NEWS

Photo credit: Chris Wilbeck

By Pat Hynes, WILPF member-at-large

November 11, 2017, marked Jane Addams Day in the state of Massachusetts, the backdrop to an ambitious and well-received forum, Rediscovering Jane Addams in a Time of Crisis, held in Northampton, Massachusetts.  Organized by Dr. Rutherford Platt and sponsored by Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, the constellation of presentations ranged from the moral basis of democracy and social justice (including immigration, refugees and the rights of workers) to waging peace, abolishing nuclear weapons, and climate justice.  All intentionally mirrored the dimensioned legacy and profound conscience of Jane Addams, a radical social reformer and feminist to her core.

As director of the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice and WILPF member-at-large, I spoke on one of Jane Addams’ most enduring, creative and effective initiatives:  the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

I summarized the origins of WILPF, namely, the shared passion of women of the Allied and Central Powers to gain suffrage and to end the madness of the first industrial-scale war; and then I reviewed highlights of WILPF’s notable initiatives.  Concluding, I spoke briefly about my experience in WILPF.

“I joined WILPF about 5 years ago and learned firsthand the idealism, realism and tenacity of their work, engaging with them in the effort to get the Congo Conflict Minerals Act passed by the Massachusetts legislature.  It passed in 2017.   A prime cause of the complex international conflict in the Congo is the pursuit of mineral wealth.  It is the longest African war, among its tragedies being extraordinary sexual mutilation of women.  The Congo Conflict Minerals Act requires the state of Massachusetts to develop procurement policies on Congo conflict minerals and human rights issues, following a study of best practices.  The goal is to eliminate state procurement of any products with Congo minerals in the supply chain.  It took 6 years of non-stop work led by the partners, Congo Action Now and the WILPF Boston chapter, building support one legislator at a time, testifying before committees, hundreds of meetings with legislators, organizing phoning, e-mailing and letter-writing efforts.  At the organizers’ request, I wrote letters to state legislators, testified before a hearing, met Congo Action Now and WILPF in Boston for strategy sessions and attended the signing ceremony.

In conclusion, here is WILPF’s radical manifesto in a nutshell: 

• Disarmament, including nuclear weapons
• Reversing climate change and working for climate justice
• Achieving democracy
• Moving beyond capitalism
• Moving beyond patriarchy

We honor you, Jane Addams, for your legacy embodied in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.”

For more information, contact Pat Hynes at 413-367-9725 or hphynes@gmail.com

By Rebecca Neal, Intern at WILPF Madison, WI Branch
https://wilpf-madison.org/

This past year, WILPF-Madison has sponsored and participated in numerous events promoting the peace and freedom of our local communities, as well as our sisters and fellow-activists globally.  We’ve also kick-started new initiatives to bring community activists together.  Very recently, we moved our website to Wordpress, to discuss and share opinions, knowledge, and news more effectively.  We hope that this will be a more accessible and vibrant portal through which all our members and followers can be more informed, empowered, and impactful participants in our communities.

A few things we’ve been up to:

WILPF-Madison Peace & Justice Book Circle

Each month, we meet at the Goodman South Public Library to discuss the insights and impacts of a book and how they shed light on the peace and freedom of our world, our communities, and our fellow women. Contact Susan Freiss at freisssusan@gmail.com for more details.

Jane Addams Book Award Selection

Last winter, Susan Freiss, longtime member of the Jane Addams Children's Book Award Selection Committee, presented a slideshow about Jane Addams in upper elementary students’ classrooms.  Her guiding question was, “What kind of books would Jane want children to read or have read to them?”  

Through the work of a network of passionate teachers and librarians in the Madison, Wisconsin area, over 20 classrooms of students were exposed to the Jane Addams Children's Book Award process and contributed responses to contending titles.  Six classes (2 in NYC and 4 in Wisconsin) communicated their responses via an online blog conversation.  The students in these classes also culminated a literacy unit of study on social justice and Jane Addams with persuasive essays addressed to the selection committee supporting their suggestion for a winning title.  

And now that it is winter again, the process is starting up once more with a provocative set of contenders! Look for award announcements in April 2018.

Madison Peace Vigils

Every Monday on the Madison Capitol Square, activists host a vigil protesting militarization and promoting peaceful negotiation processes.  All (+banners and signs) are welcome!

Contact mbspeace1@charter.net for more details.

Gather the Women

One of our newer initiatives is a quarterly breakfast bringing women activists together to connect and learn from one another about a certain theme.  For each breakfast, we invite a local speaker to share their knowledge and work on the theme. 

Our most recent breakfast in November 2017 featured Juliee de la Terre of the Sacred Water Sacred Land Institute in western Wisconsin.  Juliee shared her insights on the theme, “Water is Life.”

Look for our next event in February!  Contact Karen Pope at kosbornepope@gmail.com

Collaboration with Other Local Groups

This Fall, we worked with the Madison-Arcatao Sister City Project on an event hosting Cintia Gonzalez and Zulma Tobar from El Salvador, Madison’s Rebecca Kemble (Alder 18^th District), and Prof. Al Gedicks (Prof. at UW-Eau Claire) in a panel discussion about anti-mining efforts and the theme “Water is Life,” as it is embodied in El Salvador.  This was followed by a workshop titled “Community Organizing that Leads to National Change,” hosted by Cintia and Zulma about their work in El Salvador.

Likewise, we co-sponsored an event with the Colombia Support Network, where Carol Rojas, of Medellín, Colombia, gave a presentation and popular education workshop about the feminist resistance in Colombia.

WILPF-Madison’s First Intern

WILPF-Madison welcomed its first intern, Rebecca Neal, to work from Fall 2017 through Summer 2018.  Duties include:  transferring the website to a new platform, updating pages, planning events, creating local publicity materials for WILPF-Madison, and helping to develop a framework for future interns as they become a regular and integral piece of our local chapter.

Contact me at a.rebeccaneal@gmail.com

In the 2017 WILPF US Board elections (see results below), no one ran for two positions on the Board: Personnel Chair and At-Large Member. The Board, according to the Bylaws, may appoint interim Board members. The Nominating Committee urges WILPF members to seriously consider applying for these one-year, interim positions for 2018.  See Board position descriptions here.

Applications for the two positions are due, by e-mail, no later than Sunday, January 28, 2018. For the Personnel Committee Chair, members with knowledge of human resources and/or union experience are especially urged to apply. Any interested members should apply by downloading the application here and emailing it to nominatingcommittee@wilpfus.org.

Welcome New Board Members! 

We welcome the following board members who will begin their terms in January 2018. Their willingness to dedicate their time and energy to WILPF on a national level is much appreciated.

• Board Secretary: Eileen Kurkoski
• Program Chair (3-year position): Barbara Nielsen
• Program Chair (2-year position): Teresa Castillo

Thank you to all of you who voted in the fall elections and for generously donating to WILPF and renewing memberships. We received a total of $3,390 ($1,400 in membership renewals and $1,990 in donations). A big “Thank You” goes to the six members of the St. Louis Branch who counted the ballots. Their service to WILPF is greatly appreciated.

In the fall 2018 elections, five Board positions will be open: President, Personnel Chair, Development Committee Chair, Nominating Committee Chair, and At-Large Member. The Nominating Committee will work hard to find multiple candidates for each position, but your help is needed. If you know of anyone who might be a good candidate, contact the Nominating Committee at Nominatingcommittee@wilpfus.org.

Complete Results of 2017 Elections

Eileen Kurkoski, Secretary

• Yes: 196
• No: 2
• No box checked: 8

Barbara Nielsen, Program Chair

• Yes: 180
• No: 12
• No box checked: 14

Teresa Castillo, Program Chair

• Yes: 196
• No: 4
• No box checked: 6

Bylaws Proposal No. 1, specifying the Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair is a member of the Development Committee: PASSED

• Yes: 180
• No: 13
• Abstentions: 14

Bylaws Proposal No. 2, clarifying the US Section requirements for qualifying to be a candidate for and to serve on the national board: PASSED

• Yes: 184
• No: 9
• Abstentions: 13

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