From the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960 to the occupation of Tiananmen Square in 1989, students have consistently and inspiringly engaged in activism, striving tirelessly to conquer inequalities and injustices in the world around them. Rallying young people everywhere into tangible action, student activists undeniably play a crucial role in social and political change. However, within student activism there exists a unique opportunity to raise, empower and amplify the voices of self-identifying women (throughout this article anytime I say women I am of course referring to any individual that self-identifies as a woman); there exists a unique opportunity to place women at the forefront of the discussion. In the words of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, “women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”
Co-founding and running SpeakOut Oxford – an advocacy group that seeks to support and empower victims and survivors of sexual violence – has offered me an invaluable insight into the power of women’s voices in student activism, as well as the difficulties that women face in having their voices heard. I have heard inspiring stories and innovative ideas that wouldn’t otherwise cut above the noise of the mainstream media. It is in managing SpeakOut that I became acutely aware of the specific importance of women’s voices in student activism: the supplial of the whole story.
Throughout history, the male perspective has dominated the discourse. As observed by Thomas Carlyle, “the history of the world is but the biography of great men.” On historical issues as diverse as medieval battles, the UK miner strike, and – shockingly – the legality of abortions, the male voice is invariably the loudest. One would be hard pressed to find an area of history where the views and writings of women outnumbers those of men writing in the same field. In research presented by Slate online journal, it was found that ‘of 614 works of popular history from 80 houses’, 75.8% of them had male authors.
However, this patriarchal approach to history is ignoring the experiences and intelligence of fifty percent of the population. Women experience the same events and problems in different ways, and if any problem is to truly be tackled, it must be tackled with their perspective in mind. For example, women’s experience of the second world war certainly differed from the male experience, and to turn the attention towards women’s experience can only serve to illuminate forgotten and important aspects of human history. In order to understand the history of the human experience, we must understand it as the whole story, for a book with missing chapters is obviously incomplete.
It is too easy for women to be talked over or silenced in our society. We are interrupted, asked to calm down, and left out of important discussions. We are constantly reminded that our opinion is less important. Any attempts to speak louder are labelled ‘hysterical’, ‘unladylike’, or an overreaction. As observed by Michelle Obama, “the easiest way to disregard a woman’s voice is to package her as a scold.” Unfortunately, we are readily dismissed, but that does not make what we have to say any less important.
Much of student activism takes place online and on social media, where a single post has the potential to reach thousands of people and connect people across the globe. Brilliant campaigns such as Greta Thunberg’s ‘skolstrejk för klimatet’ and Emma Gonzalez’s advocacy for gun control have made international news headlines, with their high online presence allowing students everywhere to stand with these women in the fight for their respective causes at the click of a button. Whilst it is important that student activism penetrates past the social media bubble and into the real world, there is no denying that social media has allowed the rapid and powerful growth of many movements by providing a platform in which women can be heard.
Here, in the sphere of social media, women can complete whole sentences without being interrupted. Women can share what is most important to them, and women can take control of the narrative. Through student activism, women have the power to rise above the white noise of everyday conversation and have their voices heard, once again completing the story of any issue.
Women’s voices hold another important function in student activism: the empowerment of other women’s stories. By referring to the opinions of other women, sharing one another’s articles, or helping other women to enter the conversation, as student activists we are empowering the next generation of activists to strive for a more inclusive approach to social change. Some examples of how easily this can be achieved, here are some student activists that you could follow: Malala Yousafzai, Jaclyn Corin, Maryam and Nivaal Rehman, and Nadya Okamoto.
When the other founder of SpeakOut began planning the project, she invited me to become involved as a method of coping with my own personal experiences with sexual violence. What I didn’t realise at the time was the extent to which SpeakOut would allow me to grow, heal and develop; by meeting with other women in similar situations and challenging the stigma around discussions of sexual violence, I have been empowered to help other women in a way that many men cannot due to the fact that they have not experienced the extent to which the threat or occurrence of sexual violence prevails in a woman’s life. By inviting me to take part in student activism, the other founder of SpeakOut has offered me empowerment to bring my own voice and experiences into center-stage.
Of course, no talk of women’s student activism would be sufficient without acknowledging the women of colour that struggle to have their voices and opinions heard. Even when they are heard, they are often not truly listened to. Black, Indigenous, Women of Colour arguably have more to contribute than any other group of people to student activism due to their first-hand experiences of injustices and oppression. When faced with oppression in both race and gender, BIWoC have a lot to speak out about in ways that many white women will never experience. However, BIWoC are also the voices most commonly silenced.
When taking part in student activism as a white woman, it is crucial that your activism empowers BIWoC and opens the door for BIWoC to use their own voices to talk about their experiences, opinions and ideas. The constant battle to be heard is one that women of colour face daily and it is exhausting. It is important to use your privilege and your voice to amplify the voices of BIWoC.
It is particularly important to amplify the voices of Black women. In the climate of ‘Black Lives Matter’, it would be ignorant and wrong to not recognise the unique struggles that Black women face. As student activists, we women have a responsibility to be supportive and active allies, allowing Black women to share their stories, talents and ideas. Black women do not need white saviours, but they do need white allies to help them fight the systematic oppression that they are faced with.
Whilst I in no way mean to suggest that men do not play an important role in student activism, I hope that this article has emphasised that women have a unique and crucial role in student activism. We must speak up for ourselves and others, and women must be listened to if the whole story is ever to be told.
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