news // no. 4

International Women's Day

» Women’s rights then, now, and how we move forward

Tania Arora
Staff Reporter

 

[rermations! Women’s Day has
its roots in the 1908 garment
workers’ strike in New York,
prompting the Socialist Party

of America to begin celebrating
February 28 as National Women’s
Day the following year. In 1975,

in the wake of then-ongoing
International Women’s Year, the
United Nations (UN) designated
March 8 as International
Women’s Day.

The day is meant to celebrate
the achievements of women in
various fields such as economic,
social, political, and cultural.

The theme for 2019 as decided

by the UN, “Think equal, build
smart, innovate for change,”
focuses on empowering women.
Internationally, purple was
decided as the colour of the day
to symbolize women. However, a
combination of purple, green, and
white has been used historically.

Canada’s theme this year
is #InnovateForChange. It is
meant to call out to the world and
encourage everyone to create a
more equal global society. This
can be done by maximizing the
potential power of technology
with the removal of barriers that

Douglas

women currently face in areas of
science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM).

Under the campaign, the
Government of Canada stated
on the Status of Women Canada
website, “In Canada, only a third
of graduates in STEM are women,
a difference that’s magnified in
fields such as engineering and
computer science. Meanwhile,
Canada and other countries face
major job shortages in many
STEM fields. When women are
held back from filling high-
quality jobs like these, Canada’s
economy is also held back.
Increasing the number of women
in STEM isa simple, direct and
effective way to fuel change that
improves the lives of people
across Canada.”

Women Students’
Representative for the DSU
Aahelee Bandyopadhyay, hailing
from the Kolkata, shared with the
Other Press her experience so far
as a feminist.

“Being an international
student in Canada comes with
perks and a lot of hardships,” said
Bandyopadhyay. “Conquering
the challenges determine|s]
one’s ability to thrive in a foreign
nation.”

While many governments
across the globe have taken steps

 
 

c¢ When it comes
to feminism, this
ideology can be
embraced by
anyone regardless
of one’s gender.”

— Aahelee Bandyopadhyay,
Women Students’
Representative for the DSU

Freedom to Read Week

=

 

Illustration by Cara Seccafien

A

» Week-long event reifies the importance of intellectual rights

Naomi Ambrose
Staff Writer

to promote the participation of
women at various levels, there is
still work to be done in achieving
global equality. A lot of women’s
struggles are still hidden within
domestic and private spheres.

Bandyopadhyay said, “The
one word that scares people
around me the most is ‘feminist’
and I [am] an outspoken
feminist. I have been living in
Vancouver for two years and
a few months and my journey
hasn't been a smooth one. As an
average individual would face, I
faced thick and thin situations
throughout these two long years.
Being a student of Sociology
and Anthropology, I was always
inclined towards being a feminist
and unconsciously I was one,
but now I can say out loud and
proud that I am proud to bea
woman and my unique sense of
womanhood defines me.”

Society has come a long way
in recognizing women’s abilities
and achievements. However,
the hard truth still exists that in
many places there is still rampant
gender-based inequality.

“There were situations
in Vancouver when I faced
a lot of criticisms for being
outspoken and a loud feminist
and consequently discouraging
my field researches which are

College Library celebrates

.
:

—

 

   
    

theotherpress.ca

mostly based on [a] feminist
agenda (sex workers of DTES,
unpaid household labour, the
gender wage gap, [et cetera]). One
thing I would love to say to all

the students who are reading my
story—never back down. Never be
afraid to express your emotions;
that’s how you express yourself to
the world,” said Bandyopadhyay.

It certainly feels as though
society has seen a rise in the
number of campaigns and
movements involving women that
have inspired the world. Gone are
the days when a woman could be
“tamed,” expected to stay indoors,
and not treated equally. Women
today are better equipped with
the knowledge, resources, and
international support to demand
equality for themselves.

On being asked what
message Bandyopadhyay would
like to share with Other Press
readers, she said, “Do not lose
hope in yourself and try to bea
little bit more confident about
who are and what defines who
with every passing day. When it
comes to feminism, this ideology
can be embraced by anyone
regardless of one’s gender. As the
famous literary critic and feminist
bell hooks [said], ‘Feminism is for

oe

everyone.

Douglas_Library

Photos via
io. on Twitter

 

uring the week of February 24

to March 2, the yearly Freedom
to Read Week event was held
throughout Canada.

This annual event “encourages
Canadians to think about and
reaffirm their commitment to
intellectual freedom,’ according to
the Freedom to Read website.

The website also stated that
Freedom to Read Week is connected
to the Book and Periodical
Council (BPC). The council
oversees Canadian associations
that are involved, either directly
or through their members, with
writing, publishing, promoting,
circulating, reading, and every other
aspect related to producing and
consuming written works.

This year’s event marks 35 years

since the launch of Freedom to
Read Week.

The Freedom to Read website
also suggested a variety of ways
that Canadians could get involved.
The website encouraged members
of the community to participate
in the event through activities like
starting a banned-book club and
sharing their experiences with
banned books in their school
or community libraries. Other
suggestions included encouraging
participants to create quizzes and
trivia questions based on challenged
books and instances in history when
the freedom to consume literature
has been limited

Douglas College Library
participated in the event. According
a news release on the library’s
website, the library display shelves
featured banned books as well as
books that have challenged the

status quo.

Some of the featured books
included Harper Lee’s To Kill a
Mockingbird, William Golding’s
Lord of the Flies, Suzanne Collins’
The Hunger Games, and Rebecca
Skloot’s The Immortal Life of
Henrietta Lacks . People who
borrowed the controversial books
were encouraged to have their
photos snapped. The photos were
then posted on the library’s Twitter
page.

While sharing her thoughts
about Freedom to Read Week,
Alexandra Dobre, Douglas College's
Outreach and Engagement
Librarian, explained the importance
of the library’s participation in the
event.

“In this day and age,
particularly with challenges to
correct information and freedom of
the press, it is critical that Douglas

College students advocate for
their freedom to read whatever
they choose, and not be dictated
by government or institutional
or educational policies as to what
they can,” said Dobre in an email
interview with the Other Press.
Dobre also stated, “Books
in Canada get challenged and
banned regularly and libraries
and schools get asked to remove
such books from their collections
[...] Freedom to read is linked to
academic freedom which is one
of the purposes of a well-rounded
education and great citizenship.”
When asked whether events
like Freedom to Read are enough to
encourage people to exercise their
right to read banned books, Dobre
said, “I think events like Freedom
to Read week certainly bring
awareness and remind students of
their right to intellectual freedom.”