United we succeed – fragmented we fail
March 24, 2009
by Amy Siskind
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WE MUST DO THIS TOGETHER!
The New Agenda is so grateful for our new viewers and members. Our national organization is continuing to spread like weeds all over the country. As many of our blog viewers are new to our organization, I thought it might be helpful to give some background on TNA as an organization. One new member recently told me that she felt like joining TNA was like jumping on a speeding train – so much power moving forward, but yet hard at times to understand the overall context.
We started The New Agenda in August 2008. Our belief at that time was the women of this country were no longer moving forward – and in fact, might instead be moving backwards. In order to counter this notion, we decided to form a national grassroots organization that would be centered on women’s issues. Seem revolutionary? Well, it was and here is why.
The existing women’s group were hardly focused on women’s issues and instead were a clique from which most of us felt excluded. There were many wonderful issue specific groups, but women as a whole did not have powerful, national voice.
We made a strategic decision that day. That for women of this country to have power, we would need to focus on the issues that unite us, and put aside the issues that divide us. Women make up 52% of the population, yet we have let ourselves be split in half by political party and the issues surrounding reproductive rights. This fragmentation has resulted in women not being able to work together as a voting block and therefore not having real power.
Leaving choice aside was revolutionary. But remember our premise: focus on the issues that unite us, not divide us. If you are pro-choice, we recommend funneling your energy into one of the organizations devoted to that issue. If you are pro-life, we recommend the same. But, when we come to The New Agenda, we ask that you put that issue aside and work together on the 80% of issues that impact all women.
In reading our blog, we seem to hitting against a new issue – the issue of racism. I would make the same request of our viewers. There are many wonderful national organization devoted to speaking out against racism. For those of you that find your life impacted by the color of your skin, you will probably prefer to join organizations which are devoted to that important issue.
And when you come to The New Agenda, we ask that we work together on pure women’s rights. We cannot be fragmented and succeed. All women and like minded men (10-15% of TNA members are men) must work together to advance issues impacting women and girls. The New Agenda is what we call “Big Tent Feminism” which means we are inclusive and welcome any and all into our tent. But once in our tent, please come by to help us advance and empower ALL the women of this country. United we succeed – fragmented we fail.
Amen!!!
I know what you meant Amy; you meant for those of us, no matter the colour of our skin, who want to work on racism (and I think we all do, those I read here) please go to organizations that are devoted to that important issue.
Sis
bi-racial
Yes Sis.
That doesn’t diminish the importance of that issue – it just means that it is NOT within the scope of focus at TNA. Our mission is pure women’s rights.
Thank you, Amy.
“Pure women’s rights” as alluded to in another thread is what I refer to as sexist sexism that has nothing to do with racism which women of color experience more than racist sexism. Sexual assault and domestic violence are mostly intra-racial. 41-60% of Asian American women experience domestic violence and a U.S. Department of Justice report claims intra-racial, cultural causes and intra-racial solutions.
I’m glad someone understands how sexual assault and domestic violence is experienced by women of all races and all nations and that we need to focus on pure women’s rights.
I still believe women in leadership positions can only benefit all these causes. There is absolutely nothing more horrible to me than child abuse, but we aren’t throwing that into the mix here. But as women achieve leadership we will be in a position to address all these issues — and I believe we WILL.
Excellent post, Amy. Thank you. This is exactly what I meant about recovering the power and clarity of the Second Wave.
Movements are effective when they have a clear, uncluttered focus and an agenda that unites. That’s us.
Hear! Hear!
We must focus on what unites us, or we will stay stuck, or worse, as you so rightly said, “…might instead be moving backwards.”
Bravo, Amy! A standing ovation from home. I love the rhetoric of “pure women’s rights.” Good thinking there. That’s a catch phrase that will get picked up if we keep using it. And it send the right message, a message of authenticity about where we come from. It’s not some clever political language, it’s real. Simple. True.
I also appreciate the tone. One of the reasons I come here is because of that tone. It is all too easy in the 24-hours-a-day internet world to lose your cool and vent and get vitriolic, and too much of that generally leads to losing focus or losing faith. We can’t afford either.
Someday I’m going to have to tell you the story of Kathleen Fraser, an experimental poet from the recent canon. She’s still alive. What we’re doing is of the cloth she was working with, only she was specific to the world of poetry. I am reminded of HOWever magazine every time I come here.
Thanks Amy!
I would like the editors here to consider taking a moderator’s role with regards to the comments. The discussions here are intelligent and passionate but they need to remain focused on the goals of this group. Not everyone recognizes when they have blurred the line and that is a problem in itself. A moderator’s role is to bring the participation back on point to continue the discussion in a productive manner.
Mary,
It occurred to me yesterday that we as commentors can “gently” assume this role as well. I love the phrase “Focus on the issues that unite us.” Maybe we can use this when discussion gets derailed.
“we work together on pure women’s rights” Not other issues. that’s exactly what women need to do. Congrats!
“we work together on pure women’s rights” Not other issues. that’s exactly what women need to do. Congrats!
Patriarchy (of all races) is the enemy. In the past, feminism marginalized women of color but if you look at the feminist blogosphere, it’s extremely intersectional and I haven’t seen any racism here. Pure women’s rights simply means women (of all races’) enemy is patriarchy.
And we need/will need this kind of feminism more than ever.
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