WOMEN'S STRIKE NYC
CALL TO ACTION
To all the compañeras from the periphery of the capitalist world; to those that have been forcibly displaced, are unhoused or threatened with eviction; to those that keep the cities of the north running, while purposefully cut off from public safety nets; to those whose labor is essential, yet whose lives are deemed disposable; to the millions of unemployed, precariously employed, working informally or clandestinely; to the colonized and those that “speak in tongues” (as Anzaldua would have it); to those imprisoned, persecuted or precluded from safely inhabiting public space or their own homes; to those serving in the back of the house and toiling behind closed doors; to those harvesting and processing other people’s food, caring for their families, and cleaning their homes; to those keeping themselves, their households and communities alive, against all odds. It is to you all, that this call to action is addressed.
The pandemic and its manyfold consequences have made us increasingly aware of everyday life as a terrain for community building and collective struggle. Today, the irreducibly political character of the local and the proximate has become again apparent, while their future form continues to be disputed.
The current crisis hit the world after years of technocratically-led enclosures. The neoliberal erosion of the social fabric and the infrastructure needed to sustain life in common has been acutely felt. This has been especially the case for women and feminized bodies since we are the ones that still perform most of the paid and unpaid care work that makes all other work possible.
Already by 2020, the feminist movement had been showing a strength and geographical span not seen in decades.The current crisis represented an unprecedented challenge that demanded us to both reclaim and innovate repertoires of struggle embedded in the everyday. In the face of the state´s neglect, we built communities of care from the ground up, from soup kitchens, solidarity funds, time banks, free stores, childcare coops, and beyond. Furthermore, we had to explore novel forms of coming together; organizing locally and translocally; and envisioning a future in common.
These have not been the only challenges to the growth of a widespread grassroots movement. In a manner similar to the enclosures of the neoliberal era, the ability to define the language, means and horizon of the movement have been increasingly monopolized by several brands of elite feminism. Their tempting invitation for a few women to break the glass ceiling hides their need for the mass of us to clean the shards behind them.
Local and self-managed responses cannot address the scale and systemic nature of the catastrophe on their own. Our current situation highlights the need for locally grounded movements to common-up for the fight. We need to share resources, draw common terrain and develop coordinated strategies to build a translocal feminist community to come.
As a first step in that direction, this March 8th we invite you to tap into the possibilities of emergent communication platforms with us. Together, we can thread a decentralized, non-hierarchical and translocal day of action that can serve as a stepping stone towards a feminist commons increasingly true to itself. Anti-capitalist feminists from every margin, let's build new bridges between our kitchens, warehouses, nurseries, maquilas, classrooms, processing plants, emergency rooms and harvesting fields. A new world is taking shape. The time to claim our rightful place in it is now.
How to connect to the Translocal 8M2021?
We are assembling a multi-hour online transmission that will include pre-recorded videos, as well as live streaming across a widespread geographical span. Our aim is to generate a sense of simultaneity, as if all of us were together on the streets. Join us live on Facebook and Youtube on Monday, March 8th at 12 pm ET / 9 am PT! Additionally, you can donate via Paypal here.
