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Can we really accomplish freedom?
It is approximately 30 years after Apartheid in South Africa and we seem to have made progress. However, have we actually accomplished what we should have? The answer to this question is: no. Many of the Apartheid hero’s and true fighters remain poor and continue to live in shacks. I may not have been part of the Old ANC that fought for freedom and emancipation but I don’t believe this is what they were fighting for. South Africa is one of the most corrupt countries today. I think it is time we stop dwelling on this fact and focus on how we change it. Evidently, talking about the corruption...
Re Dress: a world without discrimination for every child
Analyzing The Sudden Emergence And Impact Of The #MeToo Movement In India
Last year, after Indian actress Tanushree Dutta opened up in an interview about being sexually harassed on a film set, no one knew that her startling revelations would serve as a catalyst for the arrival of the #MeToo movement in India. After the actress in question opened up about her experience, it inspired many women, not just from the entertainment industry, but also various other fields, to come out and share their #MeToo experiences publicly. While the #MeToo movement had gained momentum in Hollywood and the West amidst the Harvey Weinstein allegations in 2016, it has slowly begun...
A wish for 2021
We went through a difficult year for everyone but it is not bad to have wishes for the next one, that is why I am writing this letter for 2021: I dream of a year with more equality, in which we overcome the barriers of gender, religion, color, social class, etc. and let us unite to overcome the consequences that 2020 will leave us. I dream of a year with more health for everyone not only for those who can pay for It but also for every person who needs it anywhere in the world. I dream of a year with more education. The pandemic stopped education for many who needed it, in 2021 we have to...
Reciprocity: an indigenous teaching for a better 2021
Ayni is an Aymara principle that means “mutual reciprocity and help others in need” and Juk’uchaña is an Aymara word that means “to accumulate or hoard like a mouse” translated by the Aymara teacher Félix Layme Pairumani. While thinking about actions to take for a better 2021, I was compelled to ask my elders what are the steps to reimagine a better future after the COVID-19 pandemic? Instead of providing a straight answer, they narrated one of our traditional stories, which is taught from generations to generations. There was once a mouse who always had food in his house. He harvested all...
A long history of suppressing Asian American voices
Human rights; a term or a reality?
Globally, About 108 million people have been killed in the wars of the 20th century, About 79.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes, About 26 million people are refugees, People still die due to hunger and starvation in war-affected countries, Many children are still deprived of education due to the wars in their countries. Today, we celebrate human rights when sadly, in many countries, human rights are merely a term. Here, I must use my region, the middle east and north Africa (MENA) as an example. In many of the countries of my region: - Human life is the least that matters....
Tree of acceptance: reimagining a future without discrimination
Some content on social media is putting feminism at risk
We all use social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in our day-to-day life. We get different videos and photos to watch on social media. They give different messages. But today I saw a very critical thing in a video. That thing is just cutting my heart. From childhood, I've grown myself as a feminist and that's why, I always wish by deep of my heart that every female should get her basic rights. But the video I saw was just denying those rights. Actually as it was time to go to bed, I was on my bed and my mother was in the same room and watching some videos on Facebook. I was able to...
Are human rights actually being respected?
Human rights are being violated all over the world. In fact, in 2010 Amnesty International reported cases of torture and restrictions on freedom of opinion in almost half of all countries. Imagine that not even the United Nations can interfere. People are being forced to flee their homes, the number of child soldiers is exorbitant, coercion is being used to accuse people of crimes they didn’t commit, feminicides and torture such as slaughter, burying people alive and poisoning are happening as minutes go by. Many of the people responsible for ensuring that human rights are respected, protected...
Disenfranchisement, By The Slice: The Untold Truth of Voter Suppression Amongst Minorities
I find it ironic that the first election I was eligible to vote in, was also one of the most cut-throat. I voted in Georgia, a state where attempts to disenfranchise people of color continues to plague the system. These attempts are often masked either as rightful decisions based upon the conduct of the disenfranchised or beyond the control of those in power. Yet, if one digs deeper, this disenfranchisement is a historical and long-standing issue that illustrates how racism operates in America. Merriam Webster dictionary defines “Disenfranchisement” as something done “ to deprive of a...
What an innocent soul deserve?
What an innocent soul deserve? A important question that deserves a lot of thinking. I think if every mature person asked himself this question, no child will be treated wrong. An innocent soul deserves nothing but kindness and tenderness. Looking in their eyes and hearing their innocent laugh brightens anyone’s world. Imagine if those innocent eyes faces obstacles and violence. They are too young to face these kind of problems. They should only feel warmed and not feared. They can’t talk about themselves but we are their voice. Everyone should make sure that all of the children in the world...
Reimagining a world without discrimination
Three Easy Ways To Identify an Afrofeminist
I enjoy seeing the spectrum of reactions a young African - and very Christian - woman like me receives whenever I introduce myself as a feminist. There is the shocked reaction: "How can this goody goody church girl be feminist?!" To this category of persons feminism is 666, the mark of the beast. Being a feminist is the act of selling your soul to the devil. Then, there is sometimes the subtle name-calling: "No, you can't be a feminist. Feminists are angry women who burn bras and hate everyone with a manhood". Or, "feminists are noisemakers who don't know what they want and have not...
Why I am an activist.
For me to get here, writing this blog as a black, queer woman took a sacrifice beyond what any history textbook could ever truly put into words. The fight that went into my being a woman with the right to vote, the fight that went into my queerness and my right to outwardly and proudly express that and the fight that went into my blackness and my freedom are ones that I don’t take lightly. When I think of the people that fought for my right to simply exist as I do, my eyes can't help but fill up with tears and my heart with gratitude knowing that I am living a life that is their legacy. We are...
Gender Norms In The World Of Sports
The sports industry is currently growing and improving the gender equality agenda, but there are still shortcomings that exist in this field today and I strongly stand against that. In the world of sports come gender norms. A lot of sports are always dominated by a certain gender, and when someone of the opposite gender decides to pursue it, they are called terrible names and are fitted into a typical stereotype. Many women are sexualised and objectified by their looks rather than being admired by skill and strength. A lot are discriminated against and discouraged, from society and even their...
Child labour - A Curse
Children are the gifts of God. They are to be protected, nurtured and moulded into a personality they would want to be. They are as delicate as a petal of a rose, but with that softness comes the liability of being crushed. If guided well, they can lead the future. Nowadays, children, to be precise, kidnapped children, homeless children, orphan children, they are all directed to manual labour. It may be begging on the streets or working on a construction site, which is no place to be for a minor. Children are the future. But when instead of helping them discover themselves, they are directed...
How Social Media is Changing the Story for Women’s Voices
As recently as decades ago, those seeking to make a change in gender equality had few means of doing so quickly and conveniently. Social media has proven to be a powerful mechanism in bringing attention to women’s issues, galvanizing action worldwide and advocating to policy makers efficiently and effectively. Unlike rallies limited to those in large cities, or letters seen only by the recipient of the letter, social media can be used by and seen by almost anyone with an internet connection. By overcoming obstacles such as distance and geography, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have created a...
I do it for her
People often ask me why I am so concerned about issues like feminism, racism, or immigration, expecially, being a 16-year-old white girl living in a first world country. Well, I always answer the same way: I do it for her. For the 13-year-old girl whose parents have decided to marry her to a 45-year-old man for a piece of land or a little bit of money, who will never have a decent education and will only aspire to be a mother of several children with the same fate as her. Also, for the girl who has just been mutilated against her will because she is a "transition to adulthood" or so she will...