[WCUSP] [Wisewomen] WlLPF,s future for me

Sun Dec 2 14:47:05 CST 2007

It is true that I am on the defensive, I do want as many voices as
possible to be included.
I love so many of our WILPF members that are the activists rain or
shine are on the front line, it is freeze for Peace right now here,
why not include their ideas and suggestions,
they do the work of WILPF too.

As for me I have worked for 6 years continuously within WILPF for the
creation of a
campaign on the Middle East , yes it is not perfect, but we did a lot
of good work
it has not been easy. If our program chair had been supportive it could have
been made a lot more visible, would she have less critical towards us and more
helpful an opinion that also represent the whole campaign committee.
Although we
are aware now that representing 8 committee and 2 campaigns was a very
unrealistic
position.

It is strange that the pro-palestinian human right faction, activists
from Oregon and California and the more pro-zionist camp of my
committee that were struggling
with each other are now all united to say: The way the board is moving
is not the way it should move and are concern now about "saving WILPF".

I represent my campaign to the board this is my function. I defend the work
that we have produced and the "forcing the branches to work on our campaign"
(CJ statement representing the campaign to the board) represent in no way a
democratically elected campaign. This is not right.

We should have time on the board to report on our work and be treated
with respect,
I was profoundly disturbed by the way I was treated at the last board
and my campaign
as a whole. .I was told that if I wanted to speakabout politic,
program and strategy,
I needed to go speak to my branch when we run a national campaign! it does not
make any sense to me. I was also disturbed also by the way the staff
was treated.
Pam was crying and upset. Another member of the board blocked a discussion and
1/3 of the board at times laid aside including me. The minutes are not
released to
members. We were supposed to have conscensus! and we coherse in being
"unified."

I spoke to Libby and board older members and they all say that the board had
intense discussion on program and strategies and the current crises we were in,
how could you run a peace and justice with no analysis on program and strategy?

Money comes out of our visibility and actions not the other way around. Without
money we cannot have structure. The way it should go at the board is
first vision and mission, report on programs, and strategy, then money and
structure to support the actions.

CJ said to Libby that we could have an organization without members,
that is not
the part of the peace movement I want to be part of. These are very serious
concerns and I do not understand why they are not seriously addressed.

But you are right we need to organize and we are wasting our time on
the structure
since it is now a "fait acompli."  Let's move on and forward in a pro-active way
if we can and we are supported to move forward.

Odile Hugonot Haber

On 12/2/07, Odile Hugonot Haber <odilehh at gmail.com> wrote:
> This is a very beautiful letter Yvonne I like the way you link personal.
> national and international work. Activism is what has created WILPF
> not structure and some of us should keep in this path. Some women are more
> talended around structure and that is needed but what I complain bitterly about
> as you do, is that right now the activists are being put out of the
> organization and
> have no voice on the board. But we are activists and we can and will
> change this.
>
> Odile Hugonot Haber
>
> On 12/1/07, yvonne simmons <roweenayvonne at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >  Lately I have been made from the present to think
> > more deeply into my soul about why I work with WILPF.
> > One of the reasons are the wonderful women and friends
> > I have in our organization working for a world that is
> > just and not violent and respects all, peoples,
> > animals and the environment. With what has been
> > happening recently nationally and internationally,
> > then not being dealt with, out in the open,
> > transparently to see what the problems are and do
> > something about them. I have been concerned how some
> > women on  the National WILPF board have been
> > conducting themselves with the future of  national
> > WILPF.  It seems so institutional and I believe that
> > they think it will improve WILPF. I do not. We are
> > grass roots not corporate.Then I started thinking when
> > one member spoke about young WILPF and the age, 35 and
> > under, to her youth was 0-18 years And what I thought
> > of was my own youth. At 35 years old I could have been
> > a grandmother because of violent rape when I was 15
> > years old. I had an illegal abortion with Soap suds
> > and disinfectant, then sat on buckets of hot water in
> > terrible pain. The hospital saved my life and after a
> > few weeks in the hospital returned to the street life
> > I was used to.
> >
> > There have been many violent situations that I have
> > survived as many other young girls and women have. I
> > think of the Congo and the horrendous violence against
> > women  and girls there and the young Congelese woman
> > at the INT. Congress and her family in Britain and
> > their pain.
> >
> >  Travelling was my education ,being on the road , in
> > many countries, hitchhiking and finding small jobs to
> > realize how different and the same  peoples were in
> > Italy , Europe, Greece , Turkey , Persia , Afghanistan
> > , the West Indies , Morocco etc. Daily they did
> > similar things only differently depending on the
> > culture.
> >
> >  That was my education  mostly after I was 21 years
> > old and  I had met life and love and beauty.
> >
> >     I found my way in life and did not talk of most of
> > my experiences and scars. I always loved helping
> > people and animals and remembered I had marched and
> > rallied with the beatniks and CND in the early 1960.
> >
> >  WILPF, Portand has been doing the Clothesline Project
> > for almost 17 years. I am the keeper of the shirts and
> > see that violence against the female sex crosses all
> > nationalities, color, class, religion, sexual
> > orientation etc. I was proud when Pat Hollingsworth
> > made me a member of WILPF. I had never been a member
> > of any group and loved what WILPF was doing.
> >
> > Now I find myself thinking to just do the humanitarian
> > work, social justice  and peace work as always but do
> > I need WILPF  to do it when their emphasis is not the
> > same as mine right now?
> >  I am wondering if I fit in and I am no longer ashamed
> > , by society's standards, of who I was through no
> > fault of my own.
> >
> >  In Peace Yvonne.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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