Packed meeting hears report on women’s conference

A few of the women who participated in Dec. 4 meeting. Photo: Women’s Fightback Network

The New York chapter of the Women’s Fightback Network hosted a reportback meeting Dec. 4 on the Montreal International Women’s Conference that took place Aug. 13-16 in Canada. The meeting, held at the Solidarity Center in Manhattan, was standing room only as women activists of many nationalities, ages and political backgrounds saw video footage and a power point presentation about the conference.

One of the most important achievements of the Montreal conference was establishing an International Women’s Alliance, based on a global anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist perspective. A Basis of Unity statement will be debated and ratified at the first general assembly meeting of the IWA to be held in the Philippines in July 2011. For further information, go to www.micw2010.org. The WFN helped to organize a U.S. delegation to the conference. Other delegations came from countries in Asia, Latin America, Europe and Canada.

The Dec. 4 meeting heard a number of talks on issues and struggles at home and abroad impacting the lives of women, their children and their communities. Some of these issues included homelessness, layoffs, unemployment, incarceration, education, anti-LGBTQ oppression, immigrant rights, Philippines, Korea, Palestine, Haiti, Honduras and more. There was also a report motivating a mobilization for International Working Women’s Day 2011. Following the meeting, a dinner was prepared by male supporters of the WFN. The next meeting of the WFN will be held Jan. 8. For more information, email [email protected].

— Monica Moorehead