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell officially proclaims April 24, 1998 "International Size Acceptance Day" for the City of Atlanta. ISAA's Allen Steadham, Doris Skiba, Robert Bain and South Carolina Size Acceptance Society (SCSAS)'s Lisa Buchanan were present to celebrate the event with a special reading of the proclamation followed by a plus-size fashion show. Jody Frankel of Myles Ahead and Barb Lingerield of Barb's Large and Lovely were also present at the event. June 1998 - Allen Steadham contacted by Monica Boyd about upcoming European trip she is taking with Rachel Miller. Steadham and Boyd negotiate ISAA coverage of the two BBWs on their European adventure. Boyd and Miller become ISAA members and official size acceptance ambassadors of ISAA. July 10, 1998 - Monica and Rachel depart from Los Angeles, California to New York City for the first stop on their journey. ISAA establishes a section of its website to offer coverage of the "European Adventure." July 1998 - ISAA coverage of Monica and Rachel's European Adventure continies. Coverage includes photos (taken with Rachel's digital camera and e-mailed via Rachel's laptop and AOL connection), daily travel journals written by both Monica and Rachel (and transmitted via e-mail), message boards and live chats with the BBWs. August 1998 - Monica and Rachel return to the United States from Italy. Their website remains online permanently to allow people to continue to share Monica and Rachel's size acceptance experiences. August 1998, Part Two - Led by Russell Williams, ISAA launches an activism campaign to encourage public feedback against a fat-bashing Pizza Hut television advertisement. After several weeks, the offensive ad is taken off the air by Pizza Hut.

1999: Expanding The Boundaries of Size Acceptance January 1999 - Allen Steadham officially forms the International Alliance For Size Acceptance In the United States, ISAA and SCSAS officially join the Alliance. Initial member countries outside the U.S. included Canada, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia. In the years that followed, Sweden would be expelled from the Alliance and Norway, Russia, Brazil and the Middle East would join the Alliance. April 25, 1999 - International Size Acceptance Day (ISA Day) is proclaimed in the City of Atlanta by Mayor Bill Campbell for the second year in a row. ISAA awards the Atlanta Mayor's office "Most Size-Friendly City" for proclaiming ISA Day in Atlanta in 1998. ISAA's Goodwill Ambassador Paul Delacroix is in attendance. May 3, 1999 - An incredibly devastating string of tornadoes were unleashed on Okahoma and Kansas that evening. A storm system, moving at 40 miles per hour (m.p.h.), produced as many as 76 tornadoes which killed nearly 50 people, injured hundreds and destroyed over 3,000 homes. ONe tornado near the Oklahoma City area had winds measured at 318 m.p.h. It lasted an unbelievable four hours and registered as an F5 ("Incredible Tornado") on the Fujita scale. Via its website, ISAA directed websurfers and other size acceptance activists and organizations to give financial donations as well as donations of clothing (especially large-size clothing) and non-perishable food to these organizations. ISAA also posted a link to the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (S.A.T.E.R.N.) website. Days later, Allen Steadham received a thank you e-mail from the webmaster of the S.A.T.E.R.N. website. He said that his site recieved a lot of hits (visitors) since ISAA posted a link to his website. He also said that numerous good will messages had been sent to Oklahoma City by their radio operators. May 12, 1999 - The National Volunteer Organizations Active In Disaster (NVOAD) made the following announcement on its website: "Due to the overwhelming outpouring of assistance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, the Oklahoma City Food Bank, in conjunction with the American Red Crossm the Salvation Army and Adventist Community Services state that there is more than enough food, clothing and supplies for the Oklahoma tornado efforts." October 1999 - Allen Steadham is interviewed live on National Public Radio (his segment is 30 minutes into the broadcast) October 27 - 31, 1999 - ISAA Chicago hosts ISAA's First National Convention

2000: The Struggle For Freedom April 26, 2000 - ISA Day is held in Chicago, Illinois. Russell Williams is in attendance. August 25, 2000 - Three and a half-year old Anamarie Martinez-Regino is forcibly removed from her parents custody because of accusations and fears of being overfed by her parents (Anamarie is approximately 3.5 feet tall and 120 pounds). August 29, 2000 - The Size Acceptance Community becomes informed about the Anamarie case and decides to get involved. ISAA contacts the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Journal and others to gather more information about the case, which appears to be a clear case of size discrimination, since (the child had been placed on a 500 calorie a day liquid diet without a medical diagnosis, which did nothing to curb her growing height and placed her life in immediate jeopardy). The same day, ISAA constructs the Free Anamarie webpage on its website and begins an activism campaign dedicated to reuniting the child with her parents. ISAA encouraged the public to contact the New Mexico Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD) and other public officials to urge Anamarie's release to her parents with all charges of child endangerment dropped. ISAA also encouraged the public to contact local Abuquerque talk radio shows and express their support of Anamarie and her family. NAAFA and other groups launch similar initiatives. September 4, 2000 - Labor Day. ISAA helps organize an Albuquerque, NM candlelight vigil, along with human rights activist Vivian Doaks. Allen Steadham goes on Albuquerque's KOB AM 770 talk radio station to announce the vigil, which Anamarie's parents also attend. Turnout for the vigil was between 100 and 500 people and made "Good Morning America" the next day, bringing major media attention to the public outcry in support of Anamarie and her parents. In the coming weeks, ISAA helps coordinate candlelight vigils in Albuquerque, San Diego, Chicago and New Zealand. At approximately the same time, ISAA launches the world's first virtual candlelight vigil -- for Anamarie. The Virtual Vigil was a guestbook where people around the world could express the feelings about the Anamarie case. Sympathetic responses abounded and over 250 entries were recorded in a one-week timeframe. September 6, 2000 - With full U.S. media in attendance at the Albuquerque, NM courthouse, Judge Tommy Jewell expels the media from the courtroom and issues a strict gag order on all parties in attendance. Since no ISAA representative is in attendance at the courthouse, ISAA is not affected by the gag order and continues its activism campaign to free Anamarie. September 19, 2000 - ISAA joins the New Mexico Parents, Citizens and "Child Protective Services (CPS) Watch" in the Coalition For Anamarie. October 31, 2000 - ISAA issues a press release from BBW actress Darlene Cates which calls for Anamarie's immediate release and involvement by celebrities. November 10, 2000 - Anamarie is released to her parents care and all charges against them are dropped. Eventually, CYFD would withdraw its surveillance of the parents as well. For the complete and expansive Anamarie history, please review the Free Anamarie webpage. December 19, 2000 - ISAA offers free e-mail system and a new message board on its website.

2001: The Year Everything Changed April 2001 - ISAA launches new "Stop WLS" (Weight Loss Surgery) activism campaign in conjunction with ISA Day 2001, which is held in Chicago for the second year. ISAA launches the first new Without Measure in electronic magazine format. August 2001 - ISAA releases the second issue of Without Measure, featuring a follow-up report on Anamarie Martinez-Regino and an international perspective on Australia's role in the Size Acceptance Movement. September 11, 2001 - The World Trade Center is destroyed and the Pentagon is severely damaged in terrorist attacks. Approximately 3,000 people are killed. ISAA blacks out its website except for the front page, which directs people to either donate money to the American Red Cross or donate blood for the disaster efforts. Doris Skiba creates "Ribbons of Remembrance - We Stand Together" graphic for the front page of ISAA's website. ISAA's website remained "blacked out" in respect of the victims until U.S. President Bush ordered everyone to return their flags to full staff. The "Ribbons of Remembrance" remain on the ISAA front page to this day. October 2001 - With the pending release of the "Shallow Hal" movie, which features Jack Black (a plus-sized actor) and Gwenyth Paltrow starring as a 350-pound character (in some scenes in a fat suit, with a body double most of the movie), ISAA is interviewed by the Associated Press, the New York Times and other famous media. ISAA's Official Statement Regarding The "Shallow Hal" Movie: ISAA supports the efforts to promote size acceptance in the movie "Shallow Hal." While ISAA recognizes that there is room for improvement in "Shallow Hal," the overall theme the movie embraces is one of acceptance for people of all shapes, sizes, ages, ethnicities and abilities. ISAA encourages the Size Acceptance Movement and the general public to make an informed choice about "Shallow Hal's" size acceptance content before condemning the movie. ISAA believes that the only way to make an informed choice about this is to see the movie.

2002: A New Curve March 5, 2002 - Russell Williams appears on CNN's Talkback Live to discuss the rising number of fat people in the United States. April 3, 2002 - Allen Steadham appears on KCRW's "Which Way, L.A.?" (a National Public Radio show) to discuss California's proposed "fat tax" on sodas. The proposal is later defeated. ("Fat Tax" debate is 6 minutes into the broadcast.) April 27, 2002 - ISA Day in Chicago for the third year. May 1, 2002 - Third issue of Without Measure released online, with a focus on plus-size fashion and the film CURVE. May 6, 2002 - International No Diet Day. Allen Steadham is quoted on ABCNEWS.com. The story is the most e-mailed of the day, according to ABCNEWS.com. Steadham also gives radio interviews on The Glenn and Gary Show in Canada and on America Live, a nationally syndicated overnight radio talk show. June 9, 2002 - "Big As Life: Obesity In America" debuts on the Discovery Channel. The documentary features ISAA's Russell Williams, Diversity Awareness Coordinator Doris Skiba, M.A. and Robert Bain. June 19 - 25, 2002 - Media reports on Southwest Airlines "People of Size" policy which requires fat passengers to pay double. Allen Steadham appears on KVUE channel 24, KLBJ-AM's Jeff Ward Show, Sossen on KIXL, the Austin American-Statesman as well as the New York Times, the Baltimore Sun and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Russell Williams appears on CNN. ISAA's website and online press release regarding the Southwest Airlines policy is shown on KCBS, Los Angeles' Channel 2 News.