A blow in from the Windy City, Callie Persic, crossed the Atlantic to study the role of women in Ireland, only to find that she would be a woman with an important role to play in her adopted country.
Studying anthropology in America she applied for a PhD to Queen's University. The course enabled her to spend a year studying her chosen subject, and while her classmates were jetting off to study the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea, Callie chose West Belfast.
Women are often marginalised in society, as are Catholics in the north of Ireland but Callie discovered that some Catholic women have managed to find a release from this position. "There is an aspect of double marginality of Catholic women by state and society. However women in some ways transcend this by becoming involved in community activism, which empowers them. They are challenging social and political structures through this activism."
Born in Chicago, Callie spent most of her childhood on the move from house to house in different military bases with her family, describing it as "a life of upheaval." However she has finally settled in Ireland now, so much so that when she returns to the States she feels a little like an outsider. "After ten years," says Callie, "maybe I feel more at home here than in America. In the US, when crossing the road I almost get hit by a car, because it is coming the other way."
She took up a position with Interaction Belfast on the Springfield Road which is an interface project, trying to help build relations between the divided communities. She was involved in the 'mobile phone network' which allowed community activists on either side of the peace wall to have a contact with their counterpart on the other side if trouble, such as stone throwing, broke out.
There were Friday meetings between the phone holders which Callie said were frank discussions about incidents which may have occurred, such as stone throwing, in the previous week. "There was no blame game. They might say that it stems from an anti-social problem on their own side although it looks like a sectarian attack. It is about perceptions when a wall is there. You don't know if it is children or men in masks who are throwing the stones over. And this is why dialogue is so important"
Carrie has a positive outlook towards cross community initiatives thanks to her experience on the Springfield Road.
"It takes a long time, but it can be done. There is pressure on the people involved in this very courageous work. It is not the soft work of community relations, but the harder edge of confronting sectarianism.
"There is more progress going on at community level than there is at political level. We know that there is a lot of political footballing going on."
Callie has her work cut out in implementing the Neighbourhood Renewal, which is a city wide regeneration project policy.
"Ideally it would mean improving public services for areas most in need of it, regenerating areas which fall within the worst ten% of deprivation. The communities need to be involved in the decision making of regeneration."
Callie says that they are faced with a serious battle on the funding of the project, which causes delays and she shares the annoyance of those in the community who want the improvements.
"Activists on the ground are frustrated about neighbourhood renewal and we are finding it very challenging as we negotiate through this period, but the potential of this project could be very good."
