Here’s what to do for a Feminist 2022…

New year, new you — right?! Sigh.

Here we go, making resolutions again. Stuff we probably won’t stick to beyond the third week of January. Are you committed to working out? Drinking less? Being a better (insert your role here)? All those things are great — but they’re all about you.

My resolutions fit in two categories: me-goals and us-goals. I’ve got a big list of personal goals to work through this year — big! But my collective goals — my ‘us-goals’ — are just as important.

So if one of your us-goals is to make your community more inclusive/diverse/equitable… feminism is a good way to start!

But first, let’s start the year with the same understanding of this word. In my world, feminism means rights, respect, representation, resources. The late feminist foremother bell hooks put it beautifully: “To be feminist…is to want for all people, female and male, liberation from sexist role patterns, domination, and oppression.”

And, if you haven’t already taken note of this, we are not yet free from sexism and oppression. Our world is far from equal. Not a single country has achieved equality. All around the world, women and girls are still not able to fully participate in all aspects of social, economic, and political life. We have less choice, less voice, less opportunities, less resources. Fact.

In fact, at the present pace, we’ll need 100 years to close the gender gap. 100 years. I’ll either be a) dead or b) 147 years old. Neither of these are good options. Could we perhaps move faster?!

So my us-goal for 2022 is to take my space — whatever space I occupy — and make it feminist.

Read more here for how you can do it too: https://linaabirafeh.medium.com/heres-what-to-do-for-a-feminist-2022-c0ffe6ac7e10

#GenderbasedViolence #Activism #GenderEquality #Women #Feminist #Feminism #Equality #WomensRights #VAW #ViolenceAgainstWomen #GBV