Community Portrait: Iris Greer Sizemore Gathering together feminist women for over 25 years. by Susan Lovejoy

"What brought you here?" Laura asked the members of the Women’s Group, an assortment of women of various ages and ethnicities who have met each Sunday at 10:45 a.m. at the Universalist Unitarian Church on Fannin for the past 25 years. "Iris snagged me." "I’ve been going on and off for 20 years." "My therapist recommended the group to me." "I learned about the group through the church." " I met Iris at the feminist convention at Rice." "Iris found me at a bookstore."

As the women introduced themselves, Iris flitted around the room sitting in a chair, then getting up to pass out flyers or Xeroxed newspaper articles concerning women. Her striped button-down shirt had not been buttoned correctly and she occasionally had to tuck it back in her pants–this did not seem to faze her.

Iris Greer Sizemore is the founder and facilitator of the 25-year-old Women’s Group. Her way of both empowering women and helping women to find their own power is phenomenal. She has been described by a longtime member as "the engineer of a powerful train." She has a gift of enticing women to speak to the group on topics ranging from breast cancer to talent shows complete with an accordion player to financial planning.

Iris moved to Houston in 1974 from Chicago and soon managed the Unitarian Universalist Church bookstore. After being exposed to writers such as Betty Friedan, Audrey Lorde, and Adrienne Rich, she began gathering other like-minded women, both gay and straight, to talk about feminist literature. From these discussions the Women’s Group was born.

The first Women’s Group met in front of a fireplace at the church in 1975. Although the members were white and mostly from privileged backgrounds, all were interested in defining their own vision of feminism by defining the issues and looking at the questions. "The group has dealt with the issues that have shaped their lives," Iris said. "Rape, incest, alcoholism, and racism are some of the big issues."

Iris has devoted not only a part of her day-to-day life over the past 25 years to the Women’s Group but a part of her soul as well. As she sat in a green oversized chair at her home, her closed eyes reflected upon the past. Her hands and facial expression said more than her words. "I have grown with the Women’s Group," she said. "I need the Women’s Group; it is a part of me. It’s been my survival growth. I grew and changed as the Women’s Group did."

She even met her partner, Jacsun, through the Women’s Group. Iris tells the story, smiling as Jacsun walks into the room.

"We met at a party for a woman turning 40," she said, "and we invited 40 people. When Jascun walked in, I went over to her and we talked the whole time." For someone as active and people-oriented as Iris, that was truly remarkable. "Iris did not move around; she stayed in one place the whole time," Jascun said.

Iris and Jacsun looked at each other, their blue eyes matching in color as the doorbell rang. Three women came into the room, obvious Iris fans–they were all ready to go to a movie together, to gather, to talk.

The Women’s Group meets with a different discussion topic or presentation every Sunday, 10:45 a.m. at the First Unitarian Church, Room 302, 5200 Fannin (at Southmore). To find out more, www.houstonwomensgroup.com.