JRNY Consulting’s Post

Understanding power dynamics and reflecting on our own positionality is key for transformative action. This pocketbook is a thoughtful, didactic and inspiring tool for #humanrights defenders. How do you weave #feminist reflection into your work?

“Feminist activists are tirelessly pushing for substantive changes. They are creating feminist political education, building feminist consciousness amongst masses of people, imagining alternative realities for African women and they are saying, ‘this can’t be it for us, what else is there?” On this feature with the Republic, our co-founder, Nancy Houston talks about the 2024 nationwide anti-femicide marches, navigating movement building as feminist activists, and the funding landscape for feminist organizers. Read the interview below.👇🏾 https://lnkd.in/dugPUJa7

Women in America are forced to serve as the nation's social safety net. I was cruising to the lake listening to NPR Saturday night when I stumbled on, Dr. Jessica Calarco's "Holding It Together" and know it’s a must-read for anyone interested in gender equality and social justice. Her book exposes that women in America are forced to serve as the nation's social safety net, shouldering the immense burden of holding society together. Key Takeaways: Women's invisible labor is the backbone of our society This unpaid work has devastating consequences on women's lives Calarco's research calls for urgent policy reforms to alleviate women's overwhelming responsibilities A powerful voice advocating for gender equity and systemic change I can’t wait to get my hands on this important book and its insights into the hidden struggles of women in America. Id love to learn more from my connections, please share your thoughts and share any other books or podcasts you recommend on this topic.

The history of women’s rights in the United States is long and chequered. At this month’s #ArthaBookClub, we discussed Claudia Goldin's paper titled ‘Why Women Won’, which traces legislative victories and setbacks in shaping women’s rights from the 1950s to 1990s. What factors shaped the success of the women’s rights movement? This must be viewed in the broader context of civil rights activism across the 1950s and 1960s, where major legislative victories like the Civil Rights Act helped accelerate the women’s rights movement. 

Reading "feminist theory: from margin to center" by bell hooks. I am moved by 1.) its demonstration of how feminism is often accompanied by classist and racist assumptions, and 2.) as a student of history, I also appreciate the way it compels readers to consider people who are often left out of historic narratives, such as BIPOC and service workers. Her idea to write this book in clear and common language is brilliant and I would love to see more literature on difficult topics written in this style. It allows the material to be viewed and understood by people who are not familiar with the subject or the technical language of the field. If you are interested in learning more about intersectionality on race and/or gender, bell hooks is always a great author to explore. https://lnkd.in/gRhVdQcd

🌍 Advocating for minority voices: At the UN Human Rights Council, we highlighted the crucial role of the UN Forum on Minority Issues. Emphasizing its importance as a platform for minority representation, we urged for its preservation, expansion and extended duration. Let's stand together to support minority rights and condemn reprisals against minority representatives. #MinorityRights #UNForum #HumanRightsCouncil

I highly recommend this brief call to lean into “faultlines” or “contentious” issues as portals to larger questions about the State. While this analysis is located in international responses to gender based violence, I hear echoes of both the contentious issue of forced mental health treatment (which I was recently engaged by the State to work on, as a survivor of forced treatment, and I remind the Victorian government - this Royal Commission recommendation remains unfinished!), and the current global “faultline” in response to Gaza, with much of the West (still!!?!) defending Israel’s genocidal assault, while the majority world have been consistently calling for a ceasefire and transformational justice. In my own life, carceral narratives have overshadowed my (horrific) experiences of gender based violence. I was abused extensively by a male caregiver, as a very young child, in specifically gender-based ways, and I live with the life-shattering sequelae. I am not and have never been “mentally ill”; I am a survivor of gender-based violence. But the State has repeatedly responded with violence towards ME (psychiatric violence). The perpetrator has never been held formally accountable. While I did report him to the police, I’m glad he was never incarcerated - I am a prison abolitionist. I received a Victims of Crime award, and a life-affirming individual apology from the State for what I endured as a child (after the soul-destroying reporting process). By contrast, crickets in relation to what I have survived at the hands of the State (psychiatric violence), even as it uncannily replicated my childhood abuse. The State would incarcerate me again (as “mentally ill”) were my distress to present in ways we collectively struggle to embrace. Gaza has often been described as an open-air prison. People can’t leave, their access to the most basic fundamentals of life are controlled by an occupying power (and are currently cut off), and they are collectively constructed as terrorists (the chant from Israeli politicians and soldiers has been that “there are no uninvolved civilians”; members of the Israeli public have been blockading food aid trucks entering Gaza). While these are worlds apart (I live in safety and comfort with my family), the logic of carcerality informs these faultlines - many “progressive” folks are comfortable with State violence being directed against bodies deemed worthy of State violence. But we don’t call it violence, instead we dehumanize those on the receiving end and grant impunity to those inflicting it. Such responses are grounded in a lack of imagination in relation to human dignity and accountability. “[Incarceration] confers impunity onto those with the power to define and designate criminality, facilitates the unchecked proliferation of police brutality, reproduces violence and trauma through reporting and judicial processes, and enables a lack of imagination in the law to take into account structural inequalities.”

Thank you for sharing this impressive work Ann-Murray Brown 🇯🇲🇳🇱 . The Feminist Evaluation framework is a powerful tool, yet it raises critical questions about attribution and causality, particularly when defining indicators for general gender markers or specific gender-related improvements. In my experience, evaluating gender impact within complex systems, such as countries prioritizing gender equality and diversity, demands a nuanced approach that acknowledges both intended and unintended consequences. This often necessitates a multi-faceted methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative data to fully understand the intricate relationships between interventions and outcomes. #FeministEvaluation #ImpactEvaluation #GenderEquity

How are you taking action this Juneteenth? Juneteenth is not just a day to celebrate freedom but also a call to action. It’s a reminder that the fight for equality is far from over. Today, I challenge you to: 1. Educate yourself about the history and significance of Juneteenth. 2. Support Black-owned businesses and initiatives. 3. Advocate for policies that promote racial equity. Together, we can make a meaningful impact.  # Juneteenth #takeaction #supportblackbusinesses #racialequity

Robin DiAngelo, Ph.D. is cohosting with Esther A. Armah - CIRCLE OF WILLINGNESS: Emotional Justice for White Women is a call in to white women with this LinkedIn Live dialogue on Wednesday October 23rd at 12pmEST. It is crucial that each demographic do their own emotional work to dismantle oppressive systems that entrench harm – even when they affirm their commitment to change or healing or progressive agendas. None of those replace the actual foundation for sustaining harm – that’s why white women are the dismantlers who must do their own emotional work. That’s the call and the focus of the Emotional Justice framework created by Esther Armah, and highlighted in her best-selling book: EMOTIONAL JUSTICE: A Roadmap for Racial Healing, in which one of the two forewords is written by Robin DiAngelo. What does it mean to do your own emotional work? What does it mean to engage the three points of courage, convenience and comfort – and choose courage? What does it look like to do that emotional work in a time fraught with division and destruction? Join this LinkedIn live dialogue as we engage with these crucial issues. You must register. REGISTRATION LINK: https://lnkd.in/edBw47-H