#WomenWednesdays: Amy, Kimberlé and First Aid Kit

In celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8, Shayna Lewis, Program & Communications Manager, is taking a moment each Wednesday to share stories of an artist, activist, or our personal favorite: artist-activists that have had an impact working towards gender equality. 

Read on to learn about a few of Shayna’s feminist icons...

Amy Poehler

From founding Smart Girls at the Party, to celebrating Galentine’s Day as Leslie Knope to bringing feminism to the Golden Globes, Amy Poehler has long been a personal favorite. For me, it’s how her so many of her on and off screen relationships are built on supporting and encouraging her friends. We can all do a little more to empower one another and I love that Poehler does it while cracking me up.  From her book, Yes Please: 

“The only way we will survive is by being kind. The only way we can get by in this world is through the help we receive from others. No one can do it alone, no matter how great the machines are.”

Kimberlé Crenshaw

Getting a little academic, I’m adding Kimberlé Crenshaw to this list. Crenshaw is a professor at UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School specializing in race and gender issues, and is credited with coining the term “intersectionality.” Intersectionality is a framework that recognizes the multiple aspects of identity—e.g., gender, race, sexual identity, economic status—that result in privileges or compound and complicate oppressions and marginalizations. By working to recognize the specific spaces that we all live in, we can work together to empower all people. Crenshaw says:

"Women come from a whole range of backgrounds. If our visions of peace don’t include these differences, then our peace will be partial."

First Aid Kit

Sisters Kiara and Johanna Söderberg from the band First Aid Kit pulled me in with their music and they’re an easy addition to just about any playlist I’ve made in the past few years. Recently, however, I also realized that consistently support women’s rights and feminism, which made me even more stoked to support them. Johanna’s comment about wanting to see more female sound engineers and producers in the The Telegraph last year is definitely an interesting way to think about how women can change the music industry, and of course, I’ll always love ideas like Kiara’s: 

"I want to see the whole of society changing. But we can only do our part! A lot of other people from a lot of bigger places need to make changes too."

Have a feminist icon that you want to see featured in this series? We’re just cracking the surface and have so much more to share and want you all to share alike! Email slewis@callingallcrows.org with stories about individuals who inspire you take action for women’s rights and gender equality.