This week’s article and the documentary were very informative. “The Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement” and the timeline “One Hundred Years toward Suffrage: An Overview” by E. Susan Barber really educated me about how women went through so much just to have equality, voting rights, freedom, in our society especially the black women. The video explains how black women were undervalued where men are seen as the head of the household. In the video, I learned about Ida Bell Wells-Barnett. Wells, who was born a slave in Holly Springs, Mississippi, in 1862, was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored. After her relocation to Chicago in 1894, she worked tirelessly to advance the cause of black equality and black power. Wells established the first black kindergarten, organized black women, and helped elect the city’s first black alderman, just a few of her many achievements. 

Women fought endlessly for the right to vote. one of the timelines really coughs my attention where 1917 Women win the vote in New York State. I learned that A suffrage petition signed by more than a million women signals the determination of the women of the state (and the suffrage campaign workers who gathered the signatures) to gain the vote. Aiding the suffrage cause is a last-minute decision by Tammany Hall, the powerful Democratic “machine,” not to oppose suffrage, given the danger alienating potential women voters might pose in future elections. The suffrage measure wins by a margin of 100,000 votes in New York City and breaks even in the rest of the state. I thought it was very powerful and honestly, it was needed. It shows that where all the women come together there’s no manpower that can stop them. 

My classmate Myweleman Ouattara’s snapshot was a clear example of the right to vote is still not fully realized for everyone in the USA or around the world. The women’s suffrage movement was a decades-long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United States. It took activists and reformers nearly 100 years to win that right, and the campaign was not easy: Disagreements over strategy threatened to cripple the movement more than once. My classmate Mitch’s snapshot was very powerful to me because I learned about Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta who is an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, is a co-founder of the National Farmworkers. Another example is that women can lead the way to improve our society and they surely can do anything that men can. There are so many women activists working tirelessly for worms rights and I just feel sad even in 2021 women don’t have equality in so many different ways. I hope and pray that women get equality soon and get opportunities as all the men do all over the world. 

This week’s reading and the movie that I watched were really eye-opening for me in many different ways. I felt that the reading “How To Think Like An Activist” by Wendy Syfret, really supported the film I watch which is “Girls connected” by Koen Suidgeest. The movie was very powerful and inspiring. In the Movie, Five teenage girls use their individual strengths to tackle gender discrimination and violence in their own communities. Each of them inspires their own people to transform their own lives. 

Josi is from Peru according to her when she was a teenager she has seen so many teenagers getting pregnant. And she wondered how she could help. To prevent or to at least diminish this issue. She invited her community with her friends to a park to give them advice on how they can take care of themselves and how they can make their own decisions too. She advises them how they can use protection to prevent from getting pregnant and everyone can decide it for themselves. She also told them how it’s not just women’s responsibility but also man and told all the women to inform men about it. 

Latifa is from Bangladesh according to her when she was twelve years old they try to get her married to someone. She told them that she rather die than getting married. She thinks that it was wrong when a girl marries as a child and she can never fulfill their dreams. One of the mothers said she doesn’t know why she tried to marry her daughter off because she doesn’t have a father, brother, and no house. Her mother is scared that’s why she wanted her to get married. But Latifa, came and stopped it and said when the right time comes she will get married now it’s too early. If anyone bothers them, they can call her immediately and she will take aggressive action. Some girls are married off before the age of 16th. They are forced into marriage by the poverty of their parents. She knows how miserable it feels when you don’t have anything to eat. About two years ago when she was a student of class six an attempt was made to marry her off because they had a shortage of money and didn’t have enough food to eat. She feels that she’s been very lucky because her mom stood by her because her mother was a child bride. She came to realize that she didn’t want her daughter to go through what she did. She wants her daughter/Latifa to be independent before she gets married. Latifa made a call to her teacher and around 10 PM the administration came to her house and a court was set right up there.  They said that she wants to continue her study and before the 18th if anyone tries to marry her off without her consent would be arrested. So, she come to realize that if she could stop her marriage she could do it for others too. 

Ghazal is from Jordan according to her, she doesn’t know if everyone sees what she’s doing. As being liberal and dangerous.  Everyone accuses her of encouraging other girls to overstep boundaries. They consider the freedom that girls ask for out of the question. She was always first when it comes to doing things ordinary. She loves doing recycling and she was the first girl to play football at her school. A lot of the girls set boundaries for themselves. They do certain things and not other things that are considered for boys. But she believes anyone can do it. It’s just that it’s taboo to overstep the rule they set for themselves. 

Ayesha is from India according to her girls are not allowed to go anywhere. They are confined to their homes. Girls are not allowed to do anything. Girls can become more confident. Move ahead in life and not fear anything. She learns boxing. She has loved Karate since she was a child and she wanted to learn since she was born. She was inspired by her brother. 

Michelle is from Keny according to her a  lot of girls feel like their place is just in the home. Girls shouldn’t study engineering that’s not for girls. Stay at home. Take care of the kids. Cook.  She was able to brave these stereotypes and that is what she strives to pass on. Being a girl from Kenya is like you shouldn’t be really outspoken. Girls shouldn’t talk too much about what they think. For example, lack of role models and a lack of people to look up to which is a really big issue. All the girls have all it takes to get to where they went to get but they just don’t believe in themselves enough. Michelle is a teacher who helps girls from age 12-30 to achieve their dreams. At a point, her family was going through financial issues, and sometimes they would go to sleep hungry but Michelle was the one to stay strong and overcome this. 

My classmate “Hillary” posted a snapshot which was very powerful to me. The post says that “Girls just wanna have fundamental human rights” And I completely agree with it. We need to make this normalized and make sure that girls in our community have all the rights as equivalent to men. Only then we can be very powerful as a community/country. Also, my class made “Keven Kimble” posted a snapshot where it says Dignity respect a justice for all. Yes, we need to make society equal for everyone in this world. Everyone has the ability to achieve things equally and we need to let them do it.

I have enjoyed both of the readings and especially “Patriarchy, The System An It, Not a He Them, or an Us” by Allan Johnson. In the reading, The author Allan talking about Patriarchy and how it affects both sexes in our society. What is Patriarchy? Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage patriarch is a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of the property. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage. I can relate to this more than anyone because I am from South Asia where men control pretty much everything in society. It is changing slowly but needs to be faster. In the reading, Allan encourages people to fight for gender equality and I absolutely love it because gender should not hold anything against us. Gender equality is very important and has been conclusively shown to stimulate economic growth, which is important, especially in countries with higher unemployment rates and less economic opportunity. Even when women do work, the gender pay gap means they aren’t earning as much as men. I am very happy to see so many worms are leading in so many different ways in today’s world and have been very successful in doing. We all are human beings and are equally able to do good for society. From “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” Audre Lorde.  Audre Lorde talks about her multiple oppressions. She’s born black and a woman. According to the reading as a Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, poet, mother of two including one boy and a member of an interracial couple, She usually finds herself part of some group in which the majority defines her as deviant, difficult, inferior or just plain “wrong. In our society women are seen as housewives which are so wrong. She wants to inspire others that one oppression is no different than the rest because wrongful power is still being reinforced and we need to stay connected through it all together in order to overcome it. I am speechless to reading this   I can’t find words to describe how angry I am because I just don’t understand why people can’t educate themselves and let people just be themselves. Our society has seen us differently as individuals and it affects us in many different ways. 

My classmate Erika Jimenez’s snapshot images are the perfect example of how women are not seen as equally as men. Images showed that Men’s have more rights than women in our society and I absolutely agree with it. We need to do more in our society for women because they deserve as much as anyone.  One of the images shows how men control women’s which is very true in many different ways. We need more work to do in order to change it and we need to educate people on how equally matters for both men and women. My classmate Isabella Celentano’s post was very powerful. The post says you are a strong, independent woman. Any brother afraid of that is not worthy of your time. I strongly agree because I believe women are very strong and are independent and they are capable of doing anything on their own. Women do not need anyone to support them to be strong therefore they should have equal rights snd that’s when our society will be better.

This week’s reading was very interesting. I had the opportunity to learn more about white privilege. Nowadays, White privilege is so misunderstood. It’s right up there with cultural appropriation and “Black Lives Matter” among things people keep getting wrong. Contrary to popular belief, White privilege doesn’t mean all white people are rich. It doesn’t guarantee they will have bigger bank accounts than others though, on average, they do. Now, what is white privilege? White privilege, or white skin privilege, is the societal privilege that benefits white people over non-white people in some societies, particularly if they are otherwise under the same social, political, or economic circumstances. White privilege does not mean that you don’t struggle in life but it does mean that you do not struggle in life because of your skin color. 

Nowadays white people don’t recognize it which is the sad part. In our society when you are Black or Latino or Asian American, in many ways, you’re always, in a sense, your brothers and sisters’ keeper. White people are never called an asset or disgrace to their race because their actions are seen as their own. Nobody else’s actions reflect poorly or positively on them. Although some White people take every discussion of racism personally and end up defending the indefensible, when non-White people talk about racism, they’re usually talking about the system and specific individuals, not White people collectively. That sort of blanket racism is a specialty fostered by White privilege. If White men commit 20 murders in one day, it doesn’t affect how people see White men in general. If one murder is committed by a Black man, every Black man becomes a suspect and a target. We have seen it happening again and again over the years. I am not supporting any crime here, it was just an example.

White privilege means not having to fear the police. For example, When a White person sees the flashing lights of a police car behind them, they might worry about getting a ticket and how to get out of it. They probably don’t give a second thought to possibly losing their lives. That’s the first thing many Black people in the same situation think about. If they panic and act irrationally, it’s because they are frightened for their lives and tired of constantly feeling that way. Every time another unarmed Black person is shot by the police, someone, usually White, asks why they didn’t just obey the orders of the cop and acquiesce to being demeaned and dehumanized. That they just don’t get it is a prime example of White privilege. If you don’t have to live your life feeling like a target because of the color of your skin, you probably can’t truly understand why Black people react the way they do when staring down the barrel of a police gun.

In Oppression, Marilyn Frye compares the oppression of women to a bird being kept in a cage. Reading this brought back so many memories from where I can from (South Asia) where women have limited freedom. It’s like women are living in a birdcage. Men expect their women to do everything for them just like their mother. This needs to change, period. I just can’t believe even in 2021 so many women are going through this in so many different parts of the world. I hope we educate ourselves and give women the freedom that they deserve just like all men. We all are human beings and we all are equal. 

One of my classmates, Sandra Mohammed, shared her story that she was talking with her mom about how it is still challenging for a woman to be seen as an equal to a man in the workplace. Sandra also discussed with her mom how as a woman of color, if a white woman with a Bachelor’s degree and I applied for the same job with equal experience, She as a black woman would need a Master’s degree to get the job. I thought it was very powerful and is very true. It’s just not fair how women/men of color are struggling to get jobs while having the same qualifications as white people. I hope and pray that it changes very quickly and that way our world will get better. 

My classmate Fawzina Zack shared an image of during the protest against France’s law, banning hijabs underage Muslim girls from wearing their hijabs in public. I believe that the government shouldn’t interfere in people’s beliefs. Muslim girls can make their own decision about wearing Hijabs. There should not be any law about what Muslims can and cannot wear.

Loved this week’s reading. What is gender identity? Gender identity is the personal sense of one’s own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person’s assigned sex at birth or can differ from it. Gender expression typically reflects a person’s gender identity, but this is not always the case. Beyond the Gender Binary” attempts to give us the tools to build a better future. In doing so, Alok indirectly gives us the tools to more clearly understand how we feel. Beyond the Gender Binary, Alok Vaid Menon challenges the world to see gender not in black and white, but in full color. Taking from their own experiences as gender-nonconforming artists, they show us that gender is a malleable and creative form of expression. As a person, I should be able to do whatever way I want to show the world. I should not have to worry about what society will think about me. When the focus is placed solely on normative gender and sexual binary identities, it gives gender creativity an “abnormal” label and can prevent people from exploring a full and healthy range of gender identity and expression. That’s why interventions in health care that support moving beyond the binary are so important. Moving beyond the binary not only validates the spectrum/continuum of gender identities and expressions but also asserts that there is nothing wrong with existing outside of the gender binary. Some gender non-conforming people are nonbinary, and some are men and women. It depends on each person’s experience. Two people can look similar and be completely different genders. Gender is not what people look like to other people; it is what we know ourselves to be. No one else should be able to tell you who you are; that’s for you to decide. 

 I loved ‘Fem’s’Post. It was very powerful to me. It said “That means I sometimes identify as Girl? Boy? Neither? Or Both?. Honesty we should be able to identify ourselves as we wish to. It should not matter if I am Gay, Straight, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender, because we all are human beings and we all are equal. I believe it is the same as being tall or short, black-brown- yellow or white, being thin or fat, having a short nose to a flat nose or whatever. WE ALL ARE UNIQUE, the way God made/sent us. We all have the right to exist, equally. We don’t need to oblige anyone by believing their beliefs and faking our own life! Period. We should never fake ourselves to make someone else feel comfortable around us. We should find a way to educate people to understand that it’s okay to be Gay, or Straight, or Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender. We want a world where boys can feel, girls can lead, and the rest of us can not only exist but thrive. This is not about erasing men and women but rather acknowledging that man and woman are two of many stars in a constellation that do not compete but amplify one another’s shine.