Feminism: Our Basis of Unity 
​- Michelle A. Smith

13 Principles

1. Accountability
2. Advocacy
3. Challenge & Conflict
4. Choice
5. Consultation
6. Diversity
7. Education & Mentoring
8. Equality & Inclusion
9. Evaluation
10. Joy & Celebration
11. Leadership
12. Power Sharing
13. Safety

To be a feminist is to:

• challenge the inequities in power and privilege that exist because of sexism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism, racism and all other forms of exclusion.
• question the institution of family as it is currently structured, and to challenge the roles and responsibilities of women and men in family care giving.
• be a strategist in challenging structures and institutions that are built upon male values and experience, and that limit women’s equal participation.

• view the world through our women’s eyes from our women’s experience, and to see this lens as valuable and necessary in the pursuit of equality and inclusion.
• recognize, include and value women’s different kinds of knowledge, including knowledge informed by personal experience and knowledge acquired through work and education.

• acknowledge that the world is not always a safe place for women to speak out about inequality. The strength that exists in the collective voice of women’s organizations makes our challenges safer and more effective.
• take responsibility for learning about the issues that often seem to divide us (the environment, war, sexuality), and to create safe spaces to talk about our disagreements.
• challenge men to support our feminist agenda, and to support pro-feminist men who share our common agenda for peace, equality, and justice.
• take pride in feminism as a movement for transforming the world into an equitable, peaceful and just place for women, men, and children.
• examine our organization’s principles, practices and processes to ensure that we are creating opportunities to include the perspectives of women whose voices have not been included (e.g., young women, seniors, lesbians, Aboriginal women).
• take our agenda for women’s equality and inclusion into every meeting, regardless of the structured agenda.

• make every meeting a celebration, and every celebration a meeting: to continuously acknowledge both the challenges and joys of working for and with women.