It was freezing outside this morning, although you would have never guessed it with the sun beaming in the beautiful blue sky. I was on my way to Consultation Day!
In retrospect, I can now say that this session was surprisingly powerful. Truth be told, though, I had barely slept the night before and was worried that I would not make it through the session. I have been to plenty of conferences and had yet to find an opening session that was of value, but I was told I ought to go so I reluctantly did - coffee in hand.
Perhaps not surprisingly to anyone who knows CSW, I remained wide awake. I am not sure why at the time I seemed even mildly surprised by this, considering the amazing speakers that were set to present. In my defense, though, I had never been in a room so filled with such powerful women. It was a remarkable first experience!
The keynote speaker, Sizani Ngubane, the founder of Rural Women's Movement from South Africa, whom I would be lucky enough to see speak again, was both humbling and insightful while telling the room who she was as both an individual and a rural woman. Sizani's message shook me to my core. I knew that awful things happened to women all over the world, but nothing prepares you for hearing the stories directly from those who experienced such things. Little did I know that this would be the first of many such instances, which would fundamentally broaden and change my view of the world forever.
Right at the beginning of her speech, Sizani said:
The "Welcome Messages and Conversation" as well as the later session on "The Concerns of Rural Women" were both filled with laughs, difficult conversation, the proposition of complex challenges, and solutions already being orchestrated by women. From these are a few quotes, although I am not sure whose stand out the most:
Although overall the day was fantastic, something bigger than the session itself came to my attention. Women from all over the world (although it seems to be those predominantly from Africa, Asia, and South America) have been denied their US visas to attend CSW62. The very women we must hear from if we are to address the issues that rural women experience have been denied access to speak. What is the point of this conference if they cannot even attend? If this is true, the CSW organizing committee must take a very hard look at its mandate (especially in light of this years' theme), about the location of next years CSW, and how they are to address the issue for these women right now.
In retrospect, I can now say that this session was surprisingly powerful. Truth be told, though, I had barely slept the night before and was worried that I would not make it through the session. I have been to plenty of conferences and had yet to find an opening session that was of value, but I was told I ought to go so I reluctantly did - coffee in hand.
Perhaps not surprisingly to anyone who knows CSW, I remained wide awake. I am not sure why at the time I seemed even mildly surprised by this, considering the amazing speakers that were set to present. In my defense, though, I had never been in a room so filled with such powerful women. It was a remarkable first experience!
The keynote speaker, Sizani Ngubane, the founder of Rural Women's Movement from South Africa, whom I would be lucky enough to see speak again, was both humbling and insightful while telling the room who she was as both an individual and a rural woman. Sizani's message shook me to my core. I knew that awful things happened to women all over the world, but nothing prepares you for hearing the stories directly from those who experienced such things. Little did I know that this would be the first of many such instances, which would fundamentally broaden and change my view of the world forever.
Right at the beginning of her speech, Sizani said:
"In spite of what appears to be our differences, I am you...and you are me [as a woman]. And each of us, in our own way, in our respective countries, have been fighting for the same thing: the inalienable rights of women and girls living in the rural areas, of indigenous girls and women and gender equality."
How beautiful. How badly I wish that it was true. Perhaps it was (broadly speaking) for the amazing women in the room, but it doesn't feel true to me because I haven't honestly done anything yet. Instead of a reassurance or a demonstration of sameness, for me, it was a call to action.
The "Welcome Messages and Conversation" as well as the later session on "The Concerns of Rural Women" were both filled with laughs, difficult conversation, the proposition of complex challenges, and solutions already being orchestrated by women. From these are a few quotes, although I am not sure whose stand out the most:
"Fail, fail again, fail better."
"Never underestimate the value of a kind word."
"Pull people up as you climb to the top."
"Never underestimate the value of a kind word."
"Pull people up as you climb to the top."
Although overall the day was fantastic, something bigger than the session itself came to my attention. Women from all over the world (although it seems to be those predominantly from Africa, Asia, and South America) have been denied their US visas to attend CSW62. The very women we must hear from if we are to address the issues that rural women experience have been denied access to speak. What is the point of this conference if they cannot even attend? If this is true, the CSW organizing committee must take a very hard look at its mandate (especially in light of this years' theme), about the location of next years CSW, and how they are to address the issue for these women right now.
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