Voices of the Community
There is a concern for justice in our world today. Giving people the chance to listen to the voices that have never had the opportunity to be heard is an act of justice.
For me and many other women, our voices were like a small light in the corner, covered with judgments and fears, hidden away where nobody could see and hear us. But I and the other women in the Women’s Justice Circles were given the opportunity to raise our voices. It started with eight sessions, where step by step we learned to act for justice and to love others with our words and actions.
Our voices now connect us to the community, organize families, and lead us on a path to a better life through new opportunities that make our families thrive. We have learned to value where we live and all the people who live there. We have learned to look at the needs the community has and to support one another. We have learned that we are women with rights: the right to speak and be heard, the right to point out what affects us, what seems unattainable, and what oppresses our families and ourselves. We have learned to take care of our inner beings and value who we are: beautiful women who are part of the community and this world.
We have made a change. Our streets are now cleaner, and our actions are motivating others to take part in caring
BY NORMA ORTIZfor our city. With pride we walk and clean our streets, motivating and bringing awareness to each person who sees us, not only to take care of our streets but to take care of our environment.
Even when things are not achieved, we are winners, because by speaking we overcome shyness, isolation, fear of rejection, and the voices telling us, “You can’t.” Our voice has been heard, and we are not only part of the community; we are the community!
We have achieved this thanks to IPJC. The Women’s Justice Circles opened the door to hope, to believing in ourselves and our voices. We advocate, we look, and we listen to what matters in the community. Thanks to the Women’s Justice Circles, we can bring and realize justice in our communities.
Norma Ortiz is a long-time leader in the IPJC community and has facilitated numerous Women’s Justice Circles. Most recently, she facilitated a Circle in Burien, Washington that focused on developing a monthly community clean-up day. Norma also serves on IPJC’s Justice for Women Leadership Advisory Team, helping lead the newly formed Justice for Women Facilitator Network. Norma works for Southwest Youth and Family Services as a site manager for several low-income housing communities coordinating services and attending to the needs of the residents.
Women’s Justice Circles
IPJC’s Women’s Justice Circles provide an essential social network for women who are low-income and on the margins of society. Along with the significant benefits that arise from creating community, participants exchange useful information and resources, share a common purpose, and work together to bring about tangible changes in their communities. The women gather information, design campaigns, recruit others, choose a social justice issue to focus on, and take concrete steps toward systemic change in areas such as housing, health care, education, and violence prevention.
The Circles’ eight-week format is deliberately designed to deepen relationships among participants and provides a forum in which to address specific concerns. The weekly topics include creating community, exploring diversity, providing skills for collaboration and consensus building, leadership building, developing strategies and implementing an action, and reflecting as a group on the process. IPJC provides all the materials, training, and support needed. We work with each site to find a facilitator and a group of participants (approximately 6–10 members). If you are interested in hearing more about our Circles, contact ipjc@ipjc.org.