Our feminist allies from around the world told us what this day means to them and what they'd like all of us to remember.
Stand up for Victims of Abuse, Unflinchingly, Courageously- Christina Dhanaraj, Writer and Advisor, Smashboard, from New York City, US
“This women’s day, decide to believe your friend who shared her story, that #MeToo post, and that person who came to you for support."
Amplify The Voices of People Who Lack Resources, Networks, and Spaces- Jyotsna Siddharth, Actor, Artist, Activist, from New Delhi, India “I would really urge everyone to break the silos that we continue to work in and really form collective voice within the feminist movement, within the feminist spaces to align with the issues of trans people, queer people, people with disabilities, and people from other marginalised groups in the growing face of conservative government and right-wing agendas all over the world."
In Our Diversity Is Our Power and Transformative Energy- Sara Cuentas Ramirez, Journalist & Decolonial Feminist, from Barcelona, Spain "We refuse to assume a hegemonizing global model of development that racializes people, violates them, makes them precarious, destroys territories and bodies, assassinates non-human life, induces us to consume and destroys the net of life."
Our Work Is Only Half Done- Anju Singh, Anti-Caste Activist with Dalit Women Fight, from New Delhi, India “Yes, we have great Dalit women leaders, great history, and great achievers to celebrate, but this day should not be celebrated because still we do not have equal rights, equal space, respect, and justice for our women. We are continuing to fight and raising our voices and we have come halfway but still, we have a long way to go."
Where Is The Respect Dalit Women Deserve?- Manisha Mashaal, Lawyer, Dalit Woman Activist, Co-Founder of Dalit Women Fight, from Kurukshetra, India "What about those women who do not have education, financial resources, livelihood, land—where is the dignity of those women? Women whose struggles are invisible, Dalit women’s fight against caste, against sexual abuse, their self respect is being ground to dust everyday—they don’t have any dignity, respect, security."
Let's Make Our Communities More Inclusive and Our Fight More Intersectional - Ruchita Chandrashekar, Behavioural Health Researcher and Independent Psychologist, from New Delhi, India "I hope we can continue to cultivate a culture where we encourage each other to fight shamelessly, but are also very mindful of our social location and privilege. I am hoping to listen more. To learn more, to pass the mic, and to do my bit towards fighting the good fight with all of us on the same side."
Leave No Dalit Woman Behind- Manjula Pradeep, Human Rights Activist, from Ahmedabad, India "There are lower caste women who come in the lowest caste category and they are called as women from the scavenging community who are forced to clean human excrement with bare hands, who do the most filthiest work in the country, which is imposed on them... support us in this campaign to bring change into the lives of women and girls from the most deprived communities in India."
Feminist Power Is Not Authoritarian, It Is Regenerative- Noopur Tiwari, Founder, Smashboard and Independent Journalist, from Paris, France "Feminist power is not authoritarian, it is regenerative, it restores justice to historically marginalised people, and dismantles oppressive structures, and transforms them, and also us—that’s the kind of power we want."
