The arrival of March marks the beginning of Womens+ History Month, the first one in uea(su) history, which is a time for celebrating members of the community; those identifying as female and non-binary and educating people on the history of the community with insights into the issues which individuals face. It is a time for reflection as there is still more that needs to be done.
On Sunday 8th March marked International Women’s Day which saw 16 students come to London to march for climate justice and gender justice to become a reality, led by your Womens+ Officer, Juliet Brown.
The aims of the march were requesting all governments, including the UK:
1. A rapid shift to net zero emissions
2. Women and youth front and centre of national climate plans
3. More funding for climate responses around the world
4. Specific funding for women’s groups, feminist organisations and local women leaders
If you agree and support these aims, you can sign the climate action petition here.
This month has seen events by societies and clubs so far with amazing turnout and interaction. On Monday the 16th we will see the Womens+ Fair take place which has been led on by your Welfare, Community, and Diversity Officer, Amelia Trew and will see the launch of their Own Your Period campaign which will include a sanitary pad and tampon collection, as well as the distribution of menstrual cups.
On Wednesday 18th, Reclaim the Night is taking place, you can purchase your free ticket here. The UEA Student Union held their first ever Reclaim the Night event in 2016. Students came out to show that "Norwich is no longer a place where you can be harmed or discriminated against for the colour of your skin, your faith, gender, sex, nationality or sexual orientation."
Last year, on International Women’s Day we marched again to say 'no' to harassment, and for gender equality in the wake of #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns.
This year we are marching again with the message of intersectionality, and particularly after Brexit, to say that Norwich is for all of us and we all have the right to be free from harassment and discrimination. We recognise that different people are oppressed in different ways and that some people face greater systematic oppressions such as our trans, queer and people of colour siblings. Let’s stand up for love, inclusion and respect in Norwich and smash hate and the heteropatriarchy. If you would like to deliver a speech or a poem or have any ideas on how to build upon this month for next year, get in touch at s.atherton@uea.ac.uk.
Happy Womens+ History Month!