Can you believe we did this! A short overview (videos available).

By Mary Hanson Harrison
Congress Coordinator, WILPF US

September 2021

“Not only were the content and organization of the [Congress] program timely and diverse, but the technology worked brilliantly…all by WILPFers.”
       —Mary Bricker-Jenkins
          Poor People’s Campaign leader and long-time WILPF member

WILPF US members, friends, colleagues, and the public just took a demanding and inspiring journey into the future; for two weeks – August 9 thru August 22, the WILPF US Section 34^th Triennial Virtual Congress zoomed its way around the globe.  Two-hundred-and-forty-one people registered (241), five received scholarships and 30+ panelists and speakers who were comped, came together to produce WILPF US’s wide-ranging and diverse itinerary; reaching nearly 300 people participating in, listening to, and/or donating to “Women, Power, and Social Justice: Building from Strength” WILPF US Congress.

There were 28 webinars: from “HOW TO’S – Seeking Solutions” on weekday evenings, grounded in building local pathways to strengthening legislative advocacy, membership, fundraising, building branches, calling out the military recruitment of youth, preserving branch history, caring for the homeless and newly housed and children’s peace camps, to presentations as far away as Ghana and the Americas - Costa Rica and Cuba; Europe – Norway; Middle East -Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel seeking peaceful solutions.

Outstanding speakers like Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, who opened our weekend with the imperative to work with the Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) as a movement led by those most impacted by poverty and inequality and to have the moral courage to change the system.  The voices of Vandana Shiva, Maude Barlow, and Mary Grant on environmental challenges from corporate takeovers to the degradation of Mother Earth added to that imperative.  Moderated by Nancy Price, Barbara Arnwine and Jan BenDor gave a lucid and chilling presentation of threats to our democratic system of voting.  Paul Kivel, founder of Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), provided a pathway for systemic white racism to be confronted, leading to its end. Rickey Diamond and Marybeth Gardam (Women$Democracy IC) spoke on economic justice for women and children, giving hope for overcoming the staggering injustice for women.  Patricia Hynes added her perspective on feminist foreign policy.  Sikowis (Christine) Nobiss and Janna Pratt revealed more of the whitewashing of the history of Indigenous boarding schools in Canada.  Dolores Huerta reminded us how all the issues we work on are connected and integral to social justice for field and frontline workers.  Patricia Wells Solorzano presented about creating theater with Latinx farmworkers. Beatriz Schulthess (Costa Rica), WILPF International’s America’s Representative to the International Board talks about the continuing effects from colonialism, followed by an update from Beatriz and Janet Slagter, the Alternate Representative to the America’s, on WILPF International’s upcoming changes. Matt Hoh, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, gave us an update on Afghanistan.

Interviews were integral to the success of the program. In addition to Patti Naylor’s enlightening interview of Vandana Shiva on ecofeminism, Adilia Caravaca (former WILPF International president and current president of WILPF Costa Rica) interviewed forest engineer and feminist, Aimara Espinoza Ulate, who focused on surviving sexual and labor harassment. Bianca Humady Rey, Nghĩa Nguyen, and Marie Angel Venarsian were interviewed by Nikki Abeleda on the struggles and issues for transgender women of color.  Orly Benaroch Light, from the San Diego Branch, interviewed Robi Damelin and Laila Alsheikh from The Parents Circle Families Forum, which highlighted mothers who have lost a child to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nada Farhat, WILPF US member of Middle East Peace and Action Committee, interviewed Shirine Jurdi, WILPF Lebanon member and Hala Kilani about the social, political, and economic aftermath of the horrific explosion in the port of Beirut.  There was poetry too, on using our voices to overcome the silence about sexual violence by Ayo Ayoola-Amale, president of WILPF Ghana, and all of which represented the expansive reach that WILPF US exemplifies by working for women all around the world.  Theresa El-Amin, George Friday, and Chantaye McLaughlin introduced the tenets of the Black Liberation Caucus to highlight the need to include Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in WILPF US.

Branches’ and Issue Committees’ input not covered above: After Theoharis’s opening, the Poor People’s Campaign women presented the way to collectively “lift up” those voices mired in poverty.  The Philadelphia Branch focused on “Breaking Out of White Supremacy.” The San Diego branch gave impetus to “Turning Down Post-Trump Escalation.”  WILPF Des Moines Branch is working with Daoud Nassar, Palestinian farmer (Tent of Nations farm), to write a children’s book about this annual summer children’s camp.  The Sacramento Branch interviewed Millee Livingston and Natalie Pahley Zapata on how to grow a peace camp for youth.

Earth Democracy Issue Committee (IC) delivered two presentations, the ecological threat of factory farms/ CAFO’s and on another, the threat to the UN support of agroecology in the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit.  Women$Democracy IC’s second presentation looked to the foundational “intents and purposes” of our economic system.  The Cuba and Bolivarian Alliance IC related the real story of success and stresses in Cuba and COVID-19. The Disarm/End Wars IC reinforced the imperative to “Move the Money” from the military/industrial/financial complex to supporting peace, globally and locally.  Middle East Peace & Justice Action IC featured efforts to promote peace, particularly in relation to Palestine and uncovering the corruption connected to oil in that whole region.  In a special category of its own, environmental radioactive pollution and its connection to women’s health along with indigenous peoples was discussed in a presentation, “Uniting Communities for Environmental Justice: Radioactive Pollution Deadly in Any Space.”

Last but not least, without the exceptional technical help provided by our president, Darien De Lu, Ellen Thomas, Ellen Schwartz, and liaisons, Laura Dewey and Bev Fitzpatrick, all would have collapsed (which I believe they did after it was over!).

Please go to www.wilpfus.org to view the details of our 14-day congress program. Click on “WILPF Congress” to appreciate the magnitude of our achievement and goodwill! THANK YOU ALL!

“The Congress was excellent. It gave me hope that WILPF can survive and thrive,” affirmed Laura Dewey, CONPRO member, WILPF US Board Member               

Videos Available on YouTube, from Ellen Thomas

We are in the midst of fine-tuning the Congress video recordings on YouTube.  As each recording is edited, it is made public on the WILPF US YouTube channel and can be found in two places:  along the top of the page, above "Most Recent Videos", click on the word "VIDEOS" or on the word "PLAYLISTS" where you can click on the "WILPF US Triennial Congress" playlist which is listed under.  The various playlists are also shown, with a thumbnail, lower down on the home page.

We hope to change the URL of the YouTube channel to wilpfus, which we understand we'll be able to do when we have 100 subscribers.  We're up to 79 as of September 1st.   PLEASE go subscribe to the channel so we can make it easier for people to find it!   It's free, no obligations!

One quick way you can get to the WILPF US YouTube channel for now is via Bit.Ly. A list of all the Congress recording links will be provided by eAlert once the editing process is complete.