How do you put feminism into action at Womankind?
I am really excited about my involvement with Womankind. I plan to put feminism into action in two ways, internally and externally. Internally I want to make sure all staff, who are predominantly women, feel empowered and enabled to talk about issues they feel are important. I want there to be a culture of openness, transparency and activism. Externally, I want to make sure that as many important stakeholders hear from Womankind, that they know about our impact, but also about our values. I believe if more organisations had feminism at their heart, they would be happier, more impactful and fun!
Tell us about your feminist journey?
When I was 20 I decided to volunteer for a Rape Crisis Centre in Newcastle. I didn’t think I was a feminist. Over the course of 12 weeks, a group of amazing women took me on a journey. They never rushed me, they never judged me, they taught me a huge amount. I learnt about feminism, but I also learnt about compassion and how you can effectively communicate with people who might not be with you – yet. That group of women led me to feminism, and since then I have taken an interest in furthering my understanding of intersectional feminism and activism.
A feminist hero of yours?
My (current) feminist hero is Annie Kenney. A working class socialist suffragette, Annie showed courage and bravery. She regularly went to prison (13 times) and was forced fed. At a time when women had enormous social pressure to behave in a certain way, she defied it. She interrupted meetings, she organised locally and brought other women into the fold.
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