Women's Action for New Directions

Women's Action for New Directions or WAND is a progressive women's organization that seeks to decrease militarism, work toward the elimination of weapons of mass destruction stockpiles, redirect unnecessary military spending toward social programs, and to increase women's involvement in the political process.

WAND was founded by Helen Caldicott in 1982 as Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament.

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Organizational Structure

TAND

Students Take Action for New Directions was founded by 13 young women at WAND's 1999 biennial WAND/WiLL national conference. It works to encourage young women to become politically active, to vote, to network with other young WAND members and with WiLL members, and to become activists working toward WAND's goals.

WiLL

[http://www.wand.org/will_home.htm Women Legislators'Lobby] is a non-partisan network of female state legislatures who are members of WAND. Nan Grogan Orrock is the current president of WiLL. In 2003, WAND founded Trailblazers, a network that seeks to use the contacts and influence of former legislators to continue to influence national priorities and foreign policy issues.

WAND Education Fund

WAND Education Fund creates educational materials for training and briefing individuals, elected leaders and the media.

WAND Ed Fund goals are to:

Challenge and promote alternatives to militarism and violence as the solution to conflict. Shift from a military to a civilian-based economy to address the threats to our real security, ensuring that human, economic and environmental needs are met. Clean up environmental effects of nuclear weapons production as well as toxic waste at all military facilities, and prevent further contamination. Eliminate the testing, production, sale and use of weapons of mass destruction. Prevent violence against women. Increase women's political leadership to further WAND's goals.

WAND PAC

[http://www.wand.org/womenpol/pac.html WAND PAC] is a political action committee of WAND members. As a national membership organization, WAND works to increase women's political power for the purpose of reducing violence and militarism and redirecting excessive military resources to unmet human and environmental needs.

WAND supports women who are members of WAND or WiLL (Women Legislators’ Lobby) who are running for the United States Congress. In 2007, women account for 16% of Congress. At this rate, women will not have equal representation in our national law-making body until after the year 2430.

There are 42 Congresswomen from the ranks of WAND and WiLL in the 110th Congress.

WAND PAC offers women candidates:

CONTRIBUTIONS. WAND PAC gives financial contributions to women running for Congress who meet endorsement criteria.

What WAND can offer candidates:

INFORMATION - WAND assists candidates with information about federal policies, processes, and issues.WASHINGTON ACCESS - WAND introduces candidates to other colleague organizations in Washington, DC. and community leaders. LOCAL HELP - WAND members volunteer in campaigns and raise money for endorsed candidates from local WAND members. PRESS - WAND endorsements are reported in the media and given to the candidate to be included in her campaign materials. EXPERIENCE - WAND staff members are experienced campaigners who can provide candidates with in-kind expertise.

Local Chapters

WAND has chapters in all regions of the country.

Affiliated Organizations

WAND partners are committed to working with WAND to address federal budget priorities so that human and environmental needs are better served. These organizations understand the cost to communities across America because of unwise federal spending decisions--they experience it every day. WAND Partners are primarily non-profit women's, human needs, and peace organizations, but also include programs in universities, religious organizations, and policy/research groups.

Goals & Values

As members of WAND, we value the voices and leadership of women seeking peace, justice and security through informed participation in the democratic process.

We are women of all ages, races and creeds, with voices that are fresh and eager as well as seasoned and knowing, working in communities across the nation, seeking a world that is peaceful and just.

We know that women’s voices and leadership are key to effective, wise government. We believe knowledge requires action. We believe that by engaging in the governing process we can create a world that decides in favor of peace, equality and respect. We believe that listening to all people, across every line that keeps us apart, is an essential act with the power to transform.

We believe in the proactive spirit that moves us to work together to meet the needs of individuals, communities and the environment. We also believe that government must meet the needs of those who cannot care for themselves, for community endeavors that require public investment, and for a communal response to care for the environment.

We are women who value ourselves and each other. We trust our collective wisdom to act in ways, both personal and political, that move our nation from war to peace, from want to wholeness, and from fear to clear-eyed, informed action.

We are Women’s Action For New Directions.

--Dorothy Rupert, Pan Godchaux, Suleyken Walker, Susan Shaer

History

Sayre Sheldon, October 2004

It was a (somewhat) different world in the early 1980s, a world that was fertile ground for organizing. WAND has its roots firmly in that time. The nuclear arms race was spiraling out of control, and the specter of a nuclear disaster was dark, real, and terrifying.

Dr. Helen Caldicott, a physician from Australia and expert on nuclear disarmament, traveled the world, speaking to this fear, and galvanizing citizens to action. When she did so, she was often greeted with the response: “We must start a women’s party!” And so Helen, who came from a country with a multi-party system, founded the Women’s Party for Survival.

However, the new party, organized around a kitchen table in Cambridge, MA, quickly realized they could not take on the entrenched two-party American system. Instead, the party morphed into WAND -- just as the Reagan administration began rattling its sabers and wildly increasing military spending.

In the beginning, the organization was small and run by volunteers. However, the demand was great: thousands upon thousands of outraged U.S. citizens believed that the very future of the planet was being threatened by the arms race. The organization moved to become larger and more professional, and to both educate on policy choices and lobby to make policy.

WAND was structured as two sister organizations: one educational and supported by tax-deductible contributions, the other political and supported by dues from its members. Eventually, a third program --WAND PAC--was born. The Board of Directors realized how important it was to endorse candidates and raise money for their campaigns. (In the 1980s, as few women were running for Congress, most of the money went to men. With a dramatic shift in the numbers of women running for Congress in the 1990s, the PAC decided to give to WAND and WiLL members running for Congress.)

For years, it was a heady time for the organization. Helen, a charismatic speaker, regularly appeared on major TV programs (e.g., Phil Donahue’s show), often with well-known celebrities (e.g., Meryl Streep). When she did, letters poured in by the thousands. Outraged, citizens begged Helen and WAND to do something. Helen traveled the country, and thousands of volunteers rallied. The Peace Movement and the Nuclear Freeze historically played a role in the end of the MX missile, and forced nuclear disarmament summits.

In 1985, WAND opened its Washington, DC office, forging a link between the grassroots and Congress. Today, WAND is a major presence within the peace and security community on Capitol Hill, firmly established in both the peace and women’s communities.

In 1991, after the Cold War had wound down, the climate had changed enough so that WAND changed its name to Women’s Action for New Directions. The name brought with it a broadened mission: world peace and security, nuclear disarmament, and redirecting excessive military spending toward human and environmental needs.

As the peace movement dwindled, WAND wisely recognized the need to create a different kind of grassroots organization, and reached out to women state legislators. Most women Members of Congress come from state legislatures. WiLL, the Women Legislators’ Lobby, is a national, non-partisan network of women state legislators who work together to influence federal policy and budget priorities. In 2003, we founded Trailblazers, a network of former legislators whose contacts and influence continue to have an impact on national priorities and foreign policy issues.

In 1999, STAND --Students Taking Action for New Directions -- was created by 13 young women at the biennial WAND/WiLL national conference. STAND aims to harness and direct the enormous energies and potential of young women activists.

For the past few years, WAND has been broadening its circle and building on relationships with organizations that care about similar issues. We have established partnerships with organizations that care about human and environmental needs. We have forged coalitions with organizations that have struggled to prevent and stop the war in Iraq. The peace movement has gathered new strength, and WAND is there to lend expertise and experience.

Today, WAND is well known as a force to be reckoned with: professional, knowledgeable, relentless.

External links

[http://www.wand.org/ WAND Website]