I don't know a single woman of colour in the international development sector who hasn't suffered from racism at work. Not a single one. @WomenDeliver is being singled out today but all others orgs should listen and learn. That certainly includes White-led feminist orgs. #aidtoo
@fatenaggad wrote about how she and @ir_ramdoo fought racism and sexism at their workplace. Lesson I'm learning from them: keep the receipts! A written record makes all the difference. (Also the advice French consultant @napilicaio often gives) #aidtoo
Several Eyala guests also spoke of the racism they endured as African women working in international development: @StephKimou told me she created @PopWorksAfrica because she was "disillusioned" by her early career experiences. #aidtoo
@drtlaleng said: "I'm having difficulties with White women who are liberal & feminists by their own assessment & yet make me feel like patriarchy is in the room (...) & because they are so-called allies to Black women, it’s as if they lack accountability." bit.ly/3fjAFvW
As more of us speak up, I hope organizations listen. Don't rush to issue an empty statement. Don't just announce a flashy "diversity appointment". Inclusion is about organizational ethos, not individual appointments (and certainly not PR). Listen and do the work!
I'll keep adding to this thread as stories get shared... Women of colour who (like me) work in the international development sector as freelance consultants have a lot to say.
Read what happened to my friend, the talented @Aliben86: #AidToo
What do we do on Sundays? (I mean, before the cleaning, cooking, stopping kids' squabbles, and trying to crack the code of how to fit both work & homeschooling in the coming week). We read! So here's #EyalaReads, your recommended reads about #Africa#WomensRights & #Feminism.
"Grief is a cruel kind of education." Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote how grieving for her father, but also about who he was. It's a beautiful and moving piece. Uncomfortably intimate at times, especially because she has been so private so far. bit.ly/2RHkajN@NewYorker
"Volatile times call for complex and imaginative cultural stories." Read @MsAfropolitan's thoughts about African #feminism and afropolitanism today. (Blogging tip: see how she links back to her own blog when she guest-posts? We learn oh!)
Another Sunday, another #EyalaReads! Setting time aside on Sunday mornings to go through my bookmarks is my version of Auntie Maxine's "reclaiming my time". Sharing a selection of great reads about #Africa#WomensRights and #Feminism with you all is the icing on the cake. Enjoy!
"The stigmatization of single motherhood is a patriarchal strategy used to police women into heterosexual submission." @Married2_Coffee wrote about single mothers in #SouthSudan and you should read this! bit.ly/35wSKFp
@monaeltahawy started a newsletter! It's called #Feminist Giant and it's dope. Of the few issues I've received so far, this one is my favorite. It's about the Beijing conference, #Covid_19, and "the Multiplicity of Fuckeries." Sign up!
2020 truly is the year of weird: good or bad, everything feels strange. I'm grateful for the sense of normalcy #EyalaReads brings on the Sundays I'm able to curate it, and for you for reading with me. Enjoy this week's roundup of my fav reads on #Africa#WomensRights & #Feminism!
If you read only one thing this week, this is the one. Jesmyn Ward wrote her heart out in @VanityFair and I felt everything: the grief, the fatigue, the anger, the hope. Read this, it is magnificent. bit.ly/3212NAn#EyalaReads
Ta-Nehisi Coates did a spectacular job as a guest-editor of The Great Fire, @VanityFair's September issue, about race relations and #racism in the US. I loved the interview Angela Davis gave @ava. Great insights for us African feminists, too. bit.ly/356BPJk#EyalaReads
Eyala's third season kicks off today! I'm so excited to share this interview with Kenyan human rights lawyer Kavinya Makau aka @kaviemakau, a #feminist who preaches the Lorde's word and practices it too! Don't miss this great conversation.
"I’ve always been clear that my view as a #feminist and a human rights defender is that there is no hierarchy of rights." @kaviemakau defines #feminism for herself and explains how she goes about embodying her values in her daily life. bit.ly/3llHb9m#EyalaTalk
I met @kaviemakau 10 years ago as a young professional with a huge task to handle. She gave me great advice then about #selfcare and #feminism. Here, she shares more useful tips, incl. around what I call #feminist impostor's syndrome. Read it!
Hello beautiful souls! My calendar says it's Sunday (though my to-do list suggests otherwise) so here I am, bringing you #EyalaReads, your weekly reading recommendations about #WomensRights, #Feminism & #Africa... From my bookmarks to yours.
I loved @Afrowomanist's thoughts on what self-care means for #feminist activists! Don't miss out. It warms my heart to see an essay on @AfriFeminists that is inspired by a @blkwomenradical webinar. Different platforms, same conversations.💜
"If you don’t intend your feminism to be transformative, then please at least spare us this dehumanising agony." It took me a while to read this piece @fungaijustbeing because I was shouting "yes!!" every two lines. Read it, share it.
Quand la loi institutionnalise les discriminations: Au #Maroc, la loi 04-20, qui met en place la nouvelle carte d'identité nationale électronique, inclut la possibilité de faire figurer son statut matrimonial: "veuve", "veuf", "épouse"... mais pas "époux" bit.ly/2EuTKhx
Ca a l'air anodin comme ça, mais:
(1) Ca ne sert à rien, car la carte d'identité doit permettre de justifier de l'identité, pas du statut matrimonial. Pour ça il y a le livret de famille.
(2) Ca complique les démarches administratives en cas de renouvellement de la carte d'identité (notamment en cas de changement de statut matrimonial). Mais seulement pour les femmes. Si c'est pas ça la définition même de la discrimination...