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#OneBillionRising: Why Solidarity Matters

  • JASS

Today, we join women across the world to celebrate One Billion Rising ā€“ an international day of action to end all forms of violence against women!

What does it take for 1 billion women to rise? For the 1000s of women activists across the JASS network, it takes deep conversations to find common ground and come together on shared issues. It takes can-do creativity to strategize together and it takes courage to move into action over and over again to generate pressure to shift power. We tap into and harness our rage at injustice with our passionate and hopeful vision of a better future ā€“ ensuring that our whispers become a bold scream and demand for change.

Since 2002, JASS has trained, accompanied and sustained thousands of women activists and their movements all over the world. What unites us is not a single issue, but the transformative power of womenā€™s collective leadership on multiple fronts to confront inequality and violence ā€“ from womenā€™s and LGBTI rights, environmental justice, climate change, economic equality and activist safety. Violence against our activism and in our homes pushes us to work together across borders, identities, and movements. We come together in solidarity not only to listen, learn, plan, and resist, but also to celebrate our victories and our friendships ā€“ to dance, laugh, and sing. The essence of solidarity is mutual support, respecting our differences while recognizing the potential power of our interconnections. Solidarity is an action verb, not a noun ā€“ it demands careful behind-the-scenes weaving and connecting.Ā 

To celebrate this yearā€™s theme on solidarity, we asked activists from our community to share their reflections:

What does solidarity mean to you?

So find your sisters (and brothers) ā€“ your friends and teachers, your dance partners and fellow activists ā€“ and letā€™s #RiseResistUnite to build a more a more sustainable and just world for all. Ā Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as we at JASS celebrate resistance, hope, and #OneBillionRising

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