The US Court of Women on Poverty, Eastern Region will take place in Philadelphia, October 18-20, 2013. Activists from around the eastern US and beyond will gather to tell the stories those in power wish to keep untold. Throughout history, women have been victimized by the brutality of men and by the denial of access to land, wages, and resources. The World Courts of Women help expose the treatment of women as violence, as brutality, as violations of basic human rights and dignity.

The Court will include personal testimonies,  jury statements, skill-sharing workshops, and community outreach. Over 3 days, the Court will  raise our consciousness, change how we think and talk about poverty and injustice, develop alternative visions for the future, and craft strategies and proposals for action.

Our aim is to connect peoples from the various communities (nationally and internationally), to record and discuss the different injustices that people have been experiencing because of poverty, and to develop ways to struggle against social exclusion and exploitation that too often affects women. The WCW helps name women’s experiences as violence and as unacceptable in the world we want to help build. In telling our stories, we will contribute to building a vision and a movement that can help change the world.

• Connect with regional, national, and international groups working to address economic justice and women’s human rights.
• Learn about efforts to resist poverty and economic violence by everyday heroines.
• Develop our movements to resist the exclusion and exploitation that too often affects women and their families.
• Donate what you can, to help make this Court a success.

How You Can Get Involved

• Spread the Word: Tell friends, neighbors, co-organizers and people you meet. Like us on Facebook. Write letters to the editor about the WCW.
• Tell your story: You are not alone. Tell us how you experience poverty or violence so we can compile this into the court record. We want to hold the system accountable for the suffering it causes to women and their families. Post your story on our wiki (uswcweast.wikispaces.com) or email us at uswcweast@gmail.com.
• Come to Philadelphia: Come to learn, bring your friends and fellow-organizer/agitators, be part of the program October 18-20, 2013. Register here.
• Organize in your community: See our page for “Links and Resources” to hold your own local World Court of Women to document human rights violations in your locale. Bring the story of your community to the larger world.

Please email us at uswcweast@gmail.com if you or your organization are interested in supporting and/or attending WCW Philadelphia 2013. Also see our page “Support WCW” for more information about types of assistance needed.