How women organizers used Berger-Marks grants
Groups & research funded by Berger-Marks
Women organizing women:
special report
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Evergreen College summer school
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| Aurora and Elizabeth |
| Photo: Patricia Cortez |
The five-day school, supported in part by a Berger-Marks Foundation grant, focused on the theme of the need for better health care as well as concrete skills like how to write press release, public speaking and collective bargaining.
But the most ground-breaking aspect was the participation of immigrant women from surrounding communities who came to learn more about organizing in the workplace. They were made to feel welcome through the school’s simultaneous translation of speeches, bi-lingual materials, and Spanish-speaking facilitators. Even though most could get by in English, they would have missed a lot if they couldn’t communicate in their own language, explained Triffleman
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| Patricia Cortez |
Patricia Cortez was one of them. A life-long fighter for justice, she had fled her native country of El Salvador at an early age to avoid being persecuted for helping university students organize for, among other things, equality and an end to violence against women. Once in the U.S., she held a string of low-paying jobs where she often suffered discrimination. She struggled to learn English and work herself though the U.S. education system from the bottom up. She now works as a family therapist and volunteer helping immigrant youth organize for their rights. Yet through all that, Cortez had no contact with unions –until now.
She heard about the school from a young woman who attended the previous year and “it got me all excited. I said ‘next year, I’m going to go.’”
And she’s glad she did. “I was impressed by the way it was organized. . . And I learned a lot about unions and organizing. I had no clue what it was like for union women. The most surprising thing is, I didn’t know they were struggling to reach out to latino women. I didn’t know latinos were in unions to begin with. It never occurred to me.”
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| Monica in Puppet Workshop |
| Photo: Patricia Cortez |
Cortez admits that “it took a little while to warm up with the union women. . . When we discussed racism I felt misunderstood at first, and it took a little work to explain my experience -- I was determined to do so.” The conference was structured to help build those bridges. At the outset, Cortez explains, “delegates made an agreement to have an open mind, be respectful of each other, and not use blame, shame words -- and we reviewed those rules every time we started a new session. It was posted on the wall. In my case made me feel pretty safe.”
In all, 50 delegates from 31 groups attended, representing eight community groups plus unions for public and private workers, from carpenters to marine engineers, to office & professional workers.
For Nina Triffleman, it’s always exciting when “ women come together and see what they can do, making it their own.” Many union women were attracted by the school’s 17-year reputation for fostering women leaders, and they welcomed a chance to talk about the challenges they faced. “They really need support within their unions, ” says Triffleman, and the school made people “feel more free to speak their minds.”
The union women also benefited from meeting immigrant activists like Cortez. “There is a lot of talk from people who listen to what the media says,” explains Triffleman, But “that changes immediately, as soon as they meet people in flesh & blood.”
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| Discussion in Theatre of Liberation Workshop |
| Photo: Patricia Cortez |
Brazilian-inspired “Theater of liberation” exercises helped delegates strategize over real-life scenarios and discover what they had in common. Many highlights weren’t even on the main program. One film viewed during a lunch break showed cross-border organizing with Mexican women, and Triffleman could see “those light bulbs go on – people thinking, ‘look, women can organize under conditions like this!’”
People left the school fired up, and in post-conference evaluations, praised the experience across the board. One delegate said she planned to use its loose-leaf notebooks as a reference, while another said she better understands “the tie between Collective Bargaining and the overall communication/fellowship with other women.” Many noted the “great learning opportunity from being together in such a diverse group” and “the exchange of viewpoints.”
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| Banner-making Workshop: Elizabeth, Connie & Aurora |
| Photo: Patricia Cortez |
Patricia Cortez thought it was especially cool that organizers “interviewed us at end and asked what could be improved, encouraging the women to be honest.” They invited her to help organize the next year’s conference, and involve more latino women.
“We do it from the angle that this is your school,” Triffleman explains. This year’s program evolved from a planning committee of delegates from the previous year, and she’s already picked up ideas, such as bringing future schools into the community so the women don’t have to worry about child care. State funders and the university are boosting support for the program so they can hire two new staff, one a union member and one from the immigrant community.
As for delegates, some are already turning their learning into action. Cortez was so excited about working with puppets that “ I repeated the activity with young people -- and I was very popular for that!” she laughs. “And I continue to work on health issues as I speak,” organizing protests against rules that bar many immigrant women from health care clinics and "creating awareness" with her friends.
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