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Women: Spirit of Equality

By VVAW

Throughout history, women have played a vital role in struggles for freedom around the world. One of the best examples of this is work done by the Vietnamese women. The women of Vietnam have organized and fought alongside men in a spirit of equality since the beginning of their fight for independence. The success of the Vietnamese would not have been possible without the participation of women within the liberation forces. The time has come for the women of America to begin identifying with the example set by the Vietnamese. Our role as women in the struggle for freedom here at home will be of great importance. The fight against the sexism which is present in our society must come from the initiative of women who are aware of the special nature of our oppression.

Women are so strongly conditioned into their role of the "inferior" that much work needs to be done to educate the women of America that they are, in fact, being oppressed and their value exploited. Women must be made to understand that the problem does not lie directly within the men of our society, but rather within the society itself.

Along with the heightened consciousness which must grow in all women, the level of understanding must also be raised among men. Though men are considered to be responsible for keeping a woman in the setting of the home, men must be made aware that they were conditioned by society to dehumanize woman and place her in a sterile, stereotyped role. Because of this, the liberation of women from their oppression will be a two-way struggle. Both men and women must realize where their roles are founded in order to escape them and grow together to reach a level of understanding and respect.

Men and women must also come together to help one another grow on a political level. Because the problems confronting America are huge and varied, the work involved in the struggle facing us must be done in unity. Women have played an active role in building VVAW/WSO since the beginning of the organization. Few of the women in VVAW/WSO are veterans, yet they have dedicated themselves to the strengthening of the organization on a level of equality.

There are many reasons why women have become members of VVAW/WSO. Often, women may be involved in a relationship with a veteran who is also a member of the organization. The relationship may be more easily maintained if both the man and the woman are involved in the same situation of political growth. Also, the woman may feel that by joining the organization, she may come to a deeper insight regarding the experiences suffered by Vietnam veterans. This will help her to more thoroughly understand the true nature of the war and the role of the U.S. in Indochina. Another reason behind women becoming members of VVAW?WSO is that many women realized that the organization is viable, credible, and based within the working class. Both the men and the women of VVAW/WSO have come to an understanding that a mass organization is vital to the building of a movement which will have an impact on correcting the destruction of basic human rights within our society.

One of the most important functions of women within VVAW/WSO is that they have helped the male membership reach an understanding of the causes and effects of sexism. Because the military is probably the most sexist institution within this country, veterans were naturally influenced by these attitudes. The women of VVAW/WSO have helped the men struggle with these attitudes so that both brothers and sisters have progressed in understanding and acceptance.

The women of VVAW/WSO have increasingly been gaining recognition for their work within the organization. In fact, the high level of energy and activity among the women was one of the reasons for the addition of the Winter Soldier name. Technically, the name addition ensures that the membership of VVAW/WSO is open and this will result in the broadening of our base as we increase in number. But in fact, the name change is the recognition of an existing situation. The Winter Soldier Organization accepts women to be on an equal level of membership with veterans. VVAW/WSO has finally realized the importance of having women in leadership positions for purposes of building a stronger and more effective organization.

It is important for all of VVAW/WSO's membership to follow the example of the Vietnamese. We must unite and work together in a spirit of equality. Our struggle will be a long and difficult one, and the victory won only when unity between brothers and sisters everywhere is accomplished.

UNITY

STRUGGLE

VICTORY