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Coastal Women for
Change began in January 2006. This group began out of a concern that there were
very few instances where the residents of Biloxi came together as a community to
discuss and take part in the long range community planning and rebuilding.
Knowing that in every community there are lots of concerned women who want a
vibrant, healthy and safe community for their family to live in, and that there
are a lot of threats to that, especially since Katrina, a group of women came
together to talk about what was happening in the community, what issues and
problems lay ahead, and how they could be addressed.
Right away, CWC members
sought spots on the Mayor's planning commission—and gained 5 seats on the
subcommittees for finance, education, land use, and affordable housing. One of
CWC's first events was a Biloxi community forum to which they invited the mayor,
city councilors, and members of the city planning department. Mediated by
professional facilitators, the forum drew 200 participants with urgent questions
about flood elevations, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), housing,
and schools. [1] In July 2006, the NAACP
partnered with Coastal Women for Change on a Women of Color forum in Gulfport,
"Assuming Leadership in the Aftermath of Katrina," to identify issues for a
legislative agenda. [2] Supporting the
NAACP's fair housing bill, Coastal Women for Change collected 951 signatures on
a petition demanding that the Community Development Block Grant ensure
distribution of money to low-income and uninsured homeowners and renters.
With a $30,000 seed
grant from the 21st Century Foundation, Coastal Women for Change
became a non-profit organization in May 2006 and named Mrs. Sharon Hanshaw as
Executive Director. Approximately 25 women meet together, ranging in age from 18
to 80 and representing black residents, Vietnamese women, and local agencies.
Collaboration with other Mississippi groups is a cornerstone of CWC's role: the
state NAACP has sent Mrs. Hanshaw to Washington, DC, where she lobbied an
elusive Senator Trent Lott to speak with his constituents, Mississippi Immigrant
Rights Alliance (MIRA) sends immigrant women to participate in CWC meetings, and
Moore Community House recruited CWC to conduct childcare needs-assessment
surveys to help renew its license. In the door-to-door surveys, Coastal Women
for Change found women pleading for resumption of childcare on both the East and
West side of Biloxi—but also discovered incidences of robbery and abuse of
elders living alone in trailers, now fearful to come to the door. Coastal Women
for Change alerted the police to increase patrols and surveillance.
Although the group
began and meets in east Biloxi, it is open to any woman on the coast that would
like to attend. Communities across the coast are facing many similar issues. We
believe there is value in coming together as a community, because some issues
can seem insurmountable when considered alone, but when you get together with
others, there is strength in those numbers. All women, young and old, new to the
group or there since the beginning, are welcome to participate fully in any
meetings or activities of the group.
CWC is committed to
fulfilling its mission and realizing it’s vision. In order to continue to grow
in that direction the group has established several organizational goals for the
upcoming year:
CWC will continue to be
an information center in the community raising public awareness and issues
relevant to the residents of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
CWC will strive to
develop creative and innovative projects that augment community development.
CWC will build its
community resource services by implementing :
Youth
Mentorship/ Leadership and Support Group Programs
Elderly
Project
Learning
Center/Child Care Facility
With these goals in
mind, the participation of the community we want to serve and
by partnering with
other organizations with similar purposes CWC will make the
vision a reality and
the community a safe and prosperous place to call home. | 
