Feminism and inclusion are about community.
At the heart and core of both feminism and inclusion is the need to belong, to be heard, and to be valued. Up until the past century, the stories of over half the world’s human population have been told for us, our roles predefined and predetermined before we could discover our own power and potential.
We are not seeking to erase or replace any story. Rather, we simply want to create and tell our own stories with our own voices. We want to be welcomed in our communities. We want to be able to love others and be loved, to feel safe, and to find comfort and fulfillment.
In a community, neighbors take care of each other. When you are in need, I help you. And when I am in need, you help me. In this way, every single member benefits.
Ancient humans realized this very early on: we cannot exist successfully in isolation. “As long as I get mine” does not win long-term, nor does it allow for progress. Because let’s be real, it takes more than one person to develop a smartphone, to build a skyscraper, and to get and process every single ingredient and material and tool needed to bake a “simple” cake.
To sustain these and every modern amenity, and to make them better, requires community, fairness, and reciprocity. It requires each and every one of us. It takes an entire society with rights and protections of those rights.
The food I eat, the electricity and water I use, the furniture that I work and relax and sleep on, these things give me time and space and resources to contribute in the areas in which I am most effective. And so it is for each of us. We have infrastructure and laws that allow us to focus on and specialize in different things and choose the kind of life we lead. It only works if we know that the spaces we inhabit, the things we accumulate, and our very bodies and minds will be protected by our community and our society.
That is what feminism, at its center, is about, and that is what inclusion is about: creating a system in which every person can participate to their fullest. A system in which every member feels safe and has access to quality education. A system in which we take care of each other, future generations, and our home on Earth. This is the future I envision for humanity. It is a tangible and realistic future, but we must make that choice together, as a whole society. The path starts with inclusion of every. single. person. Including you :)
