Modern HERstory by Blair Imani & Tegan & Sara & Monique Le

Author:Blair Imani & Tegan & Sara & Monique Le
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale
Published: 2018-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

If a revolution aims to liberate those facing oppression and hardship, it must be inclusive of everyone facing oppression and hardship—not just the largest or most dominant groups among the oppressed.

In Chapter 1, we learned about historic and symbolic erasure through the stories of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. While these transgender women of color led the new era of LGBTQ organizing, contemporary movements attempted to shut them out of the very initiatives they created. As Sylvia fought for incarcerated LGBTQ people and those experiencing homelessness, members of the LGBTQ community with more access repeatedly moved to silence her. Nevertheless, she persisted. Just as Sylvia and Marsha refused to be removed from history, today’s social justice organizers continue to carve out a place for themselves and their communities in current movements. This generation of revolutionaries refuses to be silenced.

During the 2017 Women’s March, activist and writer Raquel Willis vocalized the failures of women’s rights movements in her moving speech “A Vision of Liberation.” Raquel described a vibrant and possible future of fair and equal treatment for everyone. She challenged the audience to bring forth “a world where our Native family isn’t silenced on land that was stolen from them. A world where transgender kids don’t wake up and go to schools where the teachers and staff are indistinguishable from bullies. A world where a black person isn’t struck down by law enforcement. A world where sex workers aren’t demonized and cast away. A world where brave immigrants aren’t vilified for moving for a better life. A world where black and brown transgender women don’t have their lives taken just for existing. A world where people with disabilities are fully counted and represented. A world where women have the right to choose the fate of their bodies.”

The figures of Modern HERstory have fought—and are still fighting—to realize this future. Everyday people are rejecting a feminism that only fights for white straight cisgender able-bodied women. Instead, they are declaring, “The revolution will be ours,” that it will be for all of us, not just some of us. It will include people like me, and people like Raquel, and advocates like Marsha P. Johnson. Whether you and I come from the same background, speak the same language, face the same obstacles—or not—you are a part of the future we are building together.

As our broader society remains entrenched in archaic ideology and refuses to acknowledge these necessary advancements, organizers are continuing to move forward for the collective liberation of all people. “The Revolution Will Be Ours” is dedicated to nine organizers and firebrand revolutionaries who are disrupting convention and social expectations to forge an inclusive and equitable future for all of us—no matter what.

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