Our last GWC Newsletter seems light years away. We shared plans, announced upcoming events and commented on the politics of the day. Though we all knew the virus was spreading, it was not yet the all-consuming, life-altering presence in our lives that it has become. What a difference a few short weeks has made!
Now here we are, pivoting, adapting and planning day-by-day, as women do so well. The wonderful thing about our truly Global Women’s Caucus is that we are already very good at social distancing without losing touch!
Our GWC Leaders are now busy shifting in-person events online and cooking up new ideas on how our sprawling caucus, with its thousands of members in every time zone, can “virtually” draw a little closer to each other and empower each other during this very stressful time so that we can carry on with the important work we do.
I will be asking each of our action teams to develop extra remote options for member participation, so keep an eye out for more online member meetings, webinars with expert guests and calls to action.
One of the most powerful ways we can push back against the feeling of helplessness and isolation that this pandemic is generating, is to commit to doing one positive action for a cause we believe in. Follow this link for a whole list of easy ways that you can help out with our efforts to get out the vote. Do you have a particular skill or an issue that is especially close to your heart? Then we would love to have you pitch in on one of our GWC teams as a volunteer. Drop me a line at [email protected] and together we can find something that suits your skill-set, interests and schedule.
One commitment that I am personally making is to pledge that for every live social event that I have to miss with friends and family due to the corona virus, I will donate an equivalent amount of time and/or money to the task of ridding our democracy of the GOP virus that has infected us for what seems like an eternity now. Would you join me in a similar commitment?
The whole world is on a learning curve now. It almost feels like a slow motion 9/11. Nothing will be the same in the “after” time. But perhaps the silver lining will be in the development of a greener, more sustainable, more empathetic society that values humanity over productivity, diversity over sameness and equality over dominance.
It has been said that pandemics change history. As women’s history month 2020 comes to a close, let us embrace this change, and commit to working towards the goal of making a historic change for the better!
In solidarity, and with a warm virtual hug,
Ann