Gender bias affects us all — women and men, girls and boys. It traps us in rigid gender roles that limit opportunities and lead to deep economic inequities for women and girls across the globe and here at home. Gender bias prevents us from working together as equal partners to create communities that work for all of us.
Gender bias prevents working together as equal partners to create communities that work for all of us. #AllInWithCFW
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Ending gender bias seems to be an insurmountable goal. However, since Chicago Foundation for Women set that goal, and started talking about it, others are identifying the lack of gender equity as a major obstacle to the prosperity of the region.
The McKinsey Global Institute estimated that Illinois could increase its GDP by 7 percent, or $60 billion, if the state achieves gender parity in the next decade. Researchers report that while women make up roughly the same percentage as men in terms of labor force participation, they are much more likely to occupy part-time, lower-wage jobs than men in our state. Changing the jobs and industries in which they work and increasing the number of women in supervisory positions will add to the state’s GDP, with a significant impact on the state’s struggling economy.
Women and girls have been making significant progress over the past decades. More than half of our state’s 510,000 women workers have college degrees. In fact, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research notes that approximately one-third of women in Illinois have bachelor’s degrees or higher, an increase of about 8 percentage points since 2000. The next step is ensuring that they have access to higher paying jobs and opportunities for promotions.
Internally, Chicago Foundation for Women’s Board of Directors worked closely with staff over this past year to support an ambitious strategic plan in line with the organization’s increased leadership on this critical issue.
Over the next five years, CFW will:
These are big commitments, and that is why achieving gender equity requires the involvement of everyone. As Chicago Foundation for Women’s new mission statement makes clear: investing in women and girls as catalysts, builds strong communities for all.
]]>Inspired by the conversations CFW hosted with over 500 Chicagoans in 2014, Talk It Out created an opportunity for nonprofits, civic leaders, concerned residents, and community stakeholders to have a focused conversation about gender bias. It is a topic that does not comes up often for many people, and yet it impacts each of us at home, at work, and in our communities. CFW is confident that having the conversation is a necessary step on the path to solutions. To end gender bias collectively, we have to know where we stand individually.
Talk It Out uniquely allowed for CFW to learn what other ways residents experience gender bias, and how it is influenced by race, sexuality, and social location.
To end gender bias collectively, we have to know where we stand individually. #AllInWithCFW
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The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Forefront, BP, CFW’s Young Women’s Giving Council, the Gary Comer Youth Center, and Rape Victim Advocates are just some of the groups that participated or hosted a Talk It Out conversation. CFW also organized an online discussion about the impact of gender bias on Latinas in the workplace with grantees Mujeres Latinas en Accion, Latino Union, Women Employed, and community partner, Latino Policy Forum.
Through Talk It Out, CFW heard African-American girls on the South Side share stories of the double standard that exists in their high school classrooms, where boys who act up are “just being boys,” while girls are reprimanded or disciplined. These same conversations also revealed how race adds another complicated layer to gender bias where Black girls are held to a standard of decorum not placed on their white female counterparts.
Business leaders affirmed for us that gender bias cannot end if we view it as solely a women’s issue.
Mikva Challenge hosted Talk It Out conversations with 150 of their middle and high school students. It was the first time many of the them had ever heard terms like “gender bias” and “patriarchy.” Miriam Martinez, senior program director at Mikva Challenge shared that, “Because of these conversations, students are now holding each other accountable for their actions and challenging each other’s use of language!”
Heidi Stevens of the Chicago Tribune had the unique opportunity to sit down with some of those students and learn how they – as sixth, seventh, and eighth graders – experience gender bias. Samuel Bahena, an eighth grader at Marquette, shared that teachers and adults play a role in perpetuating gender bias. “They separate us for recess and lunch […] We have all females at recess and all males at lunch. It makes it harder to understand each other — how they feel about subjects or situations. This is the time we should be making connections and building up relationships and get into our heads that everyone’s equal.”
Also as part of Talk It Out, CFW organized a screening and panel discussion of “The Mask You Live In,” alongside grantees Rape Victim Advocates and Apna Ghar; as well as Chicago Public Library and The Siragusa Foundation. The film follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity. Understanding how men and boys are impacted by gender bias also affects how we, as a society and community, hold women and girls to unfair standards and biases.
The 100% Project and Chicago Foundation for Women’s continuous efforts to improve the lives of women and girls in our region, is a group effort. Wherever we are, and in whatever way we can, ending gender bias is something that will take all of us.
]]>A unique component of The 100% Project is that it actively calls for participation from men and boys. For decades, women and girls have shouldered the load for gender equity, and while progress has been made, there is still much to accomplish. Women and girls cannot do it on their own. CFW’s Male Champions of Change Initiative not only encourages male CEOs to get involved with ending gender bias in the workplace, it also offers a roadmap for how to do it. They include PNC Bank Illinois President Scott Swanson; City Treasurer Kurt Summers, Joffrey Ballet CEO Greg Cameron, and 1871 COO Tom Alexander.
I believe to get things right, we all need to join the discussion. #AllInWithCFW
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These are just a few of the male leaders who agree that gender bias hurts all of us, and have policies in place in their institutions to combat it. They have agreed to: influence fellow corporate leaders and others to take a role in advancing women; to showcase their commitment to gender equity by publicly sharing goals and strategies; and, be willing and able to regularly measure progress toward these goals. CFW will work with them to ensure these best practices are shared widely as a model for others.
Carter Murray, CEO of FCB, was one of the first executives to sign on to Chicago Foundation for Women’s Male Champions of Change. FCB is one of the largest advertising agency networks in the world, and under Murray’s leadership, it has quickly become an industry leader on advancing gender equity in the corporate sphere. Carter recently shared more about what drives his commitment to advancing women and girls within the company and within the communities in which it operates.
Under your leadership, how has FCB become more invested in and supportive of its women employees?
We have worked very hard as a leadership team on this in a variety of ways, but to be open and fair, we still have much work to do to get it right. However, we have instituted implicit bias workshops through the leadership of the company to create better awareness and discussion and action. Our goal is to have a more balanced global leadership team, and we have made sure with our existing global leadership team that we make this a key thing to get right.
What role do you see advertising agencies playing in changing the culture of bias against women?
We must believe that advertising can be a force for good in the world, and this is one of the key areas where that can be shown. On this specific topic, there are several important ways of doing it. Amongst them is making sure that we help manage brands that have a clear point of view on that culture of bias against women and that we spark our own initiatives that break it down.
What was the catalyst for you, personally or professionally, to become invested in women’s success?
I was always fairly passionate about this topic because it seemed like something that was so obviously wrong and need to be addressed. The implicit bias exercises I did with the team opened my eyes further and led to me better understanding the scale of the problem, my role within it, and even more importantly, why I was so passionate about it.
Why did you agree to be a Male Champion of Change?
I believe to get things right, we all need to join the discussion. Absurdly, I do hear men and male leaders saying that this is no longer an issue. By accepting this, I am proudly admitting in a very public setting, that I do not think it is fixed and we all have a role to play. And, I would like to play my part.
As a Male Champion of Change, how do you think men and boys can become a key part of the movement toward gender equity?
The most important thing I think is education and being open to listen to others. The older I get and the more I listen, the more I find out about myself and how much more there is to know and understand out there. Helping others get the right mindset to be open, to learn, and evolve will accelerate the change.
]]>Since then, women’s philanthropy has grown into dozens of women’s funds, and countless giving circles and councils around the country. Chicago Foundation for Women houses three such councils, and now two circles of its own. Philanthropy focused on women – led by women – continues to grow.
Thanks to the vision of physician, philanthropist, and CFW board member, Munira Patel, the Western Suburbs Giving Circle (WSGC) launched in the fall of 2015. Under Patel’s leadership, the circle awarded $14,000 to local nonprofit organizations serving women and girls by the spring.
We’re expanding the awareness of giving through a gender lens. #AllinWithCFW
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Women who reside in the area, which includes Naperville, Aurora, Oak Brook, and Wheaton, pool their resources together and make an impact on issues and needs unique to their community. The Western Suburbs Giving Circle, along with the North Shore Giving Circle, create an opportunity for Chicago Foundation for Women to expand its mission beyond Chicago city limits. Members of the circle have a space to lead as philanthropists and grantmakers in their area. They are able to pool resources and extend their giving in a more impactful and meaningful way, and be involved on a deeper level.
Chicago Foundation for Women’s Philanthropic Education Officer, Eli Marsh, who serves as staff liaison to the giving councils and circles shares, “For these women who can’t always get into the city, it is an opportunity to connect around issues they all care about and be able to give back to their local communities.”
That is what inspired resident, Gail Hernly, to join the Western Suburbs Giving Circle. She initially participated in CFW’s Board Boot Camp, facilitated by Marsh. That experience gave Hernly the tools and skillset she needed to join a local nonprofit board. She learned of WSGC from CFW board chair and fellow circle member, Wendy K. White Eagle. For Hernly, the desire to leave a legacy and develop a deeper understanding of the issues that impact the quality of life for others in her community moved her to get involved.
What makes the circles so unique is that they are structured to be responsive to community need. Family Shelter Service, an inaugural grantee of WSGC, requested funding for its 24 hour hotline. The organization, which supports domestic violence survivors, wanted to hire a bilingual/bicultural staff person to field calls. As the Latino population in the area grows, there has been an increase in Spanish speakers calling the hotline for support. A $7,000 grant from WSGC allows the organization to better support all residents. Fellow WSGC grantee, 360 Youth Services, is using their grant to fund a program that provides transitional housing to young women experiencing homelessness. The program works with them to continue their education, seek employment, and learn financial literacy and planning.
Patel’s passion for making a difference and her ability to bring people together has created a powerful and energetic network of women philanthropists. Together, they are discovering the necessity and impact of giving through a gender lens.
]]>“When feminism does not explicitly oppose racism, and when antiracism does not incorporate opposition to patriarchy, race and gender politics often end up being antagonistic to each other and both interests lose.”
– Kimberlé Crenshaw
The theory of intersectionality, developed by law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, has, in recent years, moved away from a discussion in college classrooms to becoming central to how activists and nonprofits alike build authentic and effective social movements.
For women and girls who embody identities beyond gender, the challenges continue to grow. This requires not only an understanding of intersectionality, but a commitment to supporting it. Grants made in 2016 through the Giving Councils at Chicago Foundation for Women do both.
This year, giving councils at CFW worked collaboratively to fund organizations at the cutting edge of the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality.
Many of today’s most pressing issues affecting women and girls are complex, often a combination of discriminatory local and federal policies, divestment from communities, and a culture that is generally biased against women. The Giving Councils understood that while these complexities are particularly true for women and girls of color, they are also the women who play significant leadership roles in emerging movements that are making an incredible impact.
For women and girls who embody identities beyond gender, the challenges continue to grow. #AllInWithCFW
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One of the most striking examples of the emerging movements where women are playing key leadership roles is Black Lives Matter. On a national and local level, women are organizing and leading the charge on police accountability in that movement. Today, these leaders often shape their work and organizational structures through a queer, feminist lens, unapologetically working for equity along gender and racial lines simultaneously. The LBTQ and Women United Giving Councils recognized this, and decided to pool their resources to support the work of Chicago-based organizations, BYP100 and Assata’s Daughters. Both organizations seek to engage black women, girls, and others in key policy and influence community issues affecting them, including economic systems, incarceration, community investment, and health and wellness.
Assata’s Daughters provides yearlong programming for young black girls to learn political education, wellness, skill-building, and positive affirmation. BYP100 is an offshoot of the Black Youth Project housed at University of Chicago’s Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture. The organization put forth the Agenda to Build Black Futures, which outlines tangible recommendations for racial equity, including honoring worker rights, valuing women’s work, supporting trans health and economic security, and investing in black communities. These organizations are led by Black, queer-identified women and both have worked to assist the Giving Councils in affirming the importance of such leadership in this critical work.
LBTQ Giving Council co-chair, Laura Stempel shares, “I am really excited about BYP100, and that we are able to be one of the a few to give them funding.” She adds that investing in grassroots organizing, like that of BYP100 and Assata’s Daughters, is the right direction for the councils to remain innovative and at the forefront of grantmaking.
The Women United Giving Council also worked alongside the Young Women’s Giving Council this year to co-fund Demoiselle 2 Femme. The organization works with young women and girls on the far south side and the south suburbs to help them accomplish their “educational and professional goals through self-discipline, hard work, commitment and service to their community.” The programs include leadership development, money management, college access and STEM. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) programming for girls. To date, Demoiselle 2 Femme has assisted more than 400 girls in becoming first-generation college graduates.
The Giving Councils at Chicago Foundation for Women are bold, yet informed risk-takers in grantmaking. Additionally, they play an important role in identifying emerging organizations and projects that address the nuances of women and girls’ identities, and understanding how those identities impact need. Intersectionality is a key component of equity, and the collaboration among the giving councils at Chicago Foundation for Women reinforces that for all women and girls to succeed, support from all is essential.
]]>Born in China and raised in Taiwan, Lien worked in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood as a social worker, where she came to know the stories of the city’s refugee community. That initial grant introduced her to Chicago Foundation for Women, and for the last thirty years, she has been a grantee, a volunteer, donor, board member, trusted advisor, and source of warmth and humor.
Lien recalls attending CFW’s first annual luncheon where grantee organizations were asked to stand up, so they could be applauded for their work. “I felt so inspired to be in a room full of women. It felt special. That’s how I got hooked.”
From there, she was invited to join the Allocations committee (now the grantmaking sub-committee) by Chicago Foundation for Women cofounder, Iris Krieg. “My first thought was, ‘I can’t do that!’ I’m this immigrant in Uptown, a little nobody. This is big time, but then I felt validated, like a citizen finally, because this incredible organization recognized me.”
What else could be better than working with sisters...I'm very lucky to be a part of that. #AllInwithCFW
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Soon thereafter, Lien joined CFW’s Board of Directors when, there were only one full-time and one part-time staff people. That experience laid the foundation for her learning about different women’s issues. “It has been beneficial to my personal growth. I knew about refugees, immigrants, but didn’t have the whole big picture of women’s issues.” That created a sense of really being rooted in America. “I was now working with sisters for a shared cause.” She adds, “Chicago Foundation for Women continues to be on top of women’s issues.”
Since its founding, Chicago Foundation for Women has been in the business of not only improving the lives of women and girls, but also developing them as leaders. Working alongside other longtime CFW supporters like Jo Moore, Marcie Love, Judy Langford, and Sunny Fischer, CFW co-founder, in the early days of the organization, Juju was always struck by how wonderfully women build and work together. “It is the biggest difference in women’s leadership. We have fun together, work together, and have an investment in each other’s lives.” Through the years, those relationships that were initiated at CFW have evolved into working on other projects together and becoming book club buddies.
Philanthropy has always had an air of mystery, something only for the very wealthy and well-connected to claim. In developing women as leaders, Chicago Foundation for Women also empowers women as philanthropists. Lien’s commitment to CFW, one that spans three decades, highlights one person’s capacity and courage to be both. Creating an environment where women can come together, from the grantee side to the donor side, and meet in the middle to build a lasting community is at the root of everything Chicago Foundation for Women does.
Juju jokes that CFW’s Alumnae Council, which is made up of former board members and other volunteers, was started because no one wants to leave. “What else could be better than working with sisters – smart, intelligent, and wise. I’m very lucky to be a part of that.”
]]>Leaving behind three small children in Arkansas, Ms. Partee set out for Chicago, in hopes of making more money and a better life for her family. She found a job at the manufacturing plant, R.R. Donnelley. She would go on to retire from there after more than twenty-five years.
With a remarkable, award-winning career in philanthropy, Robinson often reflects on her grandmother’s “tough life” and the courage it must have taken to leave her children in the care of others and migrate to an unfamiliar place. She honored her family’s history and grandmother’s legacy by starting the Lueavery Partee Fund at Chicago Foundation for Women.
“I loved my grandmother. When I think about my growth and development as a kid, from a small child up until high school (Partee passed away when Robinson was fourteen), my grandmother was a strong influence on me.” The pair were so close that Nicole would walk a block from school to her grandmother’s house for lunch every day. She recalls being treated to “beautifully bound books, and the latest Time and People magazines. I gained a love of reading from the books she’d bring from the plant.” Partee worked the late shift, going into the plant at 10:30 at night, but was always there for Robinson when she returned home from school. “Once I was settled, she’d go to sleep, and then get ready for work. I think a lot of my values around work, helping other women, and standing on my own two feet are inspired by her.”
The time spent with Ms. Lueavery Partee not only made Robinson a champion for the rights of women and girls, it also made her passionate about food security. Once a recipient of nutrition programs when going through Chicago Public Schools, she is now the Vice President of Community Impact at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. “Food is a basic human right. I saw what hunger looks like in Ghana, China, and Brazil. Hunger on the westside and southside of Chicago doesn’t look that different. The social fabric is coming apart.”
I don’t think women should have to choose if Black Lives Matter or women’s lives matter... #AllInWithCFW
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A south side native, Robinson wants “Chicago to be a better place,” and recognizes that “CFW plays a pivotal role to help us get there.” Her relationship with the organization began when she became a member of the African American Leadership Council, a precursor to the Women United Giving Council. “CFW has done a great job, particularly through the leadership councils, of bringing women together of different ethnic groups, cultural orientations, [and] sexual orientations. We need to continue more of that. The country’s narrative right now is one that’s becoming more divisive, and I don’t think women should have to choose if Black Lives Matter or women’s lives matter. It’s an opportunity to build a bridge between the two.”
Robinson later joined CFW’s Board of Directors. “CFW has a wonderful legacy of being founded by a group of really strong and proud feminist women. There’s no other organization in Chicago that has a big enough tent or is a big enough champion for women and girls. I think the convening role CFW plays is unparalleled. There’s so much it can do around race, racial equity, as well as economic equity and for anyone who cares about those two things, there’s room for them under the tent at CFW. That could be volunteering, making a contribution, or contributing to a conversation. Just get involved.”
]]>In 1987, as President Ronald Reagan and French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac ended an international dispute over which country could be credited for the discovery of the AIDS virus, Eva Janzen Powell sat in a local Chicago hospital with her ailing husband. Misdiagnosed with a form of cancer, Powell’s husband actually had AIDS. Only 10 months after the proper diagnosis, he died. Left in his wake, was Eva and their 18-month old son, now both infected with HIV. After burying her late husband, she purchased two more grave plots next to him.
Women’s health is something everybody should care about. #AllInWithCFW
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After the initial shock, hurt, and anger, Eva Janzen Powell was determined not to die or let her son die in the way that so many others had during those critical early days of the AIDS crisis, including her husband. So she became an activist and an advocate, particularly for children. Her son’s pediatrician encouraged her not to be quiet. For ten years, she sat on the Chicago Pediatric Community Advisory Board at Children’s Memorial Hospital, Special Infectious Diseases Clinic. She joined the board of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) in 2002, and was a part of the Grantmaking Review Committee for twelve years. She continues to serve on a number of boards and advisory committees, including on the board of Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative (PACPI), a grantee of Chicago Foundation for Women. “It is so important for young women to get the care and support services they need, so they can have a baby not born positive,” she shares.
Powell was introduced to Chicago Foundation for Women after attending a panel discussion co-hosted by the foundation and CARE. Impressed by CFW’s focus on women and women’s issues, she soon became involved with annual giving. From there, she and her husband began funding the Eva Janzen Powell and Smith T. Powell Health Series, which provides funding to programs and organizations that highlight a unique issue or health concern facing low-income women and women of color.
“Women’s health is something everybody should care about. New cases of HIV/AIDS disproportionately affect women of color. It’s poverty-related. What is so appealing about CFW is that it is connected to so many organizations on the ground. And $100, $2000, $5000 goes a long way with those smaller organizations. And their work is tailored to their community. And oftentimes, that is what’s needed in that spot – trying to move just a few people along. It may be a daycare or a storefront. It doesn’t take that much to make some difference,” shares Smith T. Powell. “Chicago Foundation for Women looks at the whole woman, so I don’t have to think about chopping up my giving,” Eva adds. “I know that through CFW, I am making an impact. And, I appreciate that CFW sees the value of men’s involvement, too.”
Beyond being HIV-positive and her first husband’s death, a whole series of other life experiences led Eva to become a fierce and passionate advocate for women accessing health care and health information. They made her realize how little she knew about her own health and about navigating the healthcare system. Growing up in a small Mennonite community in Kansas, she was never taught how to take care of herself, physically or emotionally, and was instead raised to “put everyone else first. I hated that growing up.” Despite that upbringing, Eva’s mother became a quiet advocate for her, helping to care for her young son in the early days of their shared diagnosis. “My mother didn’t say much or ask questions, but when she passed I found all of these papers where she’d done research on abortion and HIV.”
On HIV/AIDS, Powell notes that “meds are still not as easily accessible and the stigma has not changed. I’m not sure how much education people are getting.”
The Eva Janzen Powell and Smith T. Powell Health Series makes it possible to change that narrative, so that, every woman and girl in the region can understand her body and be well prepared to make decisions about it for herself.
]]>Project Exploration has spent nearly 20 years working to change that.
Founded in 1999, the organization empowers young people to become leaders, build confidence, and develop positive relationships – all through science-rich programming. The Sisters4Science program, funded in part by Chicago Foundation for Women, engages girls, connecting them with female facilitators who “emphasize leadership development through scientific exploration.”
Project Exploration’s Sisters4Science program introduces girls to STEM #AllInwithCFW
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Melissa Alfaro and Eugenia Ruiz are such a pair. Alfaro is an energetic middle schooler who joined the program one year ago, and Eugenia is her mentor/facilitator. Eugenia’s sister was a student in the founding class of Sisters4Science and when she reached the eighth grade, her mother said, “All right, it’s your turn!” She has been involved ever since. “I started off as a student and went through the basic programs. And then I started working for Sisters4Science as an intern at the Fossil Lab. Then I moved to onsite coordinator and now facilitator.”
Through the Sisters4Science program, Project Exploration sparks interest in and engagement with subjects that are not currently popular among girls. In 2014, a national study found that only 3% of high school girls were interested in engineering, compared to 31% of males. The study also revealed that just 2% of girls reported being interested in technology, where 15% of boys expressed an interest.
Eugenia is able to give to Melissa what was given to her when she went through the program. “The instructors were like kids; they always connected with us. I always felt like PE (Project Exploration) was my home. I get to be that mentor to the students. Just being able to be there for the kids always felt really good. That’s why I’m going into guidance counseling. PE helped shape that.”
On Melissa, she shares, “From the first day, she was super energetic. If I needed anything, ‘can I help?’ She’d always have a positive attitude in the classroom and spread that around to the other students.”
Melissa wants to be a singer and a doctor, and credits the Sisters4Science program for sparking her interest in the latter. She recalls visiting Northwestern University where among her peers, she was only one of two “brave souls” who touched a brain. “It felt kind of gooey, kind of gross,” she admits. Of the type of doctor she wants to be, Melissa happily shares, “I want to be one of those doctors that does checkups on people’s ears. I had experience with it. It’s cool to imagine using a machine to take out all of the earwax…I’m actually making the world a better place!” Melissa also has had the opportunity to work alongside her brother, Daniel, who is in the boys’ program, Brothers4Science. He wants to be an engineer, and recalls his favorite memory of Project Exploration was being able to go on a plane ride at Lewis University, and also try one of the simulator games.
In addition to the mentorship that occurs between the student and facilitator, what makes Project Exploration’s programs so unique is that students get the opportunity to have a hands on experience with science. Eugenia recalls her favorite memories from when she went through the program was, “The fact that everything was hands-on. It wasn’t like you’re in class taking notes. Everything here is an activity. We’re learning from that activity.”
“Project Exploration helped them to believe in themselves and go to college. To hear that my son wants to be an engineer, or that my daughter wants to be a doctor is more than a parent could ask for,” shares Gloria Alfaro, the mother of Melissa and Daniel. Project Exploration and its commitment to girls’ interest and development in STEM is central to Chicago Foundation for Women’s 100% Project, a bold vision to end gender bias and increase economic security for women. In addition to women being paid equitably and having access to equal opportunities, girls must also be encouraged and inspired to pursue paths not often taken.
]]>Without knowing anything about U.S. culture, Marina first moved to Colorado to attend university. It was 1999. By 2001, she was heading back from her hometown in South Korea with a new husband in tow.
Soon after marriage, Marina found herself living in a small Chicago apartment with her husband and sister-in-law. In the span of 8 ½ years of marriage, Marina recalls being abused by her husband seven times. As is the case with many survivors of domestic violence, that abuse not only took the form of physical terror, but also emotional and psychological. Unique to immigrant women who are survivors of domestic violence, her partner often threatened to report her to the police and immigration authorities, preying on her undocumented status, while also taking away her passport and other important documents. The classic patterns of abuse included isolating her from her family and friends. “I was treated like an orphan, no relatives, no one to ask for help,” she shares. He also went so far to stop Marina from attending school. The closest family she had was her sister-in-law who would often ask, “What did you do to make him upset?” And though Marina worked, her husband would always take away the check she earned.
I'm getting more brave. I even used to be ashamed to go to a restaurant alone with two kids. #AllInWithCFW
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Beyond fear, shame kept Marina from seeking help. To divorce her husband felt like she had failed at married life. She never saw her parents fight and did not think marriage was “that hard.” And coming to the United States, the expectation of her, among family, friends, and church members back home, was for her to be successful. “I didn’t want to show that I tried to survive here and failed.”
Driving through the city one day, Marina heard a KAN-WIN (Korean American Women In Need) public service announcement on the radio. Shortly thereafter, her husband pushed her against the fridge and choked her in front of their two small children. Six months later, he did it again. For emotional support, she called her mother in South Korea, who eventually came to stay with them in Chicago. Marina called KAN-WIN and got in touch with Jeong Lee. Once they were able to, Marina met Lee at a nearby Burger King with her mother, 5 ½ year old son and 8 month old baby, ready to seek shelter.
Lee, who began her second career at KAN-WIN, shares that “a suitcase is a luxury item for these women. They have nothing. They just grab a plastic bag and throw everything they see in it.”
At the time, most shelters had a 90-day wait period, and to place one woman was hard enough, but Lee was tasked with placing four people. Fellow Chicago Foundation for Women grantee, WINGS, the largest domestic violence housing agency in Illinois, answered the call. From there, Lee and KAN-WIN were able to work with Marina to begin the healing process.
With the ongoing support of Chicago Foundation for Women, KAN-WIN offers a host of services that support and empower survivors at every stage of their journey, including:
The ultimate goal is to empower survivors to live a life free from violence and work toward long-term self-sufficiency. And the support and inspiration is reciprocal between staff and survivors. Lee, who has worked at KAN-WIN for 8 years, says, “It is their spirit of determination that keeps me going. I learn from them to never give up. Their determination is so strong.”
Marina now works full-time and goes to school, often falling asleep at the dinner table, studying. “I have to stand up and overcome. There are no other options. This is the only way to survive.”
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