Oh, You’re A Feminist? Name All Women.
My Dearest Reader,
On January 10th, 2021 I began publishing a weekly newsletter every Sunday in an attempt to share stories of women to inspire and perhaps build a community. Today, I have decided to expand my platform to Medium to build on that intention.
Who are you and why should we care? In my first post on January 10th, I explained my intention behind this *venture*:
One sunny day, 9 years ago, I was heading to lunch with a recently heart-broken friend. On the way, he cited a poem by Ferdowsi, saying all evil in the world stems from women (and dragons), and a world cleansed of them both is a better world …
I found that he thought it’s “great” that “women can be successful” but that he firmly believes “women haven’t contributed much to society compared to men”.
He then turned to me and said, “you’re a feminist right? Name a few women,” and before I had the chance to respond, he added “and don’t say Marie Curie.” (Continue Reading on SubStack)
TL, DR; I had no answer, and nine years later I realized it was because of a lack of exposure to prominent female figures in my general schooling. So I decided to collect and recount the stories of women both for my own knowledge and potentially for yours.
Since then, I have written about many women:
- Agnodice: The first female physician and midwife in Ancient Athens.
- Kurmanjan Datka: The Queen of the South; Mother of the Kyrgyz Nation.
- Annie Jump Cannon: A badass astronomer.
- Sybil Ludington: Unsung Heroine of the American Revolution.
- Émilie du Châtelet: Mathematician, Physicist, Natural Philosopher, Marquise
- Dr. James Barry: Military Surgeon.
- Constance Kopp: America’s First Female Sheriff.
- Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị: Symbols of Vietnamese Freedom.
- Fatima al-Fihri: Founder of The World’s Oldest University.
With the start of Spring, however, I took a moment to acknowledge something a familiarity and vulnerability that was missing in my stories.
I have shared the stories of some incredible women and I am more knowledgeable and therefore a better representative of the feminist movement. I felt inspired by, and to be completely honest a little jealous of, their willpower and strength. I imagined what I would have done if I were in their position. I revisited my own sense of purpose having read about theirs. But what I shared with you was at best a SparkNotes equivalent of their Wikipedia page. (Continue on SubStack)
So, I chose to make a change. And with that, I will end this necessary, albeit boring, summary of my intention and invite you to join me on this journey. I can’t say that I have a plan, but I do know that every week I will come to you with a story that I hope you will enjoy.
I look forward to embarking on this journey with you.
Sheyxpeare
