This year, Vanier College is celebrating International Women's Week with a series of talks and presentations running March 3-7, under the theme of "The personal is political" - one of the most famous slogans in feminist history that still resonates today.
While the origins of the quote are still being debated, the intent behind it is crystal clear: politics belongs not just to the politicians, but to everyone. Women as well as gender-diverse folx--in all of their intersectional affiliations--have fought back hard against the patriarchal, misogynist, heterosexist, and transphobic rhetoric, policies, laws, and violence that continually endeavour to hold them down and dehumanize them.
Now, more than ever, with far-right actors attempting to roll back all of the rights that have been gained over decades of battling in the streets, in the media, in the courts, and in the legislatures, the idea that the personal is political is as relevant as ever.
This year's International Women's Week (IWW) event at Vanier aims to recognize that by making "The Personal Is Political" its theme. The speakers and films on this year's schedule will demonstrate how important it is for individuals and communities to speak out about and act on the issues that affect them personally and to connect with others who are doing the same.
Several films will be presented and talks will cover a wide range of topics such as women and transgendered individuals in competitive sports, grappling with masculinity and sexuality as a former Jehovah's Witness, queer activism and the question of Palestine, LGBTQ family stories, equality in education, finding agency through drama therapy, writing and activism, graphic memoir making, and misogyny in the digital age. Several presentations address Indigenous themes such as the search for a family matriarch and the residential school system, Indigenous Art and Activism, and representations of Indigenous joy.
Some of the highlights of the week include Shireen Ahmed, sharing her experiences as a female Muslim sports journalist, on March 3; Greta Hofmann Nemiroff, co-founder of Vanier College, presenting directly on the week's event theme, on March 4, and Eisha Marjara presenting and discussing her film about eating disorders among teen girls on March 6.
See the full program and schedule in the events Calendar: Here is the event
