We have two types of Working Groups within the WUN, one type where members focus on practical work such as design, social media, recruitment, and another type where members of marginalised groups can come together to focus on issues that affect their communities, and make sure the WUN is an inclusive organisation which centres the voices of the most marginalised in our society.
The Trans Working Group
The trans working group was the first working group the Welsh Underground Network established in response to the increasingly hostile environment trans people face in Britain, including Wales and the Welsh independence movement. We try to educate and update the public on trans issues from a trans perspective through social media, and combat the dangerous narratives about trans people in the mainstream media. Our working group also makes also resources to educate our cis comrades and ensures The Welsh Underground Network is always trans inclusive organisation. Socialist movements are not always welcoming of trans people, so it is important to us that we work together and stand in solidarity with other trans movements, allies and comrades, and show that trans liberation is an essential part of the Socialist Welsh Republic we want to build
The People of Colour Working Group
We are the Welsh Underground Network’s POC working group. We realised that there is a large white presence in the socialist and Welsh nationalist movements, meaning POC members who are passionate about both Welsh independence and socialism are not represented and our strong presence is ignored and minoritised. We feel POC don’t feel welcome in said movements, and we need to show our fellow comrades that our history is fully embedded and our presence is required for an independent, socialist Wales. We aim to highlight Welsh POC’s history, important (and forgotten) figures, POC’s communist histories and the whitewashing and racial biases upheld in contemporary (Welsh) society. We also hold the Welsh Underground Network to account, to prevent the organisation from falling away from the basic principles of communism; the equality for all peoples. We want to emphasise that there will be no socialism in Wales until all members of society, regardless of race or ethnicity, are equal.
The Women’s Working Group
At the Welsh Underground Network’s Women’s working group we use our voices to speak out for women’s visibility, validity, and need in the socialist movement. We encourage members to consider and be critical of their own thoughts of misogyny (whether internalised or not), patriarchal systems and status quo within their frame work and discussions. We work intersectionally with our other working groups within the organisation to share advice on our experiences and even educate comrades who do not experience or understand our point of view. We shed light on the unfair treatment of women in our society through literature, social media posts and talking about what we encounter in book reading sessions and with each other. Uniting women in the socialist movement will allow our voices to be greater and our participation in the Welsh independence movement to be heard!
Welsh Underground Network 