Our Diversity – in Leadership and Membership – Makes Us Stronger

Published on August, 20 2022

by Darien De Lu
WILPF US President

This month is important for seeking out and encouraging potential board candidates. The deadline for submitting a personal nomination, showing your regard and support for a member you think should be invited to apply for a board position, is October 1. The board candidate application deadline is shortly thereafter, on October 9. You can encourage the leadership of others! (Watch for a member-only eAlert about election details later this month.)

Sadly, some white and BIPOC WILPFers have backed off of national leadership, due to their reluctance to be publicly attacked. While it’s true that courage is another quality of leadership, WILPF wants to stand up against any violations of the WILPF International Code of Conduct. WILPFers engage in political disagreements – not personal attacks. If necessary you may report behavior or even file a complaint. Contact me for more info: president@wilpfUS.org.

Encouraging leadership – with any of our members – is crucial, because women are frequently discouraged from putting themselves forward. Some of the most important qualities for leaders are compassion, willingness to listen, an interest in developing the leadership of others, the ability to encourage and accept compromises, willingness to delegate, and a sense of ethical behavior. Time management skills and a degree of organization are also important. Of course, none of us is perfect. Part of the benefit of accepting leadership is personal and character development.

As President and a member of our national Board, I know that WILPF US will be a stronger and healthier organization when we have more racially and ethnically diverse leadership and membership.

That means you must be part of this outreach! Also, branch members, can you seek to have BIPOC branch membership more nearly proportional to your local populations? The COVID pandemic has been a difficult time for organizing work, yet most of us can seek out and cultivate some personal contacts through various aspects of our lives. Also, individuals and branches alike can take the initiative to interact with and participate in BIPOC-led groups. We must reckon with the importance of having BIPOC voices within our branches. Connect with the October return of the “One by One We Grow” campaign to get more pointers on recruitment.

I believe most readers will understand that, given our generally older membership, WILPF has a critical need for recruitment. Will we continue as a progressive, women’s-perspective peace and justice organization? Or will we slowly fade away?

White WILPFers, I want to talk to you for a moment. We have to understand how much harm systemic racism causes. The cost of being a minority is huge: increased rents, higher cost of loans, lack of generational wealth and capital, wage discrimination, and more health care expenses due to chronic health issues related to the stresses of racism and environmental factors that impact BIPOC communities.

WILPF has sought to open up to a more diverse membership and to increase understanding of racism and white supremacy by doing the following:

I encourage folks to contact me, Darien, with any questions about the upcoming board elections and WILPF racial justice work:  President@wilpfUS.org

 

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