MEMCH Movimento Pro-Emancipation de la Mujer Chilena

Today I had the most amazing and inspiring meeting with the co directors if MEMCH. Both have been co-directors since 1983 and are keepers of the organizational history.  Both women were exiled during the Pinochet regime (12-13 years) but returned prior to the end of his regime and participated at great personal risk in civil disobedience.

The organizations roots and history began in 1935 in the midst of an economic crisis. The group was formed by women to address equal rights, women in the work force and reproductive rights (consider that the discussion of reproductive rights occurred prior to much of the common contraception we use today). At the time it was a national organization and represented women of all classes.

The organization has a well respected and known history in Chile, as it was famous for forging the leadership and advocacy for women’s right to vote.  In 1947 women received the right to vote in local elections and subsequently in 1949 they received the right to vote in national elections. We saw photos in the Congressional building of MEMCH’s marches and protest.

The organization in its wisdom took a tremendous shift in acknowledging that the right to vote would not be enough and that once democracy and voting was a right for women they did not want women’s rights to be forgotten. Their motto was Democracy in the Country, Democracy in the Home. I shared with the leaders the sign that I have hung in my office since I received it as a gift in 1999 Sin Mujeres no hay Democracia (Without Women there is no Democracy). Now isn’t that the truth.

I must share the public and often secretive acts of civil disobedience they would perform during the Pinochet regime. Both women were arrested multiple times during these years. They would dress in all black and have signs with the names of individuals and colleagues killed by Pinochet’s regime. The would also create banners with the names of those who had died and they would hang the banners in the main square and throw red dye into the fountains so they would flow red like blood. They marched to one of Pinochet’s military bases and demanded his resignation. Finally, in the dark of night they renamed a street from Calle Septiembre Once (September

11^th Street

) to

Salvador Allende Street

. So little history lesson for context of what this means. Salvador Allende was a socialist President elected in 1970 and on September 11, 1973 there was a military coup lead by Augusto Pinchet where La Monda (equivalent to the White House) was bombed and Allende died.

What was amazing about these women is that they are still doing this work and are passionate as ever.  They have been very clear in their resolve that the emancipation of women is focused on empowerment and that they are not fighting against man but rather the systems. They both spoke of being immensely proud of being women.

Today their focus is women’s rights and reproductive health with an emphasis on access to abortion- still completely illegal but common. They also are fighting to ensure that with the new Presidential administration that is very far right that women do not lose too much ground. The new administration has already repealed the ability of midwives to prescribe the morning after pill to women.

These were living legends and lived through this country's most trying times and fought for women along the way.  They are a tremendous inspiration. They were so pleased to see us younger women taking up the torch and they value the necessity of mentoring and humility. I could go on and on about these two women and the tremendous stories they shared.  In the end they provide us with great counsel about moving the work forward and balancing our lives, our love, our passion and our feminism.

I left energized and blessed by the independence and strength that was taught to me by my mother and father and shared with my sisters. Most clearly these lessons were taught by example and a clear direction to ensure that we were always to be respected and we should hold ourselves with tremendous dignity. I carry that now with a husband who is a true partner and supportive of my independence and drive.  We now are attempting to impart these lessons to LOLA- the next generation feminist!

En La Lucha,