|
|
|
The vision of the Women of Color Alliance (WOCA) grew out of conversations dating back to 1998 among Latina, Native American, African American, and Asian women. At first, the focus was simply to find ways of supporting each other in a conservative state. Public policy makers in Idaho have a reputation for discounting the importance of people of color, particularly women of color. What began as a simple conversation grew into a passion for women of color to regain their voices and build an organization that would be run by women of color for women of color. Though it has been a long journey, they have held fast to their commitment to build a safe place for women of color to go and to their spiritual beliefs, getting reinforcements from the women Elders at Fort Hall Reservation.
In April 2003 WOCA held its first annual conference, bringing together women from reservations and labor camps and poor white women from rural Idaho. Some of the issues addressed were internalized racist oppression, Afghanistan women's rights, domestic violence, rural women in Idaho, migrant/immigrant rights, tribal sovereignty, gender equity and human rights, campaign finance reform, civil rights, Radical Organizing for Radical Girls, running for office, and many others. The keynote speakers were Jeanne Givens, former Idaho State Legislator from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, and Dr. Alice Palmer, former State Senator from Illinois, who brought a great wealth of information to the women on running for political office. The conference was a great sucess and, unfortunately, we had to turn women away due to space and fire regulations. But we now know that there is a great demand for WOCA and the work it is doing. One woman said, "I didn't know how much I needed WOCA until, I drove up and saw the hotel's billboard saying 'Welcome Women of Color Alliance,' someone in Idaho was actually welcoming me, a woman of color, for the first time in Idaho!"
Click Here to VISIT OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
|
|
|
