WOMEN MAKING HISTORY: A day at Amnesty International
Tuesday, 22 May 2018
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One of my New Years Resolutions this year was to be more active in my activism (lol).
The very meaning of the word ACTIVISM is "the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change" (thank you Google) and obviously this is something that I am VERY passionate about, but up until this year my activism has actually been pretty passive. Yeah, I talk the talk on social media and I sign online petitions until the cows come home but I never get out and actually DO anything. This year my passion for activism has reached an all time high and it's like a fire has been lit inside me so I've been doing all that I can to attend events/protests, engage people and have discussions about issues that are important to me.
The most recent of said events mentioned previously was the Women Making History festival at Amnesty International this past Sunday (20th May). It was full of fierce, formidable women sharing stories, advice and love - and it was my favourite day of 2018 so far.
I went along to the Amnesty headquarters in Shoreditch with two of my favourite women - my older cousin Iona and my younger sister Isla. These are two women that inspire my immensely, slaying every single thing they do. We grabbed a quick coffee and made it in time for the first panel at 11:30 am. Honestly, the whole day was an absolute emotional rollercoaster for me. I'm not afraid to admit, I'm a cryer. I cry all the time at the smallest thing. I once cried because I saw the advert for the 2011 family film 'Dolphin Tale'. It was literally just the trailer, the 1 minute 30 second long trailer. On this day though, I cried because I was hopeful and happy that there are fiery, bold and powerful women who are passionate about making a serious change in the world. My ultimate goal is to be one of these women. One of the women from that day that made a considerable impact on me was Julie Begum, an activist based in Tower Hamlets in London that set up a group called "Women Unite Against Racism", consisting of local women who wanted to take a stand united against the BNP and racism in general. She recognised that getting involved in activism was considerably difficult for women due to childcare issues etc so she essentially made local activism accessible for women, ensuring that meetings were run at an appropriate time, creche facilities were available AND those attending had transport home to ensure they got there safely. Can we just take a minute to appreciate that dedication. What a fierce woman. It's women like that, that will (and already have) change the world.
We listened to panels discuss important issues like the suffragette movement, activism online, how to deal with trolls, self care and mental health. I had an idea for a project that I'm going to undertake with my sister later this year (hopefully). I just felt fully inspired. I've never felt anything like it in my life. In that room of women (and men tbf) it felt like a sisterhood - there was no worry of judgement or trying to impress - we were united by our passion for feminism and for social change and I was HERE FOR IT. In one of the panels about selfcare, one panelist said that to take care of ourselves we have to figure out what we truly enjoy doing and simply do more of it and I did every single one of those things at that event. I spent time with some of my favourite people, I surrounded myself with fabulous women, I learnt, I laughed, I drank a fair few glasses of my favourite cocktail (an Aperol spritz if ya wondering) and I listened to thought-provoking stories. What more could a gal want? I feel ready to take on the world.
