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History of UWG Speech

The document summarizes the history and founding of the United Women's Group (UWG) in Belize. It describes the two pioneering women who founded the organization, Gwendolyn Margret Lizarraga and Jane Ellen Price-Usher, and their efforts to empower women and fight for women's rights and equal opportunities in Belize during the 1950s and 1960s. Both women played instrumental roles in mobilizing thousands of women to support the People's United Party and advocating for economic independence, education, housing, and an end to violence against women. The UWG continues their legacy today in serving the party and empowering Belizean women.

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Keith Augustine
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38 views

History of UWG Speech

The document summarizes the history and founding of the United Women's Group (UWG) in Belize. It describes the two pioneering women who founded the organization, Gwendolyn Margret Lizarraga and Jane Ellen Price-Usher, and their efforts to empower women and fight for women's rights and equal opportunities in Belize during the 1950s and 1960s. Both women played instrumental roles in mobilizing thousands of women to support the People's United Party and advocating for economic independence, education, housing, and an end to violence against women. The UWG continues their legacy today in serving the party and empowering Belizean women.

Uploaded by

Keith Augustine
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PROTOCOLS HAVING BEEN ESTABLISHED:

Good morning\afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

During the struggles that our country was facing in the fight for self-
government, the two magnificent pillars of the UWG arose. Gwendolyn
Margret Lizarraga (better known as Gwen Liz) and Jane Ellen Price -
Usher (famously known as Mrs. Jane). Both women, though different in
upbringing, family background and life situations; shared common traits
of being authoritative, humanitarian and powerful women in their own
right. They both shared a passion for empowering women and achieving
equal rights.

In the book, 13 chapters of A History of Belize, the author Assad


Shoman, described the formation of the UWG best as he wrote and I
quote “As the forum shifted from the streets to the Assembly and
Council Chambers, the masses became less instrumental. But there was
an organ of the Party that endured longer than the unions and other Party
units, as an instrument of mass, militant mobilisation and that was, THE
UNITED WOMEN’S GROUP (UWG) which began to be formed in
early 1959.” End quote

The author continued to write, (and I quote): The UWG,s were described
as a social arm of the Party, but under the leadership of Gwendolyn
Lizarraga a fiery, earthy woman who later became the first woman
minister, it became a large and active pressure group advocating
economic independence and betterment of women.” (End quote)
By May 1959 there were 1,400 UWG members in Belize City. By the
end of that year, after traveling the country, Madam Liz grew the
membership to 5,000 strong.

Allow me to give you the essence of of the characteristical traits of our


founding leaders, in order that we may fully appreciate the phenomenal
women whose mighty shoulders we stand on.
Madam Liz, was a business woman who operated a successful chicle
and mahogany farm. She would carry out her camp inspections driving a
land rover, carrying a gun, smoking cigarettes and wearing pants. She
was not the conventional woman of those times. While she was
described as being opinionated, authoritative and not easily intimidated,
she was also known to be a compassionate employer who supported
equal pay for equal work. Around the 1950’s she began to promote
women’s rights, with the goal of empowering women culturally,
economically and politically. Recognizing that only landowners were
eligible to vote at that time, and having been told by the Lands
Department that there was no land available for the UWG women
through land grants, Madam Liz marched into the swamps of Belize
City, surveyed, cleared and created a map of parcels for the women then
registered it at the Lands Department.

Similarly, when children were denied access to education because no


money could be allocated to construct schools, Madam Liz and the
UWG women began clearing the mangroves and the result was 2 new
schools - Belize Junior Secondary Schools 1and 2 - which were later
renamed Edward P. Yorke and Gwen Lizarraga High School. 1961 was
the first year that women were allowed to run in the country’s national
elections. Madam Liz ran in the Pickstock division and won with 69% of
the votes. She was appointed Minister of Education, Housing and Social
Services. She spearheaded a project to build low-cost housing in the
areas of King’s Park. Lake Independence and Queen’s Square.

The second, very significant UWG pillar was Mrs. Jane Price Usher.
Though much of her history is encircled with the Credit Union
movement in Belize where she began working at the Holy Redeemer
Credit Union as a clerk, became its treasurer, then served as CEO until
she passed away in December of 2018. Mrs. Jane helped to create
legislation which went on to form the British Honduras Credit Union
League and was then appointed General Manager. Though much is not
mentioned about her political life, we the UWG know how instrumental
she was in mobilising and garnering the support of thousands of women
not only for her brother, Hon George Cadle Price, the Father of our
Nation, but also for the PUP party on a whole. She served as a PUP
Cabinet Minister of Health and Cooperatives, as President of the Senate
and a member of the House of Representatives. Mrs. Jane was honored
by the Belize Business Bureau in 2001 for her contributions to the
women’s development in business in Belize. Mrs. Jane spearheaded a
strong wave of female political consciousness in Belize during her
tenure as President of the National Women’s Commission , as the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence Against
Women was adopted into policies and legislations in Belize. She
adamantly empowered women by teaching the importance of financial
independence and demonstrating how to achieve it, through her personal
interaction with the member/owners of the HRCU.

Both Madam Liz and Mrs. Jane served as founding presidents of the
UWG and as you join us today, you become a part of the history of the
Mighty UWG which stands on the shoulders of these outstanding
women and many that came after.
Today, you join us in the commitment to serve our great Party, empower
and meaningfully impact the lives of our women.

It is time to feel the PHENOMENAL FORCE OF THE UNITED


WOMEN’S GROUP.

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