50 signatures reached
To: Women of Nelson, BC & area
Support Diversity and Inclusion at the Nelson & District Women's Centre
Help support our marginalized community members - including Indigenous Women and people of all marginalized genders! If you care about the importance of creating welcoming and inclusive policies for the Nelson & District Women's Centre, please come to the AGM on Wednesday, December 4th, or send a proxy vote to elect board members who aim to build a longer table, not a higher wall.
Here's how to take action:
***Everyone*** Sign on here to show your support, and please share urgently to spread the word!
***Self-identified Women - come to the AGM or send your proxy vote in support***
Option 1. The best option, if you can, is to come to the AGM in person. You can sign up to be a member at the AGM, and then vote.
Option 2. If you can't make it in person, you can vote by proxy if you are a member in good standing and request a proxy vote by 4pm on Tuesday Dec 3rd.
- Become a member of the NDWC with a donation at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/10389 (it suggests a $15+ donation but you can choose to donate less if that is an obstacle)
- Email [email protected] to get a proxy vote form
- Give you completed proxy vote form to another member, or click where it says "Campaign created by Kara Douglas" above, email, and we will connect you with someone to give your proxy vote to
- Please make sure whoever you are giving your proxy to is someone you know is supportive of inclusion, and give them the list of candidates below
Why is this important?
On December 4th, the AGM for the Nelson & District Women’s Centre will be held at the Adventure Hotel at 5:30pm. Many know the Centre to be a place of support and service to the community. What some members may not be aware of is that over the past several months, the staff have been working to the point of exhaustion -many to the point of resignation- due to a lawsuit filed by a group of so-called feminists who appropriated the name the Bread and Roses Collective.
Over these months, effort and emotional energy have been diverted from supporting the community in full capacity to responding to a Supreme Court lawsuit filed by women who question if other marginalized genders should be allowed to be voting members of, employed at, engage with or utilize the support and services of the organization. This bullying tactic was used to execute a hostile takeover of the board and force others out through mental and emotional exhaustion. The pressure of this lawsuit on the volunteer board and part time staff led to periods of time where drop in services were closed, impacting some of the most marginalized members of our community.
History shows us that that dividing and excluding the marginalized is in itself an act of violence. With the Trans Day of Remembrance passing on Wednesday November 19, we speak the names of transgender people, (particularly TPOC) who are killed each year (at least 311 this year) in acts of transphobic violence. It is also a time to reflect on other acts of violence against trans people, including emotional violence, micro-aggressions and the systematic exclusion of trans bodies in community spaces.
If you care about the inclusion and the support of all marginalized genders, come to the Nelson District Women's Centre AGM on Wednesday, December 4th or send a proxy vote to elect board members who aim to build a longer table, not a higher wall.
For more background info, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9staXcyOYKs
How it will be delivered
Board nominees known to be supportive of diversity and inclusion:
Amanda Pheeney
Annora Clapp
Avery Alder
Leslie Payne
Meagan Zunti
Karmelle Spence-Sing
Sawah Danniels
Shamim Pourfarshomi
Stephanie Wiggins