Here I am (middle) with my feminist classmates at the UN for International Day of the Girl (photo credit: Ileana Jiménez).
When you grow up surrounded by certain “privileges,” such as access to a good education, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll take them for granted. For many, including myself, going to school often feels more like a burden than a privilege.
Malala Yousafzai enlightened me about the power of education and that out of education comes empowerment and out of empowerment comes equality. She gave me a completely new perspective on education, and how crucial it is in order to make the world a better place. However, I was right about one thing. Education is not a privilege; it is a fundamental human right.
An article in the Washington Post quoted Malala, who stated “I want to change the future of my country, and I want to make education compulsory.” Malala demonstrates that education is our greatest weapon in the fight for equality, which means it is also the greatest threat for those such as the Taliban, who do not want women to become more powerful.
Malala and the girls who spoke at the recent Girls Speak Out Event at the United Nations are perfect examples of how you don’t need to be old and experienced to bring about change in the world. All of these girl activists stress the importance of having access to an education, as well as a safe environment where girls feel comfortable to speak up, both of which give girls the opportunity to create change.
Feminism has taught me that even though many girls, including myself, don’t experience the same sort of oppression as the 66 million girls in developing countries who are out of school, we have a responsibility to help them. By providing them with access to education, we are giving them the power to not only improve their own lives, but also to help bring us closer to achieving our mutual goal of changing the world.
For this to happen, intersectionality must play a role. How can we possibly help someone if we consider him or her “inferior”? That would only be contributing to the problem, instead of being part of the solution. This is why we must teach girls and boys that we are all equal, and to not only respect differences among people, but also acknowledge their value in creating a better world for all of us. A world where girls do not have a one in three chance of experiencing sexual violence, are not subject to human trafficking and AIDS, and where 14 million per year will not be married under 18, or be likely to die in child birth due to their young age. Instead, all girls will have access to an education,have equal pay as men, and finally be treated as human beings, deserving of basic human rights.
The Fierce and Fabulous class at our International Day of the Girl Assembly (photo credit: Lexie Clinton)
Audrey Lorde’s quote “The transformation of silence into language and action is an act of self revelation.” is projected behind us during our International Day of the Girl Assembly (Photo credit: Lexie Clinton)
Audrey Lorde’s statement, “The transformation of silence into language and action is an act of self revelation,” was projected above our heads during our school’s International Day of the Girl assembly.
This quote was certainly relevant for me in both writing my essay on intersectionality, and preparing to read it in front of my entire school. Leading up to the assembly, I was terrified. I’ve never been a fan of public speaking, and to put myself out there in front of my entire high school was unsettling, to say the least.
Yet, after sitting on stage with my peers and listening to them share their stories, I realized we were all there for one purpose, to share with the rest of our school what we had learned in class about the importance of intersectionality in our lives.
After having several of my teachers and peers congratulate me on my piece and the assembly overall, I knew we had succeeded. This further proved to me how essential education is because it both allows people to reach their full potential, while empowering them to speak up for themselves and take action.
From working to stop slut-shaming, unequal pay and street harassment, to fighting human trafficking, sexual violence, and the lack of education for girls, feminism is a global movement. After learning about feminism and the breadth of issues it addresses, it became a much more significant part of my life. It changed the way I view the world and myself.
It started with recognizing the ways in which, without being aware, I and others around me are contributing to the problem of inequality. For example, Slut the play opened my eyes to how unfair society’s views and treatment of women are, and how they need to change. Instead of telling women to be careful and regulate their personal behavior and appearance in order to hide their sexuality, such as not dressing or behaving like a “slut,” society should teach men and women that there is no way to justify rape, and not associate masculinity with degrading women and assuming power over them.
While writing my personal essay on intersectionality, I realized that this problem of inequality extends to other social identity groups along lines of race, class, geographical location and sexual orientation. Even after being aware of all of these injustices, it’s hard to figure out how I can use my knowledge to make a difference.
At the end of the Speak Out Event, one organization brought up the importance of social media, and the positive impact it can have when used at a tool to promote girl empowerment. For example, you can sign and start your own petitions, which is an easy way to for one person to raise awareness about these issues, make a huge difference, and bring us one step closer to equality.
