Solidarity for All Women and Girls: In Process
by Elise DeGooyer
What if we already had a deep well of solidarity to draw from in standing against rampant patriarchy? What if we knew in our bones that the empowerment of women and girls in a corner of the furthest continent was inextricably linked to the well-being of women and girls nearest us?
This March, more than 10,000 people gathered in New York City for the annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting. It was a 30th anniversary review of the progress made since the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. Every five years, the 189 countries that signed the landmark Beijing Platform for Action, along with thousands of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that implement the goals, gather to assess next steps.
From the perspective of a person in the United States, it’s obvious that the Platform is far from realized, with harmful backlash against progress in the 12 areas identified: poverty, education, health, violence against women, armed conflict, economy, power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms, human rights, media, environment, and the girl child. A U.N. Women’s report states that more than 5,000 laws on ending gender-based violence have been adopted and 88% of countries have laws on the books, but women still have fewer rights than men: “Progress is possible, but it has been far too slow, uneven, and fragile.”
I was fortunate to be a participant and witness in Beijing, and it made a lifetime impact on me. During two weeks there with our Seattle Everywoman’s Delegation, we shared in the vibrant joy, colors, voices, music, and textures of more than 20,000 women of the world gathered. The theme “Look at the World Through Women’s Eyes” opened us to eyes that raged from being tear-filled, angry, laughing, determined, and earnest in their mission.
While I followed the women and religion track featuring some of the most brilliant minds in theology and spirituality at that time, I’ll never forget the reaction of an Iranian woman after a panel presentation. She stood up in the aisle and shouted: “Leave your talk of religion in your sanctuaries! Your religions are causing our rights to be squashed!”
I thought of that woman as I participated in this year’s CSW events online. Thirty years later, we see religious nationalism rampant across the globe and experience white Christian nationalism fueling our U.S. political crisis. I was glad to see faithful feminist friends present this year, including from Mary’s Pence, Catholics for Choice, Maryknoll Sisters, Lutheran youth leaders, Parliament of the World’s Religions, and other advocates presenting workshops on the challenges and possibilities of faith-inspired action.
Presenters shared strong evidence of tangible progress made by grassroots organizations and governments, despite the backlash. For example, Mary’s Pence shared stories of the solidarity economy Central American women’s communities have built to share financial resources. While not fulfilled, the “here, but not yet” perseverance of NGOs, alongside or in spite of their governments, continues to uplift gender justice and women’s rights in various contexts.
What keeps the Beijing Platform for Action moving forward for 10 or 30 more years? Underneath these seemingly unrelated efforts is a deep well of solidarity we can dip into, emboldened by hearing others’ struggles and victories. Solidarity that feminist and grassroots movements have shown us throughout history builds beyond isolation and divisiveness, creating collective power to resist and reconstruct. Solidarity reminds us that we repair the world for one, we open a path of transformation for others.
The words of Anishinabwe activist Simone Senogles at this year’s CSW stick with me. In the face of colonization, imperialism, and capitalism conquering women and the earth, she asserts: “Solidarity exists already—we need to recognize it and nurture it.”
The solidarity we seek is here, inviting us to embody it and live out its fullness.
