Marianne Williamson Introduces “Whole-Person” Politics at UW-Milwaukee Event

Marianne Williamson, an internationally acclaimed author and spiritual lecturer, discussed how listeners can tap into their higher consciousness through spiritual enlightenment to aid in the push towards social change as women during an on-campus discussion panel hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Feb. 27.

“Besides who she is and her message, I liked how she connected social justice and the school of welfare with what she has to say,” Diane Cistaro, one of the event’s attendees, said. “I cam

e not only to hear her speak, but to learn from the other panelists and how it is all interrelated to consciousness and the colloquium.”

Creator of Sister Giant and currently on her 2018 Love America Tour, Marianne Williamson has dedicated her 2018 schedule to introducing the idea of “integrative politics,” which explores the intersection of spirituality and politics. She has spent the last 35 years as one of America’s most well-known spiritual lecturers and has been guest-featured on many popular TV shows including: Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, and others

In addition to lecturing, she has published 12 books, four of which have been #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. Williamson founded Product Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that has served over 11 million homebound people with AIDS in the Los Angeles area. She is the co-founder of The Peach Alliance, a grassroots campaign to establish a United States Department of Peace and serves on the Board of Directors of the RESULTS organization, which strives to end poverty in the United States and around the world.

Every seat became filled and anticipation buzzed through the air mixed with soft jazz tunes as guests filed into the UWM Student Union Ballroom for the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare’s annual social justice event. This year’s event, Leading Change: Women, Politics, Advocacy, & Social Justice, focused on the importance of women’s role in politics. The discussion featured Williamson as the keynote speaker and four panelists from UWM’s community and Wisconsin.

Panelist Kathy Flores is an advocate within racial justice, LGBTQ, and domestic violence. She is the statewide LGBTQ Anti-Violence Manager for Diverse & Resilient’s Room to be Safe Program. This online resource provides support and information for survivors of violence as well as other LGBTQ sources.

Panelist Dr. Susan J. Rose is a professor at UWM’s school of social work and a former woman of office. She served as Alderman in the City of Elmhurst, Illinois for twenty years, the longest serving alderman in the city’s history. She is an advocate for various social work agencies and encourages women running for public office while mentoring women who are in office.

Panelist Dr. Joan M. Prince currently serves as Vice Chancellor and the chief administrator for Global Inclusion & Engagement at UWM. Prior to this, she was nominated by President Obama to the key administrative post of Alternate Representative to the 67^th General Assemble of the Unite Nations, with the honorary rank of Ambassador. Through her work as ambassador, she has been exposed to and engaged in many global issues.

“My passion lies in helping people understand that there is another face and another voice that you may never meet and never hear, but they deserve the same equitable rights as everyone else in this world,” Prince said.

The final panelist, Annia Leonard, is a UWM Activist and student. She is a core member of UBLAC (Uplifting Black Liberation and Black Community) and has dedicated her work to equip, connect, and educate Black communities with resources and opportunities to create an environment free from oppressive systems.

The audience erupted in applause as Williamson walked onto the stage, her pink velvet jacket glistening in the spotlight. She introduced her speech by discussing the basic principles of religion and spirituality, and how human beings are interconnected through the same universal mission; to live the lives that people are all called to. She then referred to the modern day irony of democracy, denied through the influence of the aristocratic model, where only a few people are entitled and nobody else is. The separation which has ultimately caused a divide among one another and has become a threat to American democracy, a threat society must work together to fight against.

“The primary message of the Divine Feminine is take care of her children and take care of her home. Today, we realize every one of these children on our planet is one of our children, and the Earth itself is our home,” Williamson said. She related the power of the Divine Feminine to the fierceness of lioness when she sensed a threat to her cubs. Society must empower the fierceness of the lioness if they want to fight for their freedom.

Cistaro, who found the infusion of spirituality and politics to be quite intriguing, touched on the importance of higher consciousness and how it related to us as human beings.

“We are all connected through the first message of the higher consciousness and the real essence of that is very profound, though not even addressed. That is the core essence of it all,” Cistaro said. “The essence” teaches us that humans are all one body of energy and that everything and everyone is interconnected through their higher consciousness.

Williamson used the guidance of higher consciousness and “the essence” to discuss how a sense of “oneness” with all things is needed in order break free from the outdated view of the world and form what she referred to as, “whole-person politics.”

To work towards national change, she urged listeners to look within themselves first. The journey towards enlightenment begins with being honest with oneself and the ability to acknowledge their own shadows and problems in order to improve them.

“It’s extremely important from an intellectual and psychological and emotional perspective to remember that while we must identify the problems. Because that is how society a changes, just by a human being changes, you change through kind of a detox process. Stuff has to come up to be released,” Williamson said.

Cheers and applause rang through the ballroom at the end of her speech, ending in a standing ovation. Following the speech, the discussion panelists were brought on stage and the group discussed the importance of fighting for women’s rights in modern day society, including advice on how to stand one’s ground. Panelist Kathy Flores gave advice on how to find resiliency in today’s oppressive society.

“The first thing I do is dig my heels in, still, even though I know better and then I learn to breathe into it. For me, whatever hard thing is coming…rather than fight up against it, I lean into it [with humor],” Flores said.

Dr. Joan Price discussed the difficulties she faced while as an ambassador for the 67^th General Assembly for the United Nations, working in a primarily male environment.

“Do not allow yourself to be invisible or wait for that person to validate your opinion,” Price said. “Do not let someone minimize your voice.”

They say well-behaved women rarely make history, and these women proved that there is no backing down.