Jun
25
7:30pm
The Feminist Stake in Basic Income
By The BIG Conference
This panel discussion highlights the intersectionality of feminism and basic income being an important solution to righting the injustices women face. Members of BC’s Women Alliance will share their grassroots experience fighting for women’s rights to a guaranteed livable income. They have done phenomenal and broad direct action campaigns and will expand on the work and impact being done by this diverse group of women who are deeply involved in many different sectors of feminist activism. They represent different constituencies of women who see the implementation of a GLI in service of their causes: Asian Women for Equality, the Vancouver Lesbian Collective, Aboriginal Women’s Action Network, and Vancouver Rape Relief who formed as a response to the pandemic’s magnifying effect of women’s oppression. Together they will be sharing the work they’ve done in the fight to grant women a share of the commonwealth.
They will be joined by Maria Wong who will be sharing her paper “Basic Income and Violence Against Women” that evaluates the current research done on the impact that cash transfers has on violence on women, but has taken this review to a new level by going beyond existing systematic reviews to expand the definition of violence against women for broader understanding. Her review shares recommendations for basic income policy that will best improve women’s economic conditions and address violence.
Fighting injustices takes a collective effort to end oppression that happens at a systemic level across generations. Being able to highlight the amazing work happening in the feminist movement in activism, research, and coalition building demonstrates the united understanding that a basic income is a solution for violence against women that’s worth investing in.
Speakers
Maria Wong, University of Victoria
A public health student with a background of working in transition houses supporting women who experience violence, and working with anti-poverty groups. Presented at 5 international/national basic income conferences. Currently organizing in a group advocating for equality for Asian women, and a group on tenant and housing rights. Graduated with a BA in public health, with distinction, from the University of Victoria, with a practicum placement supervised by Dr. Evelyn Forget from the University of Manitoba to conduct this review. Will be continuing studies as a MSc student in epidemiology in fall 2022.
Megan Moffatt, Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter
Megan Moffatt has been a collective member of Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter since 2019. In this role, she's worked with battered women and women victims of sexual violence, providing them with safety, emotional support, and advocacy with state institutions. Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter has campaigned for the implementation of Guaranteed Livable Income for 15 years.
Sarah Mah, Asian Women for Equality
Sarah is a third generation Canadian-born Chinese woman raised in Vancouver Canada. Her family was among the early Chinese immigrants levied the head tax in the late 1800's, and also include those who left rural China in the 1950's in search of a better life in Canada. She is a member of the Asian Women for Equality, and currently lives in Montreal Canada.
Jacqueline Gullion, BC Women's Alliance & Vancouver Lesbian Collective
Jacqueline Gullion is a radical feminist lesbian. Active for 20 years in the Canadian women's movement, she has organised direct actions like Take Back the Night, responded directly to over 1500 women callers to a rape crisis line, built robust political coalitions, participated in legal reform campaigns, and played in a feminist punk rock band whose politics were too radical for some, and just right for many. Jacqueline most recently represented BC Women's Alliance as spokeswoman in the May Day #WomenDemand Guaranteed Livable income campaign that mobilized women in now over 20 towns/cities around our province to help transform the public understanding of a feminist vision for economic equality.
Ruby Langan, Aboriginal Women's Action Network
Ruby Langan is Anishnaabe, Turtle Clan, from the plains of Saskatchewan. She's had the good fortune to enjoy living on the traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations for 30 years. She is an Indigenous activist, union member, mother, sister, auntie, grandmother, and a lifelong learner. She invests her energy in the pursuit of Indigenous human rights. Ruby is a member of the Aboriginal Women's Action Network which was established in 1995. AWAN's participatory action research projects centre on exposing and ending male violence against Indigenous women, building feminist consciousness, and reclaiming Indigenous women's place in society.
Moderator
Erica Wright, Income Movement
Erica is the initiative manager of Income Movement and focuses primarily on our Pilot Community Engagement Program (PCEP). She has a masters in peace and justice from the University of San Diego with a focus on program design and evaluation and Human Rights Advocacy. She also holds a bachelors (honors) in psychology from Rollins College where she focused on social psychology, sociology and physiology.
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