For over a century the 8th of March has been known as International Women’s Day! Especially the last 50 years this day has been an important milestone, a day to celebrate how far we have come as well as remind us that there are still loads of battles to fight. All over the world people come together to demonstrate, celebrate in every way possible. To honour the power of women every day, we have made a list of the things that keep the fire burning.
hood feminism by minke kendall
The first waves of feminism where largely led by white women and did not mention the position of women of colour. Even now this is a known phenomenon that lives on, often mentioned as ‘white feminism’. Kendall discusses the position of non-white women within the patriarchy and illustrates the differences they experience due to the range of areas in which they encounter discrimination – also referred to as intersectionality. The book highlights the struggles of women of colour entering, remaining, and progressing in the workforce while bearing the burden of childcare, getting an education, and simply surviving in this society. Hood Feminism is the book that portrays what went wrong, what white feminism missed all those years and more importantly, how can it be fixed.
An essential book in this day and age to be read by all.
The Women’s March
You may know them already, the Women’s March founded after the elections in 2016 is a feminist organisation with regional departments all over the world. They organise the yearly Women’s March in many different countries, highlighting different groups and aspects of feminism. Their goal is a feminist future, and they rally for this every chance they get. They are one of the main organisations fighting for feminist issues, such as the right of self-determination. In many cases the Women’s March is entirely run by volunteers. Look them up to find your local chapter, and maybe even sign up as a volunteer yourself!
Ngo sphere
In times of war there have always been women who rise up. For years the women* of the women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights NGO Sphere have been advocating for progression in Ukraine.
They have created a safe space for the community in Kharkov and organise pride and other rallies. As they have been continuously under attack as activists, they were part of Amnesty’s Write for Rights campaign. The last few days they have been at the centre of the war and are trying to offer safety, supplies and support. Sphere offers feminist resistance at a time where it is needed even more than usual, check their socials to contribute!
'There is a country where women want to live' by Joke Smit
Politician and writer Joke Smit was at the centre of Dutch and Amsterdam politics during the 60’s and 70’s. With heavy criticism towards the status quo of sexism in the Netherlands, she became one of the best-known feminists of the country. During her time in politics, she often was challenged by sexism from colleagues, sometimes even from her own party. Through the years she wrote many essays on almost every issue targeted by feminism, such as the distribution of household tasks, intersectionality, and the pay-gap. These essays have been collected in a book titled ‘Er is een land waar vrouwen willen wonen’ (There is a country where women want to live’) named after the title of one of her poems.
She, for example, wrote her goodbye to the city council in which she describes the hurdles that she overcame and faced when trying to get her message across within her own work environment. The book clearly describes the 20th century issues of sexism, although they are strikingly similar to the issues of the 21st century.
Encyclopedia Womannica
Traditional history tells us all about the male figures that have progressed and changed our world. Many women, who definitely did play a role in our history are often forgotten. Not anymore, it is imperative that ‘herstory’ is known and the podcast ‘Encyclopedia Womannica’ teaches exactly that. In their short episodes, they relay the stories of incredible women throughout history. Learn about women like Ida Tarbell, who challenged the oil industry with her exposé on the Standard Oil Company in the beginning of the 1900s or Lilian Vernon, who founded the first woman-owned business listed on the American Stock Exchange. The stories detail the hurdles they had to overcome at work. Now in its third season, the podcast is rewriting history by including all those women who went before us, stories worth listening.
Author: Shulamit Löwensteyn (21) lives in Amsterdam, is a freelance copywriter and fervent feminist