Resignation by Harriet Hirsch, East Coast Sage Circle

I am writing this letter as the Chair Woman of the Woman Within International Multicultural Committee (WWIMC). I have held this elected position for close to two years. Before that I was the Chair Woman of the East Coast Sage Circle Diversity Committee for a few years. That committee had morphed to include women members of WWI from all over the world. When the WWI Board grew from one woman to three our committee became an institutional part of WWI.

It is not my intention to describe in detail how all that occurred, but to explain that I have an institutional role that has been determined by various different parts of our organization, and has lasted in one form or another for a period of many years.

This committee is comprised of a handful of women who, over time, have done lots of Multicultural Work. It is open to any graduate of WW. The committee's mission and goals are as follows:

Our mission is to individually and collectively foster heightened awareness of multicultural issues and impacts in the Woman Within and affiliated communities.

Our goals are to:

1. Perform an advisory role to the Woman Within International Board and the Woman Within community in making the Woman Within Training Weekend and any other Woman Within weekends, accessible to and safer for, all women within our respective local communities. Make recommendations as appropriate.

2. Provide leadership and education on multicultural issues as well as to support planning and execution for associated events including but not limited to: liaison with local councils, facilitating, brainstorming and organizing multicultural events.

3. Interact with and work in concert with similar initiatives.

Recently, in my role of committee chair, I wrote a letter to our sisters worldwide asking for others to join us. Those of us who have been on this committee are in need of help from others to whom we can pass the mantle. I wrote of our willingness to work with or mentor new women who will participate with us.

I wrote saying the following about our representation on the board, and clearly asking for help so we could select a member to join the board.

" Barb Rath was our representative on the board last year, but she was unable to stay in that position for personal reasons and there was nobody available to replace her. This is a letter to try to find more women to become active on that committee"

I sent the letter to Woman Within's administrator asking to have it forwarded to the community.......all in my institutional role.

What I received back has shocked and upset me. It was not from our administrator, but from Mary Gould, who, as you know, has told us she is WWI's board president and lone board member. (I believe it has yet to be explained how it occurred that she is the only board member.)

This is what she wrote.

"I will not allow your committee to represent Woman Within without representation on the board and then representation throughout the organization........ "

So, I am writing this letter to you now for two reasons.

First of all, as it appears it will be incredibly difficult, if not impossible for our committee to get the help it needs, I am choosing to resign and continue my efforts in multicultural work elsewhere. After all if we are looking for somebody to step up so we can have a member apply to be on the board, but can't ask for that without having a member on the board, that is patently absurd, a classic Catch 22.

Also, I want to know under what authority an unelected president can 'allow' or 'not allow' an institutionally delegated committee to take an action. This action is virtually ending the participation of the WWIMC.

I am choosing not to fight about this, and I am choosing to bring it out into the open. It does not feel right to me.

I have enjoyed working with this community over the past 14 years and thank you all for what you have helped me to learn.

Yours respectfully,

Harriet Hirsch
(WWTW, Sept/Oct 1995, East Coast)
Global Womens Diversity Organization (GWDO) Chairwoman
HarrietH2@aol.com