I have always had the most annoying habit of sticking to my morals against all else even when other people refuse to see things from my point of view or consider any viewpoint outside themselves.
And yet…I hold steadfast to my beliefs. It is the world that is wrong not me. Or perhaps more accurately the people who make up most of the world. Even within the minorities which you’d think would band together, we have non-stop conflict and splintering divisions. I am torn. I stumbled into feminism head first when I was a teenager. It helped soothe the rage I felt. There were women who understood. Here were women who got…IT! or so I had thought. Social media is really an echo chamber. I hadn’t realized I had chosen to align myself with the minority. It wasn’t until I researched it the other day and found out that in the US and UK women in my age group were seemingly hesitant to outright call themselves feminists. You do not have to claim feminism to do or participate in feminist action though. However, I can see that the reason many do not claim feminism is that they believe “there’s nothing left to fight for” or that feminists are big ole “man hating” meanies ruining all the fun.
And yet in the United States alone a Black woman/girl is murdered every 5 hours. Jamaica has the highest rate of femicide in the Caribbean. South Africa has the highest rate of sexual assault in the African continent. Abuse against women rose significantly all throughout the pandemic and it is still occurring right now. Sexual education in the U.S. is lacking in totality, especially in the more rural areas or parts of the Deep South. Roe V. Wade being repealed by the Supreme Court is another major blow for anyone with a uterus. The fight for feminism is NOT over. In fact, I would be apt to say this is only the beginning. It is time for a new era, a new wave, the 4th wave feminists must cast their hesitancies to the side and embrace the label (or don’t and still participate in feminist work.) The time for talking is over. It is now time for action. Assert yourselves, take up space, and speak your mind! It is better to be on the right side of history than it is to be well-liked or beloved. It is time for the poor women, Black women, immigrant women, disabled women, trans women, and all the intersections of these groups to not only be heard but respected!
