/'femd)nizdm/ noun the radical notion that women are people
A Brief Intro
Hi there reader. We see you and thank you for taking the time to pick up our zine - whether it was with intention or on accident, we are hopeful that you will find some sort of meaning within these next 14 pages. From letters to our past selves to commentary on disability feminism to a spotlight on indigenous women and girls, it is our hope that you will see yourself reflected in these pages. As a group of six feminist theory students, we felt that intersectional feminism best encapsulated our perspectives on feminism and allowed us to attempt to reach the largest audience possible. We enjoyed this process of piecing together our perspectives and hope to inspire you to join our fight for liberation and equity for all. The process of making this zine allowed us to learn more about how feminism, oppression, liberation, and activism impact any and all parts of life, instilling in us the importance of this fight not only for all people today, but for posterity. In the pages that follow, you will find diverse entries - in terms of both topic and stylecovering an array of topics. Our use of bright colors and bold font-styles was also intentional, to visually get our point across in loud ways, before one even begins to read the words on the page. We hope that you feel inspired by our writing and we are excited to see where this work leads to next!
With liberty and justice for all, Your authors -
Madison Ayers Amelia Phelps
Abby Blank
Khush Kaur
Natalie Tobin
Madeline Van Buren
"THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN AND AMONG WOMEN ARE THE MOST FEARED, THE MOST PROBLEMATIC AND THE MOST POTENTIALLY TRANSFORMING FORCE ON THE PLANET."
--Adrienne Rich
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Dear Nattie. :;.,
~know you're only 9 years old and everything seems so easy because you're just a kid. But, we're 19 now and the world is not so simple any more. I'm sure you've realized by now that as a woman, our life isn 't as easy as men's lives. That's called oppression, and it's why dad makes more money than mom would if she still worked, or why no one questions that mom stays home with us, bu t would be confused if it were dad that stayed home. But something you don' t know is that we're also bisexual and so we have to face oppression related t o our sexual identity and who we love while still dealing with the oppression o f being a woman. Even though it may seem like these two types of challenge s are separate, they are actually connected in one big way that makes up ou r experience as an individual. We call this intersectionality because it's about th e way our identities intersect to create our own unique experience of privileg e and oppression. This is how the world operates for everyone. Black women foe e different oppressive experiences than white women or Black men, just as w e experience different oppressions than straight women or bisexual men. I kno w this seems like a lot and you're so young to be concerned about this, but th e reason I'm telling you is because it's up to us to make the world a happier plac e for every person here and the most important thing that needs to be done t o achieve that is to inform everyone of intersectionality. I've tried my best to d o this by talking to people who are different from me about what makes the m different. It is not enough for us all to acknowledge that some people are mor e oppressed than others, we need to recognize that groups of people hav e unique experiences on an individual level that we may never be able to full y conceptualize. However, it is so important that we at the very least try t o understand and empathize with them in order to combat all of our oppressio n and create a more just and safer society. Knowledge and understand ing are the gateway to ending oppression for all and are the only ways that we can even dream about achieving equality. My hope for you is that you can take all of this overwhelming information and think about it and use it to help the people around you understand as well. You're going to go through some really hard things over the next decade of your life, but I want you to keep this letter in your pocket as a reminder that, while your life may be hard living with trauma and oppression, everyone around you is experiencing life in a completely unique to them way that deserves just as much recognition. Support them and show them empathy in a world that wishes to tear them down. You and everyone else are worth so much more than the oppressions you fa
With all the love in the world, ,..--; Natalie ,
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THERE IS ANGER SIMMERING IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES FOR THERE ARE STOLEN WOMEN AND GIRLS FROM COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE HAD EVERYTHING STOLEN FROM THEM - THEIR LAND, THEIR LANGUAGE, AND NOW THEIR SISTER. THEIR MOTHERS. THEIR DAUGHTERS. THEIR FR IENDS. NATIVE FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES MISSING PARTS OF THEM, STOLEN AWAY LIKE THEIR LAND. IN THIS WEEK'S INTERSECTIONALITY SPOTLIGHT, WE RAISE AWARENESS FOR AND SPOTLIGHT THE EPIDEMIC OF MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS AS MAY IS MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENO US WOMEN AND RELATIVES MONTH (MMIWR) AND MAY 5TH IS NATIONAL DAY OF AWARENESS FOR MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS. THIS DAY AND MONTH REMEMBERS THE LIVES OF NATIVE WOMEN LOST TO VI OLENCE AND WAS ESTABLISHED IN HONOR OF A CHEYE NNE WOMAN, HANNA HARRIS, WHO WAS MURDERED IN 2013. THIS IS AN INTERSECTIONAL ISSUE AS INDIGENOUS WOMEN EXPERIENCE VIOLENCE BECAUSE OF BOTH GENDER OPPRESSION AS WELL AS BECAUSE OF PREJUDICE, SYSTEMIC OPPRESSIO N AND ERASURE DUE TO THEIR ETHNIC BACKGROUND. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATE OURSELVES ON AS NATIVE WOMEN ARE 2.5 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THEIR LIFE TIMES COMPARED TO WOMEN OVERALL AND TWICE AS LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE VIOLENCE COMPARED TO ANY OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC. THIS ISSUE STEMS BACK TO THE INDIAN REMOVAL ACT, WHICH LEFT INDIGENOUS COMMUNITI ES LIVING OFF THEIR TRADITIONAL LANDS AND OFTENTIMES IMPOVERISHED AND LEFT VULNERABLE WITH POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS CONTINUING TO BE LARGE ISSUES FAC ING INDIGENOUS PEOPLE. THIS INTERSECTS WITH DISTRUST OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND AUTHOR ITIES DUE TO GENERATI ONAL TRAUMA. THIS MEANS MANY INDIGENOUS WOMEN DO NOT GO TO THE AUTHORIT IES TO REPORT VIOLE NCE. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE GREY AREAS IN LEGAL JURISDICTIONS ON RESERVATIONS IN REGARDS TO WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE LAWS.
INDIGENOUS WOMEN SEXUAL VIOLENCE AT HIGHER RATES THAN WOMEN OF OTHER BACKGROUNDS WITH OVER HALF OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN EXPERIENCING IT. THIS INCLUDES SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. THIS STEMS PARTLY FROM SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION AS ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF THESE ASSAULTS ARE CARRIED OUT BY NON- NATIVE PERPETRATORS. INDIGENOUS WOMEN ALSO ARE VICTIMS OF VI OLENT CRIMES AT HIGHER RATES THAN WOMEN OF OTHER ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS . MURDER IS THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR INDIGENOUS WOMEN WITH INDIGENOUS WOMEN BEING TEN TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE MURDERED THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. INDIGENOUS WOMEN ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE WI TH ABOUT HALF EXPERIENCING STALKING AT SOME POINT AND DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNTS BEING VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
WH ILE THIS DAY HIGHLIGHTS THE INDIGENOUS WOMEN WHO EXPERIENCE VIOLENCE, THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT EXTENDS BEYOND WOMEN IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES. INDIGENOUS MEN ALSO EXPERIENCE VIOLENCE AT HIGHER RATES THAN THE POPULATION AS A WHOLE WITH 82% OF NATIVE MEN EXPERIENCING VIOLENCE AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFETIMES. INDIGENOUS CHILDREN ALSO ARE MORE LIKELY TO EXPER IENCE VI OLENCE THAN THEIR NON - INDIGENOUS PEERS.
ALL OF THESE SOBERING STATISTICS MEAN ACTION MUST BE TAKEN TO PROTECT INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS . THE FIRST STEP IS ALWAYS TO BECOME EDUCATED ON THE ISSUE. THIS MEANS LISTENING TO MEMBERS OF A COMMUNITY AND AMPLIFYING THEIR VOICES AS THEY TELL THEIR STORIES. MANY INDIGENOUS ARTISTS AND CONTENT CREATORS HAVE CREATED POWER WORK ON THIS TOPIC. EXAMPLES OF THIS INCLUDE THE REDRESS PROJECT, A PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION DISPLAYED IN CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES, ' AND THE FACELESS DOLLS PROJECT, A ART PROJECT AIMED AT CREATING DOLLS TO HONOR AND RESTORE IDENTITY TO NATIVE VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIME. ., ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS. MOTHERS. DAUGHTERS. COMMUNITY MEMBERS. \
CREATOR SPOTLIGHT
• @MMIWHOISMISSING
• @NIWRC
• @INDIGENOUSINTENTIONS
• @INDIGENOUSICONYANG
• @STRONGI-EARTSDV
J\_RTIST/ J\_RT SPOTLIGHT • R_EDRESS PROJECT • )'VALI<ING WITH OUR SISTERS • FACELESS DOLLS PROJECT
"Any analysis that does not take intersectionality into account cannot sufficiently address the particular manner in which Black women are subordinated."
--Kimberle Crenshaw I ~1
SISTERHOOD
DEAREST KATHERINE,
I HOPE THIS LETTER FINDS YOU WELL rr HAS BEEN A WHLI SINCE WE LAST SPOKE AND I AM WRR'ING TO YOU TO ASIC HOW YOU ARE DOING. I HOPE YOU HAVE FOUND THE SHELTER YOU WERE SEEKING AND ARE NOW SAFE. I PRAY YOU HAVE FOUND SOIIEWHERE wrrH FRESH AIR, WHERE THE SUN ISNT FILTERED THROUGH GLASS.
SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN GONE, THE FEMINIST REGIME HAS ONLY GROWN AND GOTTEN MORE POWERFUL. THEY SAY THAT WE ARE NOW LIVING IN THE SAFEST TIME IN HISTORY TO BE A WOMAN. HOWEVER, YOU KNOW JUST AS WELL AS I DO THAT STATEMENT IS NOT TRULY THE CASE. THEY HAVE STARTED TO IMPLEMENT EVAWATIONS OF EACH CR'IZEN'S MERrr EVERY QUARTER NOW. IF YOU DO NOT MEET A CERTAIN STANDARD OR SCORE, THEN YOU LOSE ACCESS TO HOUSING IN THE CENTER crrY AND HAVE TO MOVE TO THE OUTSKIRTS. AND OF COURSE, THE EVALUATIONS DO NOT ACCOUNT FOR CHRONIC ILLNESS, CARETAKING, OR UNDOCUMENTED STATUS. THEY SAY rr IS TAKING "ACCOUNTABILITY" BUT rr SEEMS AS THOUGH THEY ARE CLEANSING THE POPULATION OF CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.
AT THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH YESTERDAY, SHE ANNOUNCED THAT "ALL WOMEN ARE NOW EQUAL" ALL WOMEN KATHERINE. YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THEY DON'T MEAN US. THEY CANNOT POSSIBLY MEAN US WHEN WE ARE STILL WORKING MULTIPLE JOBS AT MINIMUM WAGE JUST TO MAKE RENT AND THEY ARE OFF LOUNGING IN THEIR PERFECT MANSIONS. OR WHEN HORMONE THERAPY IS GETTING CUT OFF FROM THE SISTERS' IN OUR COMMUNR'Y DUE TO ISSUES wrrH THEIR IDENT y VERIFICATION. THESE DIFFERENCES SERVE AS CONSTANT REMINDERS OF HOW LIBERATION DI> T TRICKLE DOWN. rr ONLY APPLIES TO RICH, WHrrE, AND AILED WOMEN.
1 AM ARTIN EoD, ATE IF I SHOULD FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS. FLEE THIS GODFORSAKEN PLACE BEFORE THE REGULA NS G RICTER ,AN~ E ARE FORCED TO BE FIGHTING EVEN HARDER. WHILE I WOULD LOVE TO FLEE, A VOICE IS 'J..-...o:~E:11 M TO STA!:J"Y AND FIGHT wrrH MY SISTERS FOR THE RIGHTS ALL OF us DESERVE. I FEEL AS ~ OUG _, - • • E RE'SIS-T~ NCE SOON. I HAVE HEARD GROWING CHATTER AMONG THE WOMEN AROUND ME. THER-=--.-wic: MEE'FINGM EAR THE OLD TRAIN TUNNELS WHERE WE TRADE STORIES, PLAN PROTESTS, AND ORG IETLY. I ff i HOPE THAT WE CAN TRULY DO SOMETHING TO SHIFT THE REGULATIONS. AL AG:ll HAVE BEEN WRrrlNG ALL THE INJUSTICES I SEE, EVERY STORY I AM E BEEN EATED. ALTHOUGH rr FEELS SMALL MAYBE SOIEDAY THIS WILL BE B LSO RESISTED. EVIDENCE THAT THE REdllE IS NOT WH EMS TO G FOROOR{!IGHTS. I HOPE THAT ONE DAY, OUR FUTURE GEN BE •E DR7 D OF. THE LIVES THAT •E ARE PAVING SCRAP OF PAPER OR A MARK WOULD .E YOU rv5 AND THAT I AM NOT ALONE IN THJt _,,,.,,.) N LOVE AND RESISTANCE, { , - /
disability
[dis-abil-i-ty] • noun?
• a physical, intellectual, emotional, or psychosocial impairment significantly limiting life activity
o see "medical model", where impairment is the problem and emphasis is put on "fixing" or "changing" / role of society is unmentioned
• a standard part of diversity that everyone will experience at some point in their lives
o ex: hearing loss, broken foot, car accident resulting in paralysis, etc.
o no different from diversity than race, gender, or hair color
• social barriers and attitudes that create disadvantages for people
o see "social model" that puts emphasis on society, not individuals
• a socially constructed system of oppression, often integrated with race, gender, class
o see Rosmarie Garland-Thomson and "feminist disability theory"
based on these definitions, what do you think is a disability? race? media fluency? class? ethnicity? language barriers? gender? learning differences? pregnancy? chronic illness? sexual orientation?
"Female, disabled, and dark bodies are supposed to be dependent, incomplete, vulnerable, and incompetent bodies. Femininity and race are performances of disability"
- Rosmarie Garland-Thomas
To my fellow able-bodied feminists,
The fight for female liberation is impossible without including all women. Our African American , indigenous, queer, Jewish, lower-class, upper-class (etc.) sisters deserve to be included in our fight for a better future. One key population that exists within every single population are our peers with disabilities. Without including a portion of every single population of women in our activism , is it truly inclusive? Will we be free as individuals if we leave b e hind the 700+ million women and girls who have disabilities across the world? Absolutely no, and definitely not . So how can we go about changing this? How can we make our activism more inclusive and representative of our entire population of women?
1.Do your research! We cannot expect change if we don't know what is happening to begin with, we aren't familiar with the root causes, and if we are unfamiliar with the systemic systems in place. Make sure that research is conducted in reputable ways, emphasizing government websites and reputable journal articles.
2. Center disabled voices. Listen to the voices of disabled people and use your power as an ablebodied person to lift their platform up. Share their work, attend lectures, and buy their books to learn from them, rather than speaking for them.
3.Reflect. Take some time to think about any of your own biases that may be present (which is normal and expected) , identify them in day-to-day actions and thoughts, and work to dismantle them. This is a very challenging thing to do, so working on it with a partner or a group of peers may be helpful and provides a space for non-judgmental reflection throughout the process.
4 . Reframe your feminist thinking. Like I said before, folks with disabilities are present in every aspect of human diversity, especially within the feminist movement. The two movements are very much intertwined and working towards the advancement of one without the other is setting both movements back. Remember, disability issues are feminist issues , and vice versareproductive justice, housing, sexual violence - they are all intertwined, and understanding this is key.
5.Be ready to step out of the spotlight. A key part of being a good ally is knowing when to step down and give someone else a chance to have the microphone (or spotlight, stage , you get the idea). Encourage the disabled folks around you to lead and provide these opportunities as they anse .
6 . When in doubt, ask. If you are unsure how to address a person (ie. disabled person or person with disability?), just ask! There is no harm in double checking, and the individual will likely appreciate your question more so than a jump to conclusion without communication. If you feel like you are taking the lead too much in a discussion, again - just ask! The folks you are supporting will let you know, and it's up to you to be okay with their response.
7. Continue the cycle! I encourage you to add to this list as you venture on in your journey of disability and feminist activism, keep a list of things that work and things that don't, and communicate them to the folks around you too. Keep educating yourself and those in your co munities, collaborating with diverse kinds of people, and working to make the world a better, more just place for all.
This is hard work, and it is okay to admit that! You are doing your best and reading this was a great first (or second, third, or fourth) step.
In honor of a better future for generations to come, Your author
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