Feminists We Love: Marissa Alexander

By Aishah Shahidah Simmons and Alisa Bierria

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Today is the first day of Standing Our Ground Week of Action (July 25 – August 1, 2014) in Jacksonville, FL and everywhere in support of Marissa Alexander’s case. The Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign is a coalition of organizations and activists that has been mobilizing people in Jacksonville, across the US and around the globe to support the call for Marissa’s freedom.

Less than two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to break bread and talk with my sister and comrade Alisa Bierria, a Free Marissa Now member based in the Bay Area, about what Marissa Alexander’s case means for feminist social movements and the current push for grassroots support for her freedom during the week of action.

Since Ms. Alexander is under house arrest, I asked Alisa if she would partner with me on a Feminists We Love feature on Marissa Alexander. Ms. Alexander’s current struggle for freedom exemplifies many aspects of The Feminist Wire’s mission and vision. We are in unwavering solidarity with the movement to free her. If you aren’t aware of Ms. Alexander’s case or if you don’t have a full grasp of what’s at stake for Ms. Alexander, and by extension all women who are or will be in similar situations in the future; we hope that after reading this conversation you will be called to action.

Continue reading “Feminists We Love: Marissa Alexander”

STOP billions of attacks on Women: Campaign against Gender Violence

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November

“Millions of women and girls around the world are assaulted, beaten, raped, mutilated or even murdered in what constitutes appalling violations of their human rights. […] We must fundamentally challenge the culture of discrimination that allows violence to continue. On this International Day, I call on all governments to make good on their pledges to end all forms of violence against women and girls in all parts of the world, and I urge all people to support this important goal.” Ban Ki-moon.

Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. In some countries, up to 7 in 10 women will be beaten, raped, abused or mutilated in their lifetimes. To raise awareness and trigger action to end this global phenomenon, International


Join the One Billion Rising campaign to end violence against women
Eve Ensler is urging us all to take part in a global day of action next Vlentine’s Day. People from 161 countries already have. Let’s join them
It is perhaps no surprise that it took an American and an unusually global one at that, to come up with this scheme. Eve Ensler, a writer and activist who founded a movement with a play about the vagina and launched V-Day, an international day of action to end violence against women, is aiming big. She wants to mark the day’s 15th anniversary in 2013 with a far larger project to get a billion of us to leave our homes, our workplaces, whatever we are doing, and dance. Women aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car accidents, war and malaria.

Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November), and the ensuing 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence are commemorated every year around the world. Continue reading “STOP billions of attacks on Women: Campaign against Gender Violence”

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