Tag: solidarity
A message of Solidarity for Lebanon
A message of Solidarity for Lebanon
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SOLIDARITY MESSAGE
The African Women’s Development Fund extends condolences to the residents of Beirut following the massive explosion that rocked the city on Tuesday.
We are deeply saddened by the news and our thoughts are with our sisters and their families who live and work in the city. As devastating as this is, we know you will continue to show strength, resilience and leadership in your response, just as you have shown in the incredible work you are doing in the region around migrant domestic workers and refugees as well as pushing for the rights of LBTQ women.
Stay Strong, and Stay Safe. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
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Message de Solidarité
L’AWDF présente ses condoléances aux habitants de Beyrouth à la suite de l’explosion massive qui a secoué la ville ce mardi.
Nous sommes profondément attristés par cette nouvelle et nos pensées vont à nos sœurs et à leurs familles qui vivent et travaillent dans la ville. Aussi dévastateur que cela soit, nous savons que vous continuerez à faire preuve de force, de résilience et de leadership dans votre réponse. Nous le savons grâce au travail incroyable que vous faites dans la région en faveur des travailleurs domestiques migrants et des réfugiés, ainsi qu’en faveur des femmes LBTQ.
Restez forts, et restez en sécurité. Nos pensées et nos prières sont avec vous.
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Brazil Black Women’s March: African Women’s Development Fund Says No to Racist and Sexist Violence
Brazil Black Women’s March: African Women’s Development Fund Says No to Racist and Sexist Violence
As African women we stand in solidarity with Afro-Brazilian women as you take to the streets in the Marcha das Mulheres Negras [Black Women’s March] and raise your voices to say NO to racist and sexist violence, and to affirm that you, as all women, have a right to live with full choice, dignity, well-being and respect.
We are across an ocean but our histories are connected. We are inspired by your activism and your bravery, and we will always work alongside you for equality, justice and a transformed world.
–Staff of the African Women’s Development Fund
Musings on Solidarity: Brazil Black Women’s March takes place today
Musings on Solidarity: Brazil Black Women’s March takes place today
Read the original piece posted on AWID here
Marching in Solidarity: Marcha Das Mulheres Negras
Musings on Solidarity
By Amina Doherty
November 16th, 2015
As an activist I often think about what it means to ‘be in solidarity with’ and what it means to use my body, heart, and voice to amplify the stories and struggles of my brothers and sisters whom society has for various reasons “deliberately silenced” or “preferably unheard.”
As a Black, African, Woman, and Feminist – ‘solidarity’ has meant different things to me in different moments. It has meant using my voice in different ways to speak out against injustice and oppression, expressing my unwavering support to other feminist sisters, and being willing to do the real work of showing up, being present, and being able to navigate the very real complexities of the diverse social movements that I am part of. Solidarity, as I understand it, is more than just a passive concept that people refer to when for whatever reason they want to say they support you, rather, it is a verb, and it is something that as feminists we must actively ‘do.’ It involves the deep and intentional practice of listening to each other and hearing what it is that each of us needs and wants, as much as it is about mutual trust and respect. Solidarity is about building strong relationships that hold every one of us accountable, and forces us to unpack the privilege that we hold, and simultaneously to embrace the beauty that exists in our diversities and multiple ways of being in the world.
Marching in Solidarity
In this present moment, as I prepare to journey to Brazil with a group of Black sisters with roots, families, and homes in Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Haiti, Kenya, South Africa and the US, to be on the streets as part of the historic March of Black women against racism and violence (March das Mulheres Negras), I have many things on my mind including thinking about my understanding of solidarity – and ultimately what it is that connects us in our struggles, in our organising, and in our collective (Our)stories.
As I plan to be part of this historic moment, I think about what it is that we (as a group) hope to ‘do’, and how we intend to ‘be’ together in solidarity with our sisters and Black family in Brasilia. Together, and with support from the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), we join this march against racism and violence, in order to share our voices, the similarities of our stories and struggles, and the immense love that we have for each other as global Black family.
In a preparatory conversation among the group traveling to Brazil, one of the sisters noted that for her, one of the ways of offering solidarity is to be more deliberate in the kind connections and understanding being built.
She said “for me, really making time to truly listen and understand how Black women in Brazil are organising around racialised violence and police brutality is hugely important.”
In our discussions, our group agreed that part of the work we must do while together in Brazil must centre around making global/local connections and thinking creatively about how we can visibilise and amplify the stories and struggles of our sisters in Brazil in all of the spaces we engage in and in our own communities.
One of the sisters that is part of the group traveling to Brazil – Thenjiwe McHarris once wrote:
“For me, there is nothing that gets built unless people learn to love each other. That takes time but, we need to love and appreciate one another. There is only so much we can accomplish with our generation but we need to figure out what to leave for the next generation and help them reach a better position than what we walked into. On the one hand we must establish an understanding of our shared struggles but also have the kind of bond that is necessary to fight together because all our people deserve to live.”
It is in these words, these discussions, and in these moments, that I gain energy and insight and prepare to be with and among, and to be present with my sisters in Brazil as we March in Solidarity.
About the Marcha Das Mulheres Negras
On November 18th 2015, thousands of Black women from all states and regions of Brazil (and globally!) are expected to descend on the capital of Brasilia.The Marcha das Mulheres Negras, will bring together thousands of Black women to march for rights, justice, freedom and democracy. The March, which represents the culmination of years of mobilizing, and collective organising is an initiative of various organizations, and groups that are part of Black Women’s Movements and the Black Movement in Brazil. The March has received support from a diverse range of Black intellectuals, artists, and activists from across Brazil, Latin America, the United States, and Africa.
The March of Black Women is particularly meaningful given that it takes place during the UN International Decade of African Descent 2015-2024, and the month of Black Consciousness in Brazil.
Connecting the Local to the Global
Recognizing the incredible privilege that we as a group have to be able to be part of this historic event, and in our efforts to amplify this experience we call on all of you – who are not able to be physically present with us at the March in Brazil, to share with us your words, art, videos, photos, and poetry in support for all of the Black women that will march on the streets of Brasilia next week.
Here are some of the ways you can join us…
- Make a hand written sign stating, “YOUR NAME/ORGANIZATION supports the Marcha Das Mulheres Negras”
- Hold the sign while recording a short video (30 sec – 3 min), stating your name/organization, where you are from and why you support the Marcha Das Mulheres Negras.
*If possible, please state why the struggle in Brazil matters to you and your local struggles. The goal is to emphasize that our collective struggle as Black people is global.- Post the video to your organization’s Facebook page and/or your individual Facebook Page and tag the #MarchaDasMulheresNegras and put a twibbon on your Facebook or Twitter Profile.
- Participate in the November 18th live tweet-a-thon. Tweet your video with the hashtags #MarchaDasMulheresNegras #BlackFeminisms #AfriFem
- Spread the word! Tell people about the March, invite people to join this solidarity effort, visit AWID website to read solidarity messages from global women’s rights organisations.
Find more information about this event via the Facebook page and on Twitter (@marcha_negras) and Instagram (@marchanegras2015).
Statement in Support of Mary Robinson
Statement in Support of Mary Robinson
In Solidarity: Statement in Support of Mary Robinson, Presidential Medal of Honor Awardee
The African Women’s Development Fund(AWDF)supports the nomination of former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson for the [United States of America’s]Presidential Medal of Freedom. Mary Robinson has been a longtime friend and supporter of the African Women’s Development Fund. She has constantly supported the rights of women and marginalised groups. She indeed deserves the honour of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Today we join with numerous women’s rights and human rights organizations around the world to salute Mary Robinson’s accomplishments and to celebrate her Presidential Medal of Freedom Award.
We commend the Obama Administration for awarding the US Medal of Freedom to former Irish President and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), Mary Robinson. For many years now, Mary has been a strong and unwavering supporter of the slogan made famous at the 1995 Beijing UN Conference for Women: “Women’s rights are Human rights.”
Both as President of Ireland, and later as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, she served as a witness to human rights abuses around the world and brought dignity and integrity to the office and her dealings with all states and peoples. As High Commissioner, Mary used her office to full effect, demonstrating to people around the world that a UN official can and should exemplify courage and compassion.
Mary Robinson has long been a champion of the inherent dignity and equal rights of all people, particularly those whose voices are often marginalized – women and children. As a lawyer in her native Ireland, she brought landmark cases before the courts including legal actions that led to the removal of discrimination against children born out of wedlock, and the achievement of equal pay and opportunity for women in the workplace.
We deplore the tactics of personal attacks, character assassination and misinformation launched by a variety of groups, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Anti-Defamation League; suggesting that she is not worthy of this medal.
Mary continues her human rights work today in her capacity as a member of the Elders group, along with Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, as well as her leadership of the Realizing Rights Initiative. A recent Newsweek article states, “Obviously, she has been an indomitable defender of freedom across the globe.” In her numerous activities and leadership roles, Mary Robinson has been and remains a true agent of social change and is richly deserving of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Yours truly,
Global Fund for Women
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights
V-Day
Breakthrough: Building Human Rights Culture
Pat Mitchell, Executive Director, Paley Center for Media
Hon. Linda Tarr-Whelan, Former Ambassador to the UN Commission on the Status of Women
Geraldine Laybourne, CEO, Oxygen Media
Naomi Klein, Author
Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO, Acumen Fund
Mary Ann Stein, President, Moriah Fund
Institute for Women’s Leadership
Hibaq Osman, Fund for Peace
Holly Near, Singer
Karama/Arab Women’s Fund
INFORM
MS Foundation
Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP)
World Organisation Against Torture
Nirnaya
Jessica B. Nkuuhe, Urgent Action Fund – Africa
Lynn Freedman Professor, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
Chris Grumm, Women’s Funding Network
Lydia Alpízar Durán, AWID
Ritu Sharma, Co-Founder and President, Women Thrive
Nancy Rubin, Former Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission
Emilienne de León, Semillas
Hoda Elsadda, Chair, Women and Memory Forum
Zainab Salbi, Women for Women International
Eve Ensler
Donna Korones
Deanne Stone
Anne Bailey
Cathy Cade
African Women’s Development Fund(AWDF)