INTRODUCTION
by FEMINIST co-founders and FEMINIST Zine co-editors Aisha Becker-Burrowes, Blair Imani and Ky Polanco
Read the Introduction in the FEMINIST ZINE
What does being a Feminist mean to you?
For a richer, deeper understanding of intersectional feminism, we looked to our global network to pose the critical question: What does it mean to be an intersectional feminist today?
Feminism has had a long storied history with many iterations and forebearers of this movement. It is infinite, malleable, at times unruly, subverts power and control. It is subject to interpretation and debate. It forges a path of its own. Therefore, it is always political. But as we evolve, so too does feminism. This zine sought to make sense of what feminism means within the context of today’s climate.
Bringing together contributions from global feminists to highlight some of the most pressing political issues today and into the future, each contributor set out to reflect and define feminism for themselves instead of attempting to create a singular definition. This collectivist approach to feminism is critical to the work. Our network spans the world over, connecting activists and poets, muralists and photojournalists, creators, academics, documentarians, and so much more. In this zine, feminist voices come together to elevate one another, serve as a guide, inspire action, spark discourse and awaken introspection.
In addition to our existing network of contributing authors, FEMINIST issued an open call to you, our community. You responded by telling us what being a feminist means to you, in all its nuance, vibrance, intersectionality, and potential. The voices in this publication speak powerfully to the vast spectrum of feminist issues, including topics such as racial justice, trans rights, safety, mental health, bodily autonomy, climate justice, reproductive justice, indigenous sovereignty, body acceptance and more. All of these things are connected with a throughline of intersectionality, a term and framework coined by Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. Building on the work of the Combahee River Collective, intersectionality describes our overlapping identities along with our context and the ways that systems of oppression either harm or benefit us accordingly.
Within these pages, you’ll find photography, essays, poetry, illustrations, and many other creative contributions from our digital community and collective. We are honored to bring together some of the most dynamic and important voices of this moment, and to encourage feminists to commit to making our movement intentional, intersectional, and international. Feminism is not a single-issue movement. The pieces included here show just how important it is for feminism to actualize that commitment.
We chose the format of a zine to honor the long tradition of making radical information widely accessible, producing a zine you can download and print to assemble your very own DIY physical copy. From the invention of the printing press, to community-created resources like the Black Panther Community News Service, to photocopied punk rock pamphlets, zines have taught us essential ideas and skills, connected us over shared values, incited and archived social movements. The do-it-yourself nature of a zine made it the perfect vehicle for our collective of global feminists to exchange ideas, disseminate valuable information, and inspire one another both within these pages and beyond. We hope you print it, photocopy it, collage it, pin it on your walls, leave it in a bathroom at a party, and give it to your friends!
In keeping with the history of zines and the spirit of social movements, FEMINIST’s goal is to inspire you to take what you see here out into the world and to put it into action. Our contributors offer their wisdom on how to create change and confront oppression— on your own terms, in your community, and for the world at large. Here, the community’s voices join each other towards a vision of shared feminist struggle, one we can all build upon collectively. We hope this zine can be not only a celebration of the strength of the feminist movement today, but also an invitation to create its future, together.
With love from FEMINIST.
FEMINIST (@feminist)
Written and edited by FEMINIST co-founders and FEMINIST Zine co-editors Aisha Becker-Burrowes, Blair Imani Ali and Ky Polanco
