Women who lead

 

 

Imarn Ayton

- How are we HERE?? Imarn Ayton literally shouted out the indignation and rage at George Floyd’s murder that woke her to question the racism in our societies and the possibilities for her own role. With this indignation still smouldering inside her, the possibility to act came at a Black Lives Matter event that she happened to pass:

- I went out to get toothpaste...a woman invited me to speak in front of thousands of people. I thought I can't...but then I thought USE THE MEGAPHONE!

For Imarn Ayton this became the start of her magical and inspirational but also difficult voyage, taking the lead of a transformative movement.

Imarn is an actress, activist and leading voice in the Black Lives Matter UK movement. She is also the founder of the Black Reformist Movement.

- We need to stop focusing on overt racism and go a bit deeper to covert and institutionalised racism - the latter being like institutionalised sexism - if we want real change. That is why I built the Black Reformist Movement, Imarn explains and says of her journey:

- I went from being a teenager from Peckham to organising and leading my own protest with 20,000 people. This all happened because I decided I would step up for what I believed in and fight institutional racism.

 

Tamara Adrián

- I am more discriminated against because I am a woman than as a transperson! Congresswoman and lawyer Tamara Adrián from Venezuela comes out swinging for attention to discrimination and injustice.

As a lawyer, Tamara focuses on equality before the law, and laments the development in her native Venezuela:

- We lost our democracy! We have a non-democratic regime in Venezuela now, rages Tamara Adrián while also maintaining that legal equality is not enough.

When a member of the audience wants to know which discriminations, Tamara has experienced as a woman, she lists the challenges she as a highly educated and qualified professional women has faced.

- When sitting on a bord for instance, women are not really supposed to lead. They are ignored or expected to simply keep quiet. Men don’t feel they have to listen to women. They treat our opinions and views lightly, says Tamara about the roots of her own indignation to work for real equality for minorities:

- I realised I found my driving force, my task & commitment, not only to achieve equality for LGBTI people, but more importantly to act on behalf of every group with no equal rights.

 

Krishala Tamang

Krishala Ghisin Tamang knows all about being ignored. As a young woman politician in Nepal, she knows she has to fight to be heard.

- Male politicians in Nepal feel that they don't have to listen to women politicians. They take our views and opinions lightly. So, my voice tended to be ignored, says Krishala

- But that did not deter me. If we decide NOT to stop speaking and learning and growing, then we will be heard. Krishala makes no qualms about drawing on her experience as a martial arts expert when finding the strength to fight for what she thinks is right. The discipline and fighting experience along with the support of her family has made her one of the youngest elected officials in Nepal.

As vice-chairperson of Ramechhap district in Nepal, Krishala also sits on the district judicial committee that sort out local issues. This position has enabled Krishala to become a leading fighter for girls' education and against child marriage.  

Drawing on her own experience of having to walk several hours every day to go to school – and still consider herself one of the lucky ones for even getting an education - Krishala stresses how her experience as a young woman now working in Nepal's judicial system has made her more and more motivated to bring positive changes in her society.

- When I became active, I was discriminated because I was young and a woman and had my own views. My attitudes were ignored. I became more determined than before, and I will bring change to my society!

 

Sidita Zaja

My activism grew from being angry! Sidita Zaja shoots her eyes at the audience as she tells how her activism was inspired by watching her mother and so many other women working tirelessly year after year on work, which is considered invisible and not celebrated or even recognized by society.

She has channelled her activism into being Executive Director of the NGO ProLGBT in Albania, and this is also where she finds her strength and inspiration in the challenging times of COVID-19.

- The minorities are hit the hardest by the pandemic. I looked up at the youth in Albania during these challenging times and was inspired to continue my work.

Asked what her advice is to all of us as we face the future, Sidita says:

- You need to find the things in life that you want to change and the things that makes you happy to work with. COVID-19 will not stop community leaders from making a difference.

- The best thing I have learned as an activist: you are not alone. You really aren’t. There are always people to work with you and believe in the same things as you do. It takes time but things DO change!

This sentiment was shared by the other speakers, who nodded energetically at Imarn Ayton’s basic call to stop waiting for someone else to change things and ask what you yourself can do to make a change.

Tamara Adrián agreed and finished the webinar with a comment on the power that one individual can feel when things begin moving:

- When you feel that power in your hands, please do awareness, do create networks.

 

Huge thanks to Tamara Adrián, Sidita Zaja, Imarn Ayton and Krishala Tamang.

Thanks also to moderator Nabila Ramdani. 

We organized the Women Who Lead webinar together with European Partnership for Democracy, Demo Finland, European Association for Local Democracy, People in Need, Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, Club de Madrid, Netherlands Helsinki Committee & Westminster Foundation for Democracy.