Leadership Q&A

“if you don’t know, learn; if you do know, teach”
-Motto CWLU

Some of your deepest, darkest questions about our leadership structure answered by the CWLU intern…

Q: As women, we have been scorned by a social elitism that has marginalized our views and our place in society. How can we have a responsible leadership structure, which will ensure that our voices are no longer muffled an ignored?

A: As an organization with a defined leadership, the CWLU respects skepticism about this historically manipulative structure. It is true that we have watched countless movements and organizations fail or lose momentum as their leaders refuse the real problems of their followers and becomes unresponsive to their needs. We are convinced however that, “The solution is not to destroy leadership. Rather, we must make leaders responsible to organization and to the members. In addition, leadership can able an effective catalyst, a stimulator to advance the movement. Elitism can be perpetuated only when we do not train each other in what we know.” (CWLU, 1972 emphasis added)

Q: How can we ensure that everyone’s voice continues to be heard as the organization grows. With so many demands and so many individuals demanding, isn’t it probably that some agendas will be prejudicially pushed aside in favor of those put forward by women higher up?

A: The CWLU we stress women in engage in lively intellectual and political debate. This prompting, combined with a more democratic atmosphere will allow women to voice their opinions and engage with the thoughts and proposals of others in hopes of both giving voice to marginalized views that would otherwise be lost or stifled and of strengthening our understanding of our own plight and the plight of others who may not share our world view or experiences. In this way we will foster, nay demand, participation in a way that challenges our open-mindedness and forces us to innovative solutions and policies.

Please feel free to post your questions and arguments as comments, so that we can attend to concerns and engage in other important debates.

Full Citation for Above Quotation:

Chicago Women’s Liberation Union, Hyde Park Chapter. “Leadership Elitism and Democracy.” Soicalist Feminism: A Strategy for the Women’s Movement. Chicago: Hyde Park Chapter Chicago Women’s Liberation Union, 1972. 30.