Feminist Action is about bringing an activist spirit back to our campus. We're interested in anti-oppression politics and doing rather than just saying.
While our activism is based on a radical, anti-racist, queer, grassroots lens, we do recognize the multiple interpretations of feminism and celebrate and support this diversity.
We also recognize that the history of the feminist movement in North America has been one that has excluded the voices and opinions of marginalized women. Thus we hope that our grassroots approach will allow us to dismantle structures of power from the bottom up, while being as fluid as possible.
Our aim is to work outside of societal systems in order to question what we consider ‘normal.’ It is through this activism that we hope to
blur traditional identity categories and structures of power in our fight for equity.
All are welcome: students, non-students, those in the WMST/SXST majors, and anyone with a natural interest or inclination towards feminism.
THE HISTORY
History-wise, Feminist Action has existed in collaboration with the Women’s Studies Department at York University for approximately six years.
Each year the club had a unique team of coordinators who all brought an amazing flavour of activism to York.
Our aim during the 2009/10 school year was to build a strong foundation that would support the activist goals of feminists from all perspectives. In that year, our ambition was to provide a young feminist voice both on and off campus while supporting the third wave of feminism (arguably the fourth?) within Canada.
During the 2010/11 school year, we aimed to strengthen our activist ties by creating and putting on events geared to make our political activism as accessible as possible. During that year, our intent was to really put forward the message that feminism could be found anywhere, from the streets and alleyways of our city to the nooks and crannies of our own homes.
During the 2011/12 school year, we working to reignite a passion for a fast, raw, guerilla flavor of activism at York. Feminist Action was a visible force- the writing on the walls, the chanting in the hallways. This year we solidified our presence and focused on radical art and movements that were simple, electric, and resonating.
Over those three years, the forms of activities that Feminist Action has created include a radical, guerilla-style feminist parade, a bi-weekly discussion forum series covering topics like ‘the sex-gender system in video games’ and ‘the normative power of porn', an interactive queering Disney and buttonmaking event, pro-sexuality bake sale offering baked goods in the likeness of human breasts and penises, and anti-street harassment postering campaign and the launch of York’s first ever feminist arts and cultural magazine. Incendies. (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Incendies/166659220053919)
For this upcoming year, we hope to continue the efforts set in motion during the 2011/12 year by actively working to break down problematic issues at York, and use our grassroots radical approach to feminist activism to address them. Anyone is capable of activism, anyone can be a part of change. All are welcome to join in! Students, non-students, those in the WMST/SXST majors, and anyone with a natural interest or inclination towards feminism.
Give us a shout through any of the paths below,
thefeministaction@gmail.com
Office: 206-T Founders College (Inside the Women’s Studies Department)
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/FeministActi0n
Yorku.ca Website: http://www.yorku.ca/feminist/
YU Connect: https://yorku.collegiatelink.net/organization/fa
Tumblr- http://feminist-action-at-yu.tumblr.com/
