Today I went to the Women of the World Festival for my course Gender and Citizenship. One of the great things about CAPA is that a lot of the classes have field studies where students get to explore different parts of London and participate in interesting events. The Women of the World Festival was founded by Jude Kelly at Southbank Center in London but takes place all over the world. The festival is made up of panels and workshops to celebrate women and bring attention to the various inequalities they face around the world and how to address this inequality.
I found the Women of the World Festival (WoW) really inspiring and it was really cool to be a part of it. One of the sessions I attended was on International Activism and it really put things into perspective for me. In my position of privilege as a cis white woman that lives in America, when I speak out for women/human rights, the worst I have encountered is being dismissed, patronized, or asked if I am one of those “crazy feminists that thinks she is better than men.” The fact that women are still asked this question and treated this way in America shows that we still have a long way to go in reaching gender equality, but it is nothing in comparison to what the women on the panel face in their daily life. These women risk their lives as activists. Many of them are viewed as threats to the government of the country they are from and have faced violent/malicious backlash in their mission to push towards equality. They are willing to sacrifice their lives and give up a normal life so that future generations of women and men can have a better life. When each were asked why it is worth sacrificing their lives, Li Maizi, a women’s rights and LGBT+ activist from China, responded “if one day I am not being a troublemaker in China than life would be boring.” Her approach to activism is certainly not boring. In order to bring attention to the fact that women need more public bathrooms, she and several other women created a performance piece/movement called Occupy Men’s Room, where they literally take up male space by going into the men’s bathroom and refusing to leave. It also contradicts the idea that feminism is “humorless.”
I know it seems kind of odd and nerdy to write about a class field trip when I am in London, but this experience was a reminder of why I wanted to study abroad. I wanted to have the freedom and opportunity to explore, meet, and learn from all different kinds of people and I usually wouldn’t get to participate in something this big and international in my small beach town.