A reflection by Danilda Maria, 2019-2020 intern
Danilda is graduating this year with her Bachelor's in Social Work from Salem State University. She lives in Lynn and has been interning with NSLC since this fall.
Women Committee meetings take place in the North Shore Labor Council once a month. The focus of the Women Committee meetings is to get involved in any way to help particularly women in their jobs and community. These meetings are for union women and any women are welcome!
My favorite moment was to be in a room filled with women from different backgrounds. The situation that brought all these women together was the opportunity that the Women’s Committee gives once a year for women to gather for a breakfast and discuss challenges in the workplace.
The Women Committee Breakfast has around one hundred women who attend every year. Women discuss how they each overcome challenges and even provide childcare services for mothers to join the breakfast. Childcare services and Spanish translation are available at the Breakfast every year. The Women’s breakfast brings in union women, and women from the North Shore area to discuss women’s solidarity.
Some women who were involved in speaking at the breakfast did not get the opportunity to say all they wanted to say, so they were given the opportunity to go to the women’s committee meeting. Working women explained their Co-Op. Their work consists of taking care of children, cleaning services, and they are associated with a church. The Women’s Committee involved Women in the Building Trades and successful strikes. Women talked about their involvement in it. There was a Juneteenth skit done by Nicole bringing Awareness to African American community.
When we have meetings once a month, we bring in women in their union to discuss how we can improve the breakfast/ meetings. In Women Committee meetings, we discuss ways to improve women’s experience in their jobs and community. Women committee meetings bring attention issues women face and tries to have an impact on solving the problems.
This was my favorite meeting because I like to see people of color in a room. I enjoy seeing diversity and I think it’s great to get different ideas from people. It is meaningful to have people understand different experiences that are sometimes not expressed accurately in the media. Translation was well done for diverse people in the room even though it made the meeting longer it enables more women to be involved. All the women were engaged and wanted to know more about the working women who formed their own group.
It means a lot to me to have diverse people in a room because when people share their stories it empowers us to learn and advocate for subjects that not everyone is aware of. What this moment meant for me is that when people come together and listen, wonderful things happen. It gives people in the group a sense of belonging and meaning. It educates us on different life experiences other women have. It gives you something to relate to and maybe changes your mindset. It shows you another perspective of life and creates a welcoming environment for all.