IT'S HERE: OUR FIRST FEMINIST ZINE
We are thrilled to announce the inaugural issue of our FEMINIST Zine, available now for download!
We set out to celebrate and interrogate what it means to be an intersectional feminist today by reaching out to our global FEMINIST network, commissioning our collective of authors to explore the concept. We also issued an open call to our extended digital community, posing the question: “What does being a feminist mean to you?”
The inaugural issue is guest edited by Marley Dias, the creator of #1000BlackGirlBooks. “A feminist movement thrives through true intersectional engagement. This means recognizing the ways capitalism and white supremacy have harmed the movement both in past and present contexts. It can be difficult, and readers might feel uncomfortable or defensive flipping through, but those feelings allow us an opportunity to rethink our ideas,” Dias says regarding the zine’s impact. “So ultimately, it was vital that we showcased a complex, manifold set of perspectives.”
With more than 53 contributors and community submissions, this publication is an ode to the multifaceted nature of the feminist movement. Zines have long incited social change and inspired innovation. The DIY, community-based nature of a zine made it the perfect medium to bring together voices along the vast and complex spectrum of intersectional feminism. Inspired by the work of Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw and the Combahee River Collective, FEMINIST’s community responded to our prompt with a diverse range of interpretations, proving that feminism is far from a single-issue struggle.
Edited by FEMINIST co-founders Aisha Becker-Burrowes, Blair Imani, and Ky Polanco, our zine highlights some of today’s leading voices on issues like racial justice, trans rights, mental health, climate justice, reproductive justice, and indigenous sovereignty. You’ll find contributions from activists like guest editor Marley Dias, Amanda Gorman, Elle Moxley, Tarana Burke, Schuyler Bailar, and Adwoa Aboah, to name just a few. We conducted conversations with Loretta J. Ross and Dázon Dixon Diallo, Heather Booth, and others while FEMINIST’s art curator Amanda Bjorn compiled photography, illustrations, and more to inspire connection through visuals.
We at FEMINIST believe that uplifting one another across movements is necessary for working toward collective liberation. The pieces included in the zine powerfully document the ways our movement must be intersectional, intergenerational, and international. Beyond simply documenting this moment in feminist history, our hope is for this publication to inspire our community to take action for the future. Included in the zine are reading lists and toolkits to take what you learn beyond these pages and out into the world.
The zine is downloadable as a PDF for you to print and assemble at home– join our movement by signing up for the link!
This was made possible by WeTransfer.
Amanda Bjorn is the Art Curator of the FEMINIST ZINE. You can read her call to the global feminist art community from the zine here.
Aisha Becker-Burrowes discusses reclaiming feminism in the FEMINIST ZINE. Behind the scenes Aisha is a co-founder at FEMINIST and heads social impact. In the zine you will discover interviews with Aisha and other leading social justice feminists making change!
Ky Polanco is the founder and Head of Brand & Vision at FEMINIST. Alongside a diverse group of creatives, she creative directed and edited the FEMINIST ZINE. You can learn more about the zine team and the contributors here.
As a co-founder and Head of Education at FEMINIST, Blair Imani collaborated with the zine team to build the most intersectional and internationally representative zine. You can discover action items in the tool kit design by Blair Imani or learn about up and coming musician Leo Kalyan in her interview with them.
The FEMINIST ZINE was brought to you by a diverse team of editors and creatives. The contributing editor team, Az Franco and Alex Kasel collaborated on the selection of the 53 artists & changemakers who are featured in the zine. Beyond art, you will find a collection of thought provoking essays and poems that were copy edited by Tamara Santibañez.
