Revolutions, glitter and the patriarchy

Sep 2, 2020

I am following several stories this week:

In Lebanon, a devastating blast in the capital Beirut has compounded the already unconscionable hardships of life for thousands of migrant domestic workers. Amnesty International estimates there are more than 250,000 foreigners - or around 8% of the country's working population - who live within Lebanon's kafala system, a form of employment sponsorship and contract which gives all the power to the sponsor. When the country was hit with a financial crisis, some employees dumped domestic workers outside the women’s respective embassies. The COVID19 pandemic worsened their situation and now migrant worker activists and Lebanese civil society groups are scrambling to find, help and repatriate domestic workers who have been abandoned. The women are caught between the worst intersections of patriarchy: anti-Blackness, poverty, misogyny.

"Migrant workers and refugees are systematically dehumanised and marginalised in Lebanon, in life and in death," Anti-Racism Movement said in a statement. Read the article: Beirut blasts leave migrant workers overlooked in life and death

And follow this thread for more background and about ways to donate.

Mona Eltahawy @monaeltahawy

Thread on migrant domestic workers in Lebanon https://t.co/yZho3yynSQ

Banchi Yimer @BanchiELB

Our sister are sleeping on the street they are over 40 some dumped by their sponsors some ran from abuser what’s worse than being forced to sleep like this. This is outside our embassy in Beirut we are providing food sanitizer, masks & tickets but we need to shout for these girls https://t.co/qQ8Wh0Emtf

And watch this interview with Banchi Yimer, an Ethiopian migrant domestic worker activist

Egna Legna Besidet እኛ ለኛ በስደት @EgnaLegnaDWU

Banchi went from being mistreated for years by abusive employers...to voicing the oppressed and condemning the abuse on the world's biggest platforms. Here she is... our founder on Al Jazeera's @AJStream! ❤️❤️😍 #hero #girlscan #sisterhood

As with every revolution, women’s role in the uprising in Belarus has been analysed and hailed. It has been incredible to see women take on “Europe’s last dictator.”

Christopher Miller @ChristopherJM

Lukashenko’s notorious OMON riot police were no match for these brave Belarusian women today.

It is imperative to resist patriarchal tropes and misogynist stereotypes as this article reminds How women’s role in Belarus protests captured global media attention

African LGBTQI+ refugees are often overlooked in responses to refugee crises. Read this article about Emily's journey, a trans woman from DRC through Uganda, Kenya to Ethiopia and back to Kenya

AfricanFeminism (AF) @AfriFeminists

The plight of African LGBTQI+ refugees is often overlooked in responses to refugee crises. @namupa_ chronicles Emily's journey, a Trans Woman from DRC through Uganda, Kenya to Ethiopia and back to Kenya #Transrefugees #LGBTrefugees #Refugees africanfeminism.com/from-goma-to-n…

The Egyptian regime is arresting witnesses and people who have tried to help get justice for a victim of gang rape. The regime is scared because it knows a feminist revolution has begun and that women are exposing sexual violence in unprecedented numbers.

Mona Eltahawy @monaeltahawy

The #Egyptian regime is arresting witnesses and people who have tried to help get justice for a victim of gang rape. The regime is scared because it knows a feminist revolution has begun and that women are exposing sexual violence in unprecedented numbers.

Smear campaign, arrests in blowback over Fairmont rape caseActivists worry that the ripple effect will smother the movement against sexual violence in Egyptmadamasr.com

I have tasted too much teargas. Its effect on my breathing was clear. I did not know that it could impact the menstrual cycle. Read about the impact of teargas on the menstrual cycles of protestors here.

Feminism in India @FeminismInIndia

“I still get nightmares of the day,” said Tanya*, a student at #JamiaMilliaIslamia, recounting the tear gas attack on a moving protest she was part of. @soumya94mathew writes about the impact of #teargas on the menstrual cycle of #protestors.

‘They Fired At Us From Barely Five Metres Away’: Protesters Complain Of Menstrual Irregularities After Tear Gas Attacks | Feminism In IndiaIn this report, Feminism In India got in touch with anti-CAA/NRC protestors from Jamia and Black Lives Matter demonstrations whose menstrual cycles were tangibly affected after getting exposed to tear gas.feminisminindia.com

How are you taking care of yourself? I can quote to you Audre Lorde’s revolutionary words (who can’t?):

But I must confess I don’t give it enough thought. This was intriguing and inspiring.

Eyala @EyalaBlog

I loved @Afrowomanist's thoughts on what self-care means for #feminist activists! Don't miss out. It warms my heart to see an essay on @AfriFeminists that is inspired by a @blkwomenradical webinar. Different platforms, same conversations.💜 bit.ly/3gn7sjY #EyalaReads

Radical Self-care: A Refusal to Partake in One’s Own Mortality - African Feminism (AF)A recent conversation that Black Women Radicals created, a space that featured some of my all-time fave African radical feminists like Jessica Horn, Rosebell Kagumire and new faves Blessol Gathoni, Kinna Likimani, and Dr. Wuupini Mohammed- has had me thinking a lot about self-care. I want to begin…bit.ly

Here’s a book I don’t want to read: former Trump spokesperson Sarah Sanders insisting that she is still a footsoldier of the patriarchy. This pull quote is instructive because it should remind white women voters who vote for Trump and who insist on continuing to carry water for him - i.e. Sanders herself - that patriarchy will throw you under the bus, no hesitation.