Rav's International Women's Day

For International Women’s Day, my internship, Right2Know invited me to an International Women’s Day celebration in Cape Town. This all day event was centered on the history of International Working Women’s Day and to celebrate women’s social, political, economic, cultural rights and other achievements. The afternoon was spent with a discussion on current challenges women face in the patriarchal world and with third wave feminism and other intersectional social justice movements. The evening was full of arts and culture, showcasing local music, poetry and dance.

I met so many accomplished women during this event, that are bosses or businesswomen or directors of their own NGOs. It was so refreshing to see how much power of women was in one room, and I was allowed to engage and take part in discussion of South African feminism. I was allowed to speak about my own personal experiences of challenges to women in the US, while I was educated about other problems in Cape Town and the rest of South Africa.

I also got the chance to meet a queer Indian women who shared such wisdom and reflection of her life, struggling to come out and define her identities. She gives me hope and inspiration that the South Asian community, in South Africa and around the world, are changing to become a more progressive, inclusive, safe culture. I also had the honor to meet several poets, who spoke such beautiful words about being a woman, and what that means to them.