How do all the identities you wear affect your activism? — Assembly

Young women around the world explain how the identities they wear affect their activism.

In Assembly’s “Around the world” series, girls sound off on the topics that matter to them, from the companies they’re dreaming up to the issues they wished more leaders talked about.

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“Intersectionality is such a vital framework for understanding systems of power because ‘woman’ is not a catch-all category that alone defines all of our relationships to power. We must acknowledge that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression and we must consider everything and anything that can marginalise people. For example, as a young Muslim woman from the Hausa tribe, I find myself among the few youths from my community who were able to acquire a master’s degree. This motivates me to help other girls in my tribe and teach them the importance of education and the effects of child marriage.”

— Maryam, 22, Cameroon

“Growing up in a country that has not taken any significant action to protect the rights of women, I quickly became familiar with the fact that voicing our opinions was close to impossible. Because of these experiences with gender inequality, I have become deeply invested in learning and breaking the mechanized stereotypes about women and menstruation taboos.”

— Aadhya, 16, Nepal

"Where I live, everyone is Colombian, as are their parents, grandparents and any relative you can probably find. When you're not fully from here, that is the identifier you will have for the rest of your life. In my personal experience — when your heritage is Colombian, Lebanese, Basque and Italian — you become an intriguing outsider even though you've never lived anywhere else. I went into journalism hoping to share the stories in my city that others never take into account, wanting to show that people are more than that one trait. Most importantly, to remind them that they should take Colombians like me into account when talking about my country even if I'm a foreign-looking girl with a weird surname. People should not be ignored just because they deviate from the norm."

— Ana, 16, Colombia

“My personal intersectionality affects my activism because I am a young woman with a disability so everywhere I go, I fight for equity as I understand the impacts that inequity can have on someone. As a Canadian female, I know I occupy a space of privilege wherever I go. I continue to be an ally for communities that I am not a part of and participate in educational opportunities to expand my allyship whenever I can.”

— Olivia, 20, Canada