Hilary used her position to talk about race and class and asked us, a group of fifteen women, to talk about our feelings on these issues. Next we had to turn our ideas into a sculpture. In order to do this quickly we broke down into smaller groups and worked in tight circles discussing and getting to know each other at the same time. After about twenty minutes we began to create our sculptures of bodies and props. The result was fascinating-I wish I had taken pictures.

The most memorable sculpture was made by two women facing each other with their hands held up opposite but not touching. This represented an invisible barrier between them that kept their hands apart although they were pressing with all their strength to try and reach each other. This sculpture said so much about misunderstanding and good intentions that go astray. The invisibility of the barrier that divided these women was a good representation of the lack of comprehension we all seem to suffer when trying to describe racism and how it affects us.

The sculpture I participated in was quite different. A white woman reading a book on racism sat in a chair while another woman cleaned her floors. We felt this represented how the intellectual in every society is supported by the labour of women who are usually darker-skinned or otherwise discriminated against.

The workshop continued with a discussion of how race, class, and gender contribute to the power structure in all the groups we participate in. Issues of diversity and difference seemed to re-occur throughout the congress, as the key things we have to learn to deal with in order for feminism to grow in Latin America and the Caribbean. Someone mentioned that diversity is always threatening at first, but that we should be able to accept that there is no one feminism in common to all women. We must encourage and celebrate our different struggles against male privilege instead of agreeing to follow one path to emancipation.

The Sistren workshop had such a broad theme that I had thought very little could come I from such a short session on such a huge issue. I was surprised by how much I absorbed. Hilary's ideas about racism and her encouragement to use body sculpture brought a startling image to the dialogue. I will never forget seeing those two women pushing against the invisible barrier that divided them — the racism and prejudice that separates us. The image, interpreted by me, changed racism from an intellectual problem to a daily battle that I deal with consciously or unconsciously in every interaction I have with an individual I see as the other/outsider.

Racism means a different thing to everyone perhaps; I find it difficult to define personally. The Sistren workshop opened my eyes to a new way of discussing an issue and I am not surprised that their workshops and theatre projects have been enthusiastically received by many audiences. The concepts they address cross language barriers as well as intellectual boundaries. Sistren is a challenging example for new dialogue and empowerment among women. Though their organization is located in Jamaica, they have toured in central Canada in the past and, with the help of other groups, could do it again.

Chantal Phillips is a student of Spanish and Latin America at Simon Fraser University. She has traveled and studied extensively in Central and South America and currently lives in Vancouver with her dog Moh and her lover Sharon. Sistren can be reached at Sistren, 20 Kensington Crescent, Kingston 5, Jamaica.