When I took on the role of Co-Chair I was asked what area of interest I was passionate about and what project I would like to support. I thought long and hard about this but couldn’t make up my mind. There are so many issues facing women from poverty, lack of education, violence, cultural norms, and prejudice. Where to begin? Having spoken to all the Trustees and Ambassadors individually, listening to the work they did and the projects they supported, I decided not to choose a project myself. Rather, I would tackle a particular issue and build a campaign around it. With that in mind, at the Trustees weekend in October, I asked that we discuss this and come up with a consensus. Despite a lively and informed discussion and coming up with a long list of issues, we didn’t decide on one. Food for thought though.
Having researched the many issues, what caught my eye was the UNITE campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence beginning on the 25 Nov, The UN Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This date was chosen by the UN in 1999 to honour the 3 Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic who were murdered on this day by the forces of the Dictator Rafael Trujillo. Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa were known as The Butterflies within the Revolutionary Movement. Two of the sisters were imprisoned for their activities but despite this they continued to fight against the dictatorship. Their murder so horrified the country that the populace rose and overthrew the dictator within six months. The sisters became synonymous with hope and have been an inspiration over the years for those struggling against oppressive regimes.
We decided to take part in the 16 Days Of Activism by launching our IG and open Facebook accounts with daily challenges for our members to take part in. We invited everyone to light a candle at 7pm and share in the prayer provided. The challenges included:
Placing a red chair in your church or place of work as part of the Red Chair Project. The chair represented a seat reserved to highlight the void left by each and every woman killed by an intimate partner or family member every 11 minutes.
Watching the YouTube film Code Name Butterflies, about the Mirabal Sisters;
Watching the film She Said, which was based on the two reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who exposed Harvey Weinstein’s history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women;
Contacting local organisations supporting victims/survivors of abuse and seeing how they can help;
Following the Thursdays in Black campaign, which encourages us to declare our support for the global movement resisting attitudes and practices which allow violence and rape;
Placing support leaflets in female and male toilets, indicating where people can access support;
Listening to Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech” and writing their own dream for the future of women;
Writing to the Argentinian Ambassador expressing concern over the death of 4 Lesbians set alight in Buenos Aires and the lack of progress in the investigation because of the mindset of a society which saw the victims as less than.
Methodist Women in Britain is now developing its own campaign called The Butterfly Movement (in honour of the Mirabal Sisters and our own emblem). In partnership with the Safeguarding Team of the Methodist Church, Methodist Women in Britain is holding the inaugural Butterfly Movement service at Wesley’s Chapel and Leysian Mission on 25 November 2025. This will be a service of thanksgiving and affirmation with invited dignitaries and organisations involved in the support of victims/survivors of violence as well as those from around the Connexion involved in the campaign. We are pleased to say that the President(Designate) Rev Richard Andrew will be taking part.
Methodist Women have long been at the forefront of campaigning for the well-being of women across the world. We take up this challenge as we seek to live up to our vision: “For women, for justice, for Christ”.
Leonora Wassell, CoChair
Article first published in Methodist Recorder Newspaper January 31st 2025
