Feminist February: Feminist Activism

Feminist activism has been the key to women gaining social, economic and political rights. The path to gaining these rights has taken strength, fearless dedication and commitment by women, for women. However, this activism can come at a cost for many women as they experience pushback and backlash from gains made for gender equality. In this seminar we will hear from international speakers to look at feminist activism happening across the globe and to talk about the journey of feminist activism that lies ahead of us.

Guest speakers include:

• Marta Lempart is a Polish social and political activist, initiator, and one of the leaders of the National Women's Strike which demands women's right to abortion. Marta is also president of the Polish Women's Strike Foundation and co-organizer of the black protest (2016) and one of the leaders of protests against the tightening of abortion laws in Poland (2020). 
• Nayuka Gorrie is a Gunai/Kurnai, Gunditjmara, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta freelance and comedy television writer. Their writing centres on black, feminist and queer politics. They co-wrote and performed in the third and fourth seasons of Black Comedy and provided additional writing on the second season of Get Krack!n. More recently, Nayuka was a writer for the sbs/Matchbox series, The Heights (season 2) and the NITV children’s series, Thalu. Nayuka’s writing can be found in The Guardian, Saturday Paper, Vice, Junkee, Archer Magazine, The Lifted Brow and NITV among others. Nayuka contributed to the anthologies Growing Up Queer in Australia and Animals Make Us Humans and is currently writing a book of essays as a recipient of The Wheeler Centre's Next Chapter initiative to support their writing.
  
• Sharan Burrow is the General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, representing 200 million workers in 163 countries and territories with 332 national affiliates. Previously President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) from 2000 – 2010, Sharan is a passionate advocate and campaigner for social justice, women’s rights, the environment and labour law reforms, and has led union negotiations on major economic reforms and labour rights campaigns in her home country of Australia and globally.