NEWS Reclaiming Your VoiceThe Life and Legacy

Unlike what the article argues, capitalism did not do anything for women’s rights except inhibit them. When capitalism first arose, the very first thing it did was bar women from the workforce; if they were allowed A.E. Sophie Dufresne to work, they were paid less than men and their wages went to their husbands.

The only reason as to why women eventually managed to flourish under capitalism is because of feminist movements, all being anti-capitalist and some being rooted in MarxistFeminism.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) is one of the earliest Marxist-Feminists; she believed that women would only truly be equal to men once they’ve achieved economic independence

The reason feminist movements are all anticapitalist, by definition, is that they aim to change systematic gender oppression, which is enabled by capital

Therefore, saying that capitalism did more for women’s rights than communism is ignorant because the advances women have made in our capitalist society can only be attributed to the Socialist and Marxist feminist movements that have fought to reform capitalist structures, which perpetuate systems of socio

Reclaiming Your Voice: The Life and Legacy of Maya Angelou economic inequality.

Warning: There is a mentermination and courage lived in Egypt and Ghana for ety. She teaches us that tion of sexual assault in this this woman demonstrated a couple of years, where she Maya Angelou wrote 36 strength is not found in vioarticle. throughout her life. spent some time working at books, which is what she is lence or toxic portrayals of

“My mother said I must Angelou knew a thing the University of Ghana edmost known for in the field bravery - true strength is the always be intolerant of igor two about having your iting and writing. of Academia today. Her poresilience it takes to dare to norance but understanding voice taken away from you. She also joined a group etry, as well as her screenbe yourself, thoroughly and of illiteracy”. This is one of the many great quotes of the writer, She had a tough childhood and had been a victim of sexual assault at a very known as the “Revolutionist Returnees” that explored the notion of Pan-Africanplays are jewels in the treasury of Literature, and her autobiography I Know Why unapologetically, in a world that denies you of your very existence. actress, dancer, and Civil young age, which led to her ism, a movement that atthe Caged Bird Sings (1969) She urges young African Rights activist Maya Angebeing mute for a big portion tempts to create a common became the first non-fiction American women (as well lou. of her youth. ground among the diaspobest-seller to be written by as women in general) to ran ethnic groups of Africa, an African American womuse their voices, as well as

You might know her She went on to study as well as those who are naan. to stand up for themselves from your English classes through the poem “Still I Rise”(1978), which tells the tale of a person who shall not be beaten down or silenced in the face of injustice and discrimination. dance and acting on a scholarship in the California Labor School in San Francisco, becoming one of the great creatives of her time. As stated, Angelou also contributed greatly to the tive to the continent. She contributed to setting up the Organization of AfroAmerican Unity. She also used her work to discuss issues of racism, as well as the additional issues that In her writing, she encourages us to be understanding of one another’s situations, but to not use pacifism as an excuse to be passive in the face of injustice. To many, she is an inspiration, and others in need, even when those around them wish to break their spirit by getting them to conform to what society deems appropriate. Maya Angelou once said:

As you are about to find Civil Rights movement. She come with being a woman not only as a strong woman, “When people show you out, this poem was nothwas part of the Harlem in our contemporary socibut as a strong person. who they are, believe them ing but a speck of the deWriters Guild, and she later the first time”. Her work, both in literature and in activism, is based on her empathy and wisdom, thereby showing us that she is among the many brave women we can look up to

Women’s Place in Society Throughout Western History: A Timeline today.

Today, men and women that era were married off to Celtic women could also Unfortunately, it stuck Also around this time, the of rape-crisis and women’s have (almost) equal rights men more than twice their be educated, have a career to this day, as women cannew male doctors would shelters, these women in most developed counage. in the same disciplines as not be priests, cardinals, or diagnose women with “hyswere pioneers for gender tries. However, though I dismen could, train to be warpopes. Although the Vatican teria”, they saw the female equality. agree with Hegel on most Moreover, married womriors, train warriors themsaid in 2013 that it is "theowomb as a for the male things, he was right about en in Ancient Greece (8th selves, and reign over their logically and theoretically" seed. In fact, it wasn’t until However, it is important this: progress is always imcentury BCE - 146 BCE) kingdom. Queens were still possible for a woman to bethe 20th century that scito note that the fight is far perfect. There have been were not allowed out of not very common, as the come cardinal, this has yet ence acknowledged that from over, and the concept moments in history when their homes without their Celts were still largely a pato happen. 50% of a baby’s DNA came of intersectionality has not women have had a lot of husband’s permission. triarchal society. from the mother! been addressed in historical respect, followed by eras of severe oppression. It seems surprising that Ancient Athens, whilst inMuch later, around the first century CE, women In the Middle Ages, women that practiced herbal medicine were soon comNow, my timeline brings us to the 20th century, at feminist movements. Most advances we have

For example, did you venting education, democplayed key roles in early pletely disregarded in the which point most of us seen in society throughout know that the first known racy, and philosophy, did Christian movements. world of medicine. Takknow what happened: the history were solely advanauthor was a woman? Ening their place were male Suffragettes brought forth tageous to upper-class hetheduanna, a High Priestess apothecaries, alchemists, the first wave of feminism, erosexual white women, of Sumer, southern Mesoand the like, whose pracwhere feminists would take thereby continuing to igpotamia, wrote a poem tices consisted of “bloodto the streets and demand nore issues that are specific praising the goddess Innana not think to give any rights Women were the leaders letting”, leeches, as well as the right to vote. to queer individuals and visin the 23rd century BCE; it is to their women, as they in the first Christian homes, balancing humours. ible minorities. the first piece of literature with a known author. Other examples of powerful women in ancient hiswere viewed as biologically inferior to men. By contrast, women in the Celtics (12th century played key roles in group worship, and some were even thought to be prophets. Eventually, all medicine practitioners without a university degree were outlawed. Of course, universiIn Europe, this was granted in 1930, whereas, in Quebec, it was only granted to white women in 1944 and to Native women in Hopefully, our generation will be the one to break the barriers our ancestors have set between us, and to fitory include Cleopatra, who BCE - 300 BCE) were treated The 4 gospels even ties did not admit women. 1960. nally give a voice to those ruled Egypt from 51 to 30 with much more respect. agreed that men and womwho have been silenced for BCE, and Boudicca, a Celtic They could not be married en were equal; it was only Soon enough, with the Second-wave feminism far too long. Warrior Queen that led an off against their will, and when Saint Paul, and other turn of the 17th century, began in the 1960s in the uprising against the Roman they were not considered writers of the New Testathe famous witch hunts ocUnited States, and it foEmpire in 60 or 61 CE. the property of their fathers ment, linked women with curred, as women practiccused on a wider range of or husbands (a concept that Eve and “The Fall of Man” ing herbal medicine were issues. From the introduc

However, powerful womwas still around in the 19th that Christian misogyny first deemed witches, persecuttion of the concepts of maren in ancient history are excentury CE)! emerged. ed, and burned alive. ital rape and domestic vioceptions, as most women in lence to the establishment