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US-CUBA Sister Cities
Summer 1999 Report
US-CUBA Sister Cities Association was officially born on March 21st at a framer's
conference in Pittsburgh. Led by miracle facilitator and WILPF member Peggy
Edwards from California, representatives from thirteen cities nationwide, shared
their experiences, visions and humor. We hammered out an organizational structure,
elected a board and officers, produced an introductory organizational kit, officially
incorporated, filed for a 501c3 tax exemption and set a next open organizing
meeting to be held in Mobile, Alabama the weekend of October 9th, 1999. (Please
join us!) What a whirlwind weekend! No time wasted and a great time had by all!
"Build it and they shall come..." And so they are! Communities are enthusiastic
about these inter-city ventures of promoting every type of people-to-people
connections! What a great way to network! Already folks in Indianapolis,
Cincinnati, San Diego, Seattle, Youngstown, Albuquerque and several Florida
communities are meeting to begin the process further advanced in other
areas. And talk about how news travels ... we were really surprised by a call
from WILPF members in Belfast Ireland, inspired by our efforts! Equally exciting
was the response within Cuba, which up until now, had no vehicle to approach
cities, organizations, or institutions with which they would like to develop
an affinity. USCSCA aspires to become that reciprocal bilateral bridge. A sort
of 'matchmaking service' for cities, a way to find the right place and partner.
Despite our grand success, excitement and commitment, like everything else,
things take time and we need a lot of help from all of you to make this work
to best serve everyone. We are in the process of compiling a nationwide database
of documentation used by folks in moving, educating and organizing sister city
projects forward. Cuba enjoys sister city relationships with over 31 nations,
but at the moment there are only three sister cities within the US officially
recognized by Cuba. We hope two more will achieve that status by summer's end.
Through USCSCA, together we will help everyone to nurture their city over time
into official and mutually beneficial citywide partnerships with the people
of Cuba. But first things first, let's get our base in place!
If you are involved with any organization that has a formal or informal relationship
with groups or institutions in Cuba, please add that to our data base documentation
project. Such relationships are widespread, but remain hidden from our larger
community awareness. Even within our own cities. community connections to Cuba
are constantly appearing and amaze us! Also, we know many of you have sister
city experiences with other countries, especially in Central America. We really
need your experience to help us get this going. Be our teachers and mentors!
We are hoping that you will become actively involved locally in building a
coalition of diverse groups that will form the base of a future Sister City
relationship within your community. We hope to be able to help facilitate Sister
City organizing, so that even if it's not easy it's worth every effort. And
it's amazing what new things you will learn about your own hometown!
Please register your interest by contacting the
Mention that you are a WILPF member, as we hope that sister cities will also be a wonderful way to advance WILPF programs and sensitize others to women's leadership and gender issues. This is a good way to meet women and advance women in community leadership positions, such as city councils and Congress.
The WILPF CUBA Action Committee is recommending that building Sister Cities become a major component of WILPF's work in the next year. We hope that all WILPFers wherever they live, will find some way to advance this work. Ideally, it provides a perfect forum to advance all of WILPF's programs in a greater community network. Since the blockade against Cuba can only be changed by a direct act of the U.S. Congress, we hope people-to-people exchanges will begin to build an important 'constituency' for change. Sister Cities offer an opportunity to educate and directly engage elected officials in new opportunities for dialogue and to create 'politically diffused' openings for constructive engagement.We are in the process of creating a customized organizer's kit to help WILPF women with this work. At our WILPF Congress in June we will hold a workshop on Sister Cities, and be compiling just what sort of special needs WILPF women would recommend we include or special advice they might offer. Although that information would be incorporated into the national organizer kit, we would hope to have a special WILPF Sister City Organizer's Kit by the end of July so that you will be ready to go after summer vacations.
Women's inclusion in leadership within all sectors of society is an important issue, but women are barely represented in city councils, as mayors, or other elected positions in many municipalities, let alone in Congress or other policy influencing positions. Sister Cities should also introduce and promote women to become more active for representation and a voice within their cities.Perhaps consider representing, or seeing that your city is represented at the next general meeting of the US-CUBA Sister Cities Association in Mobile, Alabama on the weekend of October 9th. This meeting will focus on "organizing the unorganized," helping new projects get started and addressing the special needs and concerns people have. We hope to be joined not only by Cubans, but by representatives of some other countries that enjoy Sister City relationships with Cuba, and normalized diplomatic relations with Cuba! Now, that will be interesting! Countries which have the advantage of normalized relations, want to foster and help our sister cities surmount many of the special complications we face, such as travel etc. It will be educational conference with many useful workshops on what has proved to be fundamental to the success of our projects. Together we will find the way, or make one!
We need you! Get involved today!!!
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