Ellie Alter
Just Associates (JASS) Mesoamerica
Mexico City, Mexico
The opportunity to work with JASS Mesoamerica this summer was invaluable. The experience afforded me many insights into the social-movement-building that JASS and its grassroots partners are engaged in. Among these lessons, there is one that I have been ruminating on since leaving Mexico: the power of building networks.
I should admit that upon starting my internship with JASS, the importance and far-reaching implications of network-building were a bit lost on me. I had a sense of why this might be important, but it felt abstract, and I wasn’t sure exactly how these networks manifested in support for women’s rights or human rights defenders.
During my time with JASS, I witnessed the power of network-building on multiple levels. First, in response to the violent political repression against student activists and protesters in Nicaragua, JASS organized an emergency fund to support the cost of legal, medical, and psychological costs for those affected. Having, myself, attempted a crowdfunding campaign in the past, I was amazed by how quickly JASS was able to reach, and far surpass their goal, thus enabling them to rapidly mobilize funds for those defending human rights on the ground. This is the power of network-building.
Next, I witnessed the way that JASS’ network of feminists, scholars, and activists could be called upon to join organized dialogues, wherein collective knowledge is produced. On a regular basis, JASS Meso’s Regional Advisor, Alda Facio, mediates these dialogues on a range of issues, and the resulting transcript is utilized to produce public reports. Past reports have included titles such as “¿QUÉ ES Y CÓMO NOS DESHACEMOS DEL LENGUAJE SEXISTA?” (“What is and how do we rid ourselves of sexist language?”) and “¿POR QUÉ LO PERSONAL ES POLÍTICO?” (“Why is the personal, political?”).
One of my responsibilities at JASS was to comb through these transcripts and secure permission for sharing each participant’s words. At times, their stories were quite personal, but not a single person I contacted refused to publish their contributions. The women participating in these dialogues come from a diverse range of professional and cultural backgrounds, and when brought together in conversation, produced aprendizajes, a word closely resembling “learnings,” though we don’t have direct equivalent in English. This is the power of network-building.
Lastly, I came to realize how and why JASS itself, is in essence, a network. In its daily operations, the organization forms an assembly of individuals from around the world, mobilizing their various perspectives, challenges, and advocacy techniques to address their common goals. Whether it be the frequent tri-continental conference calls, or the convening of five thousand feminists activists in Oaxaca, JASS’ network-building manifests in a kind of collective support that not only empowers women activists to continue their advocacy, but also to take care of themselves and each other in the process. This is the profound power of network-building.