Strong women ābout to walk across the line // This aināt no once upon a time //
These stories we ābout to write are true //
Sweat nā bleed for the rights of me nā you
In Ukraine and around the world, women amplify the call to #StopTheWar. In Malawi, thousands of women creatively organize to rebuild their communities after devastating tropical cyclones. In Honduras, women rise up to protect the electoral win of the first female president amid political threats from right-wing elites. One year after the coup in Myanmar, women across sectors and ethnicities find hope and strength to resist and fight for democracy. Labor unrest and organizing gains traction in the Americas for the first time in decades. Indigenous, black, and brown women lead new waves of decolonizing and feminist organizing. Movement networks and formations push back on religious and other extremist groupsā attacks and agendas on feminist and LGBTQ+ scholarship and activism. Even in the most repressive places, women find ways to make their voices heard.Ā
These individual and collective acts of resistance, defiance, solidarity, care, and love are catalysts of transformative change. Follow us throughout the month as we spotlight all the different ways women are crossing the line to speak up and solve problems in various spheres of life ā from the home and community to decision-making tables at policy level. Women in Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, Mesoamerica, and globally are crossing the line.
These are some of the ways you can cross the line with us:Ā
SUPPORT
Women organizing in the wake of climate disasters
When tropical cyclones Anna and Dumako hit Malawi, thousands of women leading the Our Bodies, Our Lives (OBOL) campaign to improve access to ARVs (antiretrovirals) and quality healthcareĀ jumped into action, forming the backbone of relief efforts. The climate-driven disasters destroyed homes and livelihoods, including the community gardens OBOL women had created to feed families and sell market produce, as well as the organizing hubs they use to strategize on political action and advocacy. OBOL women are rebuilding affected communities by addressing practical needs such as food, shelter, and health while calling for feminist solutions to climate change. Learn more about OBOL women’s work and support their fearless organizing by donating to the JASS Mobilization Fund.
JOIN
CSW66
JASS sees strategic engagement ā engaging power holders to shift and change policy, practice, and social norms ā as a critical aspect of movement building and a key ingredient that contributes to making change happen. Despite womenās pivotal role in building innovative solutions and effecting change, they rarely have a seat at the decision-making table. The annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is one space that serves as a way to connect, strategize and share perspectives and agendas to inform and influence decisions that impact womenās lives. This year, JASS is participating in three side events at the 66th CSW.Ā
Register below to learn more about how women are leading change and why movements are still the answer to the challenges we face today.Ā
āFeminist solutions for the environmental and climate crisisā on March 15 @ 4 PM UTC
Women, land defenders, and indigenousĀ communities acrossĀ theĀ globe have the leadership, skills,Ā and knowledge to contribute to a sustainable future that centers the care of people and the planet.
Come and learn more at an event hosted by theĀ Count Me In! Consortium, theĀ Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA)Ā andĀ Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF), together with the Governments of Chile, Sweden andĀ The Netherlands.Ā Register here.
āStrengthening labour rights through cross-movement collaborations – trade unions, sex workersā organizations, and feminist groupsā on March 18 @ 1:30 PM UTC
Join the Count Me In! Consortium for a conversation on the importance of intersectional approaches and cross-movement collaboration among feminist, sex workersā rights, and labour rights groups to protect and strengthen the human rights of sex workers. Register here.
āThe Masters Toolkits Will Never Dismantle the Masterās Houseā on March 21 @ 7 AM UTC
JoinĀ JASSĀ Southeast Asiaās regional co-director Kunthea Chan along with theĀ Dutch Ambassador for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality,Ā IWDA,Ā CREA,Ā FEMNET,Ā Womankind Worldwide, and Backyard Politics as they talk about feminist approaches to development and presentĀ recentĀ feminist toolkits thatĀ support movementsā organizing strategies and tactics. During the session, we will share JASSā toolkit,Ā āOur Rights, Our Safety: Resources for Women Human Rights Defendersā.Ā Register here.
READ
Generating knowledge is an essential strategy for amplifying womenās voices. In a context where womenās stories are often silenced, ignored, or portrayed in negative ways, it is critical to develop knowledge that centers womenās lived experiences. Doing so challengesĀ what counts asĀ knowledgeĀ andĀ whoseĀ knowledgeĀ matters.
TheseĀ edited publications with contributions from feminist scholarsĀ fuse theory andĀ practice inĀ examiningĀ theĀ linksĀ betweenĀ protestsĀ and transformative change:
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- Gender and Development: Feminist protests and politics in aĀ world inĀ crisis
- Gender, Protests, and Political Change in AfricaĀ bookĀ andĀ videos
PLAY AND LISTEN
This month, cross the line by taking an imaginative leap and immerse yourself in a state of radical creativity with invitations for practices of liberation that envision a different way of being. In this new blog, JASS’ Executive Director Shereen Essof talks about the importance of making playĀ an essential part of our vision forĀ āworldmakingā as we continue the work of building a better world together.
What sustains us as we cross the line? Sing and dance along to this rap and spoken wordĀ women crossing the line anthemĀ performed by Mack Royal, MickeyĀ Love and Emery Bright. Share songsĀ from yourĀ contexts that inspire and reignite your spirits as you organize for change.