I met Meg this weekend at the Omega Institute and she was badass--doing all sorts of amazing activism in Dallas. For those of you who couldn't make it, I thought her summary was really beautiful. Next year's conference is on intergenerational dialogue and feminism and I'll be helping with the programming. Hope to see you ALL there.
-Courtney
(Originally posted yesterday at yp4.org)
I won a scholarship and spent the weekend in Rhinebeck, New York attending the Women and Courage conference at the Omega Institute. This was the single largest group of feminists that I've ever been exposed to. Women (and a few men) from all backgrounds of ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, religion, gender identity, age, and ability passed me by in those woods. Feminists from all three 'waves' and beyond sat together and discussed how we can rewrite the story of humanity.
The main theme was that the energy of Machismo and all its subsequent theories, governments, and societies have been the determinate factor in human evolution for far too long. This concept prioritizes everything having to do with our masculine qualities and ignores or downplays everything associated with our feminine ones. All of the speakers made sure to explain that the masculine and feminine reside in every human being, regardless of one's biological sex. We were invited there to usher in a new century of Mamisma, a phrase coined by Harriet Rueben, which can best be described as "the energy a mother bear has when she senses her cubs are in danger." To clarify, the mother bear must act not out of vengeance, but out of the urge to provide for and protect future generations. We were encouraged not to copy the same old tired power structures and institutions that men have dominated for centuries, but to radically alter the way in which this shared world of ours operates.
Elizabeth Lesser, a co-founder of the Omega Institute who frequently collaborates on projects with both Oprah and Eve Ensler, discussed the importance of recognizing all forms of intelligence as equally valid. When we think of intelligence, many of us recall the IQ test and a heavy emphasis on logic and math. But humans also have Kinesthetic (body) intelligence, emotional intelligence, and spiritual intelligence. We must incorporate all of these into the process of making vital decisions that will impact large groups of people. We much change the myth that it is weak to feel and express our emotions to others. Most importantly, we need to shed our egos and work harder to collaborate across all the compartmentalized sectors of global feminism. This also applies to progressive organizing in general.
Other speakers and workshop leaders that were there include Queen Afua, co-founder of the Heal Thyself Natural Living Center in Brooklyn; Loung Ung, a memoirist who survived the killing fields of Cambodia as a child soldier; Rachel Simmons and Courtney Martin (who also blogs for Femnisting), two writers who examine issues that affect young women in particular; Isabel Allende, a writer and lifelong human rights advocate; and Tara Branch, a clinical psychologist and writer.
Not only was the weekend endlessly educational and inspiring, I also left feeling refreshed, reborn, and reminded of every notion I suspected was true. Namely that an authentically peaceful, equal world can never emerge from a war torn planet whose very persistence depends on the oppression of others.
So if you are a person set on ending racism, sexism, classism, heteronormativism, and all the other -isms, ask yourself one question, whose shoulders do you stand on and whose ankles do you hold? I stand on the shoulders of the women I met over the weekend and I hold the ankles of the girls in my campus student women's group. We must all be aware of one another and willing to work together. It is the only way to awaken the slumbering spirit of Mamisma!
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Lovely concept - I kind of like the thought of calling is maestrisma, which in my broken-ass Spanish would mean "teacherlyness." On the whole, a great way of reframing things.
Let me begin by saying, I promise I'm not trying to be a be a protagonist. But the term"the energy a mother bear has when she senses her cubs are in danger." To clarify, the mother bear must act not out of vengeance, but out of the urge to provide for and protect future generations." captured me. I find it beautiful and empowering.
Do you feel we as feminists do that now, here, in 2008? When you speak of not being bound by tradition does that imply we could reconfigure our stance on abortion rights? ...the tradition of our mothers?
Thanks for such a gorgeous summary of the weekend Meggy B. It was a joy to meet you and I hope you'll stay in touch! Next year will be such an amazing opportunity to create intergenerational dialogue intentionally and radically.
YP4? Are you a fellow? I am, so I was just wondering.
LadyMadonna: I feel that it is acceptable to say yes, we should always be working to improve our feminist ideas and goals---as long as those "reforms" don't come at the expense of women's freedoms and lives. And yes, I feel that we are doing that in 2008, even more so than before. Awareness and action have risen in all aspects of the movement. Just check out the variety of feminist blog sites for evidence of that. Not to mention, there are hundreds of young girls who aren't even in high school yet that will one day realize they are feminists.
Courtney: Thank YOU for being there and for front paging my post. I'm briefing my staff today on what it was all about. I'm going start saving up to be there next year :)
Stephen A: Yes, I'm a proud YP4 2008 Fellow. Where are you from and when were you at the Summitt?