The following is a true story about persons in poverty and how their
determined struggle to take back their autonomy leads to change beyond their
imagining...

In the book "Policies of Exclusion, Poverty & Health: Stories from the
Front," women living in poverty make a key recommendation. To others in like
circumstances, they say: "Mobilize, galvanize and politicize." By
politicize, they mean:

1. Become aware and act. Learn about the candidates in all elections,
including municipal, select a candidate and vote.
2. Promote your political ideals through action. In all elections -
municipal, provincial, federal - be vocal about your support. Become a
member of a provincial and federal party... During an election, help with
your candidate's campaign, but also be there for your party during
off-election periods.
3. Do it yourself. Enter politics, beginning at the community level.
4. Get other women to vote. (p.168)

The point is to make the invisible visible, the unheard heard, to bring
persons and issues that have been marginalized to the centre of public and
political awareness.

The task is exceedingly difficult for those who lack financial resources,
since the very thing they seek to expose is a barrier to that effort.
However, certain of our storytellers found that it can be done. 

WISE is managed by some of the women who were featured in our book and so we
have been striving to follow our own recommendations. Of course, as a group,
we've been doing some additional things.

For a year we’ve tried initiating communication with politicians in and out
of government; from the local to federal levels; and to ministries,
departments, agencies, and so on, that were/are in charge of this area or
that. If we got a response at all - which was rare -, we were informed that
our needs, i.e., money to continue our awareness campaign, didn't quite fit
their mandate; at the same time, we were urged to carry on our "extremely
important and laudible [sic] initiative." 

We've also been through two elections, federal and provincial, each woman
doing her bit to follow recommendations 1 through 4. And we’ve connected
with other groups, whose struggles have been similar to our own.

What we’ve found time and again is a political (and media) stone wall.
Politicians either ignore our communications completely or they are
indifferent. In all cases but one, they appear to assume we have nothing
worthwhile to say. This is apparent given the rarity of finding a politician
who has read our widely-acclaimed Phase I – Dominant Issues report. This was
sent to a large number of politicians, both in and out of government, and
its being read is the least we might have expected. 

We had tried all the usual political routes and still our backs were to the
wall. NO party was listening, even when it was in election mode. 

We determined not to put up with this anymore and formulated a fifth item
for our list of political ‘dos’:

5. If no provincial party satisfies, create your own.

We've done that. The FemINist INitiative of BC (FemINit-BC) was formally
registered with Elections BC on June 22, 2005. We aim to work toward
achieving a society: i) that honours the feminine perspective, such that it
carries equal weight in all social institutions, ii) whose greatest
aspiration and the measure of its progress is the wellbeing of all its
members, and iii) which recognizes and values the ability of communities to
act and control their own interests and destinies.

The story doesn’t end there. Excepting our two local papers and one
editorial in the Vancouver Sun, BC’s corporate media had always ignored
WISE. It was doing the same with FemINit-BC. 

Still with no money, the only solution open to us was to spread the word
electronically via feminist and like-minded networks, in and outside BC,
including globally. 

From across the country - and from places like Japan, U.S.A., U.K. and
Australia -, the common response was: “Is there anything like it here? How
can I get involved?” Hoping to encourage others to follow our example, we
looked into the requirements of forming a political party in each of
Canada’s provinces and territories. 

We found further barriers. In half the country and for groups with little
money and no power network to tap into, the requirements are prohibitive.
Federally, the situation is not so bad.

We therefore came up with a sixth suggestion for our list of political ‘dos’:

6. If you are prevented from forming a provincial/territorial party, create
a federal one.

That’s what we’re doing. We are working to attain eligible party status for
the FemINist INitiative of Canada...

What is the moral of the story? Actually, there are two. 

1. For politicians: It is unwise to ignore the oppressed - and to ignore a
bunch of angry women. It is even more unwise to contribute to their
oppression through your silence and indifference. 
2. For other persons facing barriers: Don’t try to smash the barriers.
That’s too daunting a task; besides, the barriers are unlikely to be worthy
of your attention anyway. Instead, think in terms of detours. How might you
navigate around the barriers and thereby create your own space? 

The story continues...

--Ocean

Chrystal Ocean, Coordinator
Wellbeing through Inclusion Socially & Economically
http://www.wise-bc.org/

FemINist INitiative of BC
http://www.feministinitiative.bc.ca/

FemINist INitiative of Canada
http://www.feministinitiative.ca/

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