About Us
Mission Statement
WIMIN is a non-profit organization. Our purpose, stated most simply, is to bring quality women's cultural events to New Mexico. We produce concerts, lectures, workshops, dances, theater, festivals and other events which celebrate womens lives, strengths, talents, and concerns. Our decisions about what we do and how we do it are guided by some basic principles. We are feminists. For us that means that we support a women's right to freely make choices about every aspect of her life. We affirm all such choices freely made and we specifically affirm lesbianism as an empowering choice. In addition, we struggle to redefine our attitudes and to challenge our audiences' attitudes about race, class, gender, sexual preference, disability, and whatever else is on our minds. We are committed to reducing racism, sexism, homophobia, classism and ableism.
Board Members
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The Board of Directors of WIMIN shall have from nine to 13 members. The number of members attempts to accommodate the following criteria: an odd number, a small enough group so as to make meetings tolerable in length and still allow everyone a chance to speak on any issue; a large group to reflect the diversity of our community; a large enough group to get the work done. At least three members of the board shall be women of color. It is important to say that three is not an upper limit—it is a minimum. As the need arises we solicit applications for positions on the Board of Directors.
A board member is a volunteer who is not paid for her time or talent. She is reimbursed any out of pocket expenses and she is entitled to two complimentary tickets to every WIMIN event. Event coordinators are paid a fee. The board shall direct all activites of WIMIN. Decisions are generally made by consensus. Serving on the board is a major job,we generally meet every other Monday for upwards of three hours. In addition to requiring a large commitment of time it also requires a willingness to emotionally commit to our process. We meet regularly with a facilitator to improve our understanding of each other and our ability to work together effectively. We also meet to discuss and process our own attitudes about race, class and other issues which might divide us.
The Working WIMIN
We acknowledge that there are many more women who would like to be involved in the work we do than there are board positions available. At the same time we know from experience that the decision making body of the group must be small. We are sensitive of the perception that we are an elitist group. The need to develop trust and a shared sense of commitment and the need to spend the maximum amount of time working as opposed to processing make a group that is open to anyone at any time out of the question. We encourage women who want to be involved in the work we do to participate in The Working WIMIN. The level of involvement in The Working WIMIN is very flexible. Experience in The Working WIMIN is a preferred qualication for membership on the BOARD.
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