On October 27th, 2022, I had the privilege of delivering the keynote speech at the International Youth Film Festival (IYFF) at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia.

See end of article for complete speech transcript.

Tug

Pull

Scratch

Brushing roughly against my scalp

the mother rakes a thick bristle brush

through her blonde-bleached hair.

Naturally, when people imagine a “feminist” or an anti-sexist, they think of a woman. The word itself literally implies someone of a female gender, and women tend to be the most prominent anti-sexists, founders and evolvers of the movement. Since the issue of gender bias tends to put cis-men at the top of the pyramid, it is only natural…

All little girls’ favorite color is pink,

no room for dispute, or discussion of

individuality.

Little space for fillers of compassion or intensity

nothing worth stuffing my canvas with

There is no color I would rather live in,

or blush I would like to put on my easel.

When people think about positive body image, they likely don’t think of the Kardashians. These women, known for their surgically enhanced bodies, are often blamed for promoting unrealistic beauty standards. Ironically, however, many of the Kardashians’ businesses use diversity and inclusivity as their number one selling point.

On July 7, 2019, I sat in the mess hall with 400 other girls as our camp made an exception to its no screen policy to let us watch the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team play in the World Cup Final. As Megan Rapinoe scored a goal in the second half to give the United States a commanding lead, the mess hall erupted in cheers and screams of pride. The women were the best in the world and stood together on the highest podium for the whole world to see.

Last month, I had the privilege of attending the 2022 Feminism & Classics Conference hosted by Wake Forest University. The conference, which first began in 1992, is held in partnership with the Women’s Classical Caucus and, as stated on the WCC site, is known as “the venue where tensions emerging from the intersection of feminism and classical studies are first recognized, formulated, and debated.” This year, the event included 32 sessions and panels, all with a focus on the gender binary and the relationship between body and language in ancient text.

Today, March 15th, 2022, marks what would have been Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s eighty-ninth birthday. A legend and hero to all, RBG served on the US Supreme Court for twenty-seven years, during which time she championed women’s rights and gay rights and advocated for the poor on many occasions. RBG was only the second woman to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court, and the first Jewish woman, at that. In fact, it was RBG who fought for a women's bathroom to be installed in the Supreme Court. Before her doing so, one did not exist.