The Fem Word Vol. 44
CURATING STORIES OF BOLD WOMEN IN CREATIVE SPACES.
weekly dose of female excellence ahead xx
FEMME NEWS
Hayv Kahraman knows what it is to be an outsider. From growing up in Baghdad during a war to her life in Sweden and America, she has often felt “other.” Her art reflects this - she calls the subjects of her paintings an army of fierce women. Kahraman’s women embody one principle: “your body is the only thing that you have control over...and that could be a site of resistance.” Learn More
The Moroccan judiciary is working hard to reach gender equality in the job force. While the judiciary is at parity with 50% women members, society at large still has a lot of catching up to do. The judiciary stated that women should “be treated with the same respect as their male counterparts at every level.” Learn More
#16DAYSOFACTIVISM
India’s comic book supershero, Priya, is back in a third comic book to fight sex trafficking. She’s taken on sexual assault and acid attacks, and in “Priya and the Lost Girls” she rescues young women who have been tricked into sex work. The comic launched on the 25th of November, in collaboration with #16DaysofActivism. Learn More
The British Deputy High Commission celebrated the start of #16DaysofActivism last Monday with three programs aiming for women’s empowerment in India. The programs tackled issues such as garment factory worker’s rights, educating LGBTQ folks in the law, and women in business and leadership roles. Learn More
Andrea G. Bottner’s opinion piece for the Washington Examiner talks about #16DaysofActivism, what it’s all about, and what we as a global community can do to make the world better for women. Her take? We need to do more about violence against women. Now. Check it out for info about what’s going on in the U.S. and what this movement is all about. Full Story
FEMME FUNDING
Royal Neighbors of America, the largest women-run life insurance firm in the U.S., awarded ten people with empowerment grants to start or expand businesses or organizations that help to support women. The grants are $10,000 each, and the funding has gone towards causes such as sex trafficking victims, homelessness, and poverty. Learn More
FEMME POWER
“The CROWN Act will make a huge difference for our future generations, who will grow up in a world that respects them.” Originally introduced in New York and California in July, the CROWN Act works to eradicate discrimination based on the natural hairstyles and textures of Black Americans. Politicians across the country are working to pass CROWN Acts in every state, and achieve federal regulation. Learn More
Zina Bencheikh wants more Moroccan women to work in tourism. Tour guides make excellent money in Morocco, but women make up only one-quarter of the workforce. When Zina saw the lack of women, she took on the Moroccan Ministry for Tourism and successfully lobbied for them to issue new tour guide licenses to women. Now, her company Intrepid is beginning to see an influx of women tour guides and a rise in women-only tours. For Zina, she believes that travel “opens people’s minds and creates tolerance.” Learn More
FEMME EVENTS
First Lady of Kenya, Margaret Kenyatta, spoke at the Joyful Women’s summit last week. Joyful Women is a non-government entity that has worked to empower Kenyan women financially for over ten years. She advised the women of Kenya to continue to engage in the economy, and to strengthen themselves financially by pooling their resources - and urged for other initiatives like Joyful Women to continue to empower African women. Learn More
FEMME READS
Jessica McDiarmid’s book, Highway of Tears, delves into the titled road in which an abduction crisis is occurring against indigenous women and girls. McDiarmid grew up in Canada, right on the Highway of Tears. She wrote this book to call out the passive and racist reactions to these abductions and urges the public and authorities to pay attention to these cases...after ignoring them for so long. Learn More
Vogue is featuring an indigenous, gender-nonconforming person on their cover for the first time ever this month. Estrella Vasquez graces the front cover, a weaver from Oaxaca, Mexico. Her photo will be on the magazine’s Mexico and British editions. Vasqeuz belongs to the muxes (MOO-she) community of Oaxaca, a group considered the third gender of Mexico. Learn More
FEMME-TERTAINMENT
In honor of female directors and their growing numbers, BBC released a list of the top 100 films directed by women. This list has a mission: to shed light on women directors. The films selected create a rich tapestry of artistic vision and form a collection with such breadth and diversity it will steal your breath away. Which ones have you seen? Full List
FEMME WISDOM
Turkey wasn’t the only thing on the plate at the 2019 Annual Women of the Year Luncheon by Washington Women in Public Relations. The event’s theme was wisdom, with the women being honored sharing their own that they’ve learned along the way. For thirteen pearls of wisdom from some awesome women, check out the list. Get Your Wisdom
FEMMES CREATE
“My Iran: Six Women Photographers,” a photography display at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington D.C., challenges the idea of home between memory and reality. The exhibit showcases the work of six Iranian female photographers who all entered a psychological space to challenge the idea of home in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution. See More
IN OTHER NEWS
The Sudanese government repealed the public order laws last week. The laws predominantly controlled women’s right to public spaces. The laws previously allowed officers of the law to arrest women for dancing at parties, vending in the streets, or merely existing in a public space. Amnesty International now calls for Sudan to go further and continue to legalize women’s rights. Learn More
U.N. Health rolled out a new initiative last week to stop continued violence against women worldwide. Known as RESPECT, the program seeks to implement strategies such as reducing poverty and creating safer environments to stem the tide of violence. Click the link to find out how you can help. Learn More