Vote Charlene and Manishta

About us

 

We are dedicated Green Party activists with experience of working with members and groups at all levels of the party since 2006.

 

Manishta is a currently a member of the Equalities & Diversity Committee. She has worked on improving policy in the party, delivered training sessions to members and organised discussion platforms on equality & diversity within the party. Manishta also founded the Black Minority Ethnic (BME) caucus - Greens of Colour. As a disabled person, Manishta has used her personal experience of direct and indirect ableism to influence the party to be inclusive and accessible to all members.

 

Previously, she was on the Young Greens National Executive where she helped organise student protests and recruited students to the party. As a trade union officer in her local branch, she is involved in representing and negotiating for staff members. Manishta has partaken in strike actions and management negotiations as well as represented black women & migrants facing hardship at work.

 

Charlene was elected to Conferences Committee on a platform of making Conference more inclusive and accessible. She has worked hard to assist with the access fund, deliver training for plenary chairs and look at new ways of reaching out to members. Listening to member’s feedback has been vital for this role.

 

 

As Young Greens National Executive Treasurer, Charlene helped oversee huge growth from organising national activist training days, running training for the 30 under 30 mentoring scheme to complaint handling. A focus has also been making the party more open and democratic - as part of the Governance Review Group and as Co-Chair of the Young Greens Structures and Procedures Committee.

 

Manifesto

 

We believe that equality and diversity must run through the heart of everything the Green Party does. From supporting self-organised to speaking out on important issues we will ensure everyone has fair and equal access to Green Party engagement. Our members are what make the party, and we want to work hard to listen to people and make sure that everyone is able to take part and feel included and supported.

 

 

We will develop and implement an Equality & Diversity strategy for the party

 

The Green Party has lacked coherent strategy in developing excellence in equality and diversity issues for far too long. We will have a clear & defined approach clear so that local parties understand the process and how they will be supported throughout.

 

• We will consult with members and work with relevant committees to survey the current status of the party in terms of equality & diversity with view to implement a strategy.

• Our plan also focuses on supporting local parties with highly diverse communities to recruit, engage and retain those members.

• We will work across different regions in the party providing guidance and support on how to increase involvement of marginalised members.

 

More support for self-organised groups

 

 

Self-organised & self-defined liberation groups such as the Disability Group, Green Party Women and Green Seniors play an extremely important role in providing a space for those who face a form of oppression to be safely empowered to organise and support the party. We will work:

 

• We will work on promoting those groups in the party & that they are well-resourced and trained

• We will ensure that class is also represented along with other self-organised equality groups

• We will promote the need for equality groups to work together as a unit, as they share so many common interests

 

 

We will ensure that there is support at local and regional level

 

 

We will pro-actively ensure that all local and regional parties are supported and trained in handling equality and diversity issues. In order to be inclusive, local parties need to understand the difficulties and needs of marginalised members in order to be engaged.

 

• Provide support for constitutional changes at local level

• We will work with local parties to create inclusive meetings & decision-making

• Support the process of selecting candidates

• We will provide ‘how to guides’, deliver on training & on how to make local parties inclusive and accessible.

• We will facilitate peer to peer support opportunities for exchange of ideas

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We will diversify our national and international voice

 

 

As a political party, we have the most progressive equality & diversity policies on the left. We need to ensure that we are vocal on these and on topical issues, to name a few: trans rights, black lives matter and reproductive rights.

 

 

• One Equality & Diversity spokesperson cannot be representative on all equality issues.

• We will help empower self-organised groups to be vocal nationally.

• We will work towards being more vocal on a spectrum of topical equality issues

 

Elect us Charlene and Manishta as your 1st choice for Equality & Diversity Coordinators