Hear Me Roar!
Historically, females have been pioneers in protests. Women are often the driving force behind highly effective mass movements. In 1739, French women stormed the male-dominated marketplace and declared that they would take over unless the high price and scarcity of bread was addressed. It was one of the earliest and most significant events of the French Revolution. During a general strike in 1917 in Russia, thousands of women flung stones and snowballs at factory windows and attacked police stations and bakeries. Their daring inspired men to join in and the protest ultimately played a role in the collapse of the centuries-old Tsarist regime. In 1956, around 20,000 South African women marched against pass laws, which were designed to segregate race. They sang “wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo”, meaning “you strike a woman, you strike a rock.” This protest directly contributed to the eventual end of the Apartheid.
The Women of Black Lives Matter Are Not Bending
From peaceful strikes and boycotts to throwing rocks and burning bras, the long list of women-led protests has shaken the world in interesting and inspiring ways. In more recent times, the Black Lives Matter movement has highlighted how powerful and dynamic women are. As activists around the world are denouncing state-sanctioned violence and demanding radical change, women are once again playing a pivotal role. Powerful females across the globe are stressing the impact of police brutality on women as well as other marginalized groups like the elderly, the poor and LGBTQI+ people. Sadly, these efforts are not always recognized.
Intersectional Invisibility
According to a study by the American Psychological Association, black women are significantly more vulnerable to systemic harm and injustice. The “intersectional invisibility” they suffer from means that their concerns have by and large been excluded in protest movements and conversations about racism, sexism, and other injustices. The Black Lives Matter movement brought this to light and now, despite decades of being overlooked, black women are finally being heard. #BlackLivesMatter has gone viral, art troupes are reading poems about police brutality, and even members of the Amish community have left their sequestered lives to join in the movement. Women are roaring and they are being heard!
Our Future, Our Choice, Our Fight
Regardless of race or physical location, women are standing in solidarity and their demand for social change is resonating across oceans and continents. And now, more than ever before, they are inspiring others to join them. There is a massive social awakening underway as women are helping people to become more enlightened. Historical untruths are being confronted, and people are standing up to inequality. They are fighting marginalization, promoting black narratives, and so much more. Women activists are building on the legacy of the courageous women who paved the way for them. By using social media and public spaces, they are demanding an end to injustice and speaking truth when the world needs it most. Yes, the future is feminist, but that means it’s also pro-human and there is a lot of hope to be had.
