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Feminist
Principles |
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The
Feminist Principle of Joy
and Celebration
The
feminist principle of joy and celebration enables us to reconnect with
our reasons for choosing equality-seeking work, and reclaim feminism as
our basis of unity. As feminists, we create opportunities to celebrate
the privilege of working and meeting in women-centred environments, and
derive joy from our feminist practices and processes. When we rejoice
in our work and celebrate who we are, we honour our feminist foremothers
and demonstrate in our commitment to peace, equality and justice.
Kay McPherson, former President of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, said: “Make every meeting a celebration, and every celebration a meeting.” She was reminding us, as women working for change, that the simple coming together of women for meetings or workshops is in itself cause for celebration. She was further telling us that our celebrations are also opportunities to network and to connect with women who work on these equality issues in other settings. Blending our celebrations with meetings, and creating opportunities to consult and strategize during these celebrations, keeps equality on the agenda at all times. In the feminist practice
of joy and celebration, we may not celebrate “success” in a
traditional sense by how many policies we changed, or the numbers of services
we delivered. Within equality-seeking organizations, our greatest successes
are often the smallest. For example, a woman who has empowered herself
to go to court and As feminists, we are
committed to examining the environment of our organizations and finding
ways to practice joy and celebration for the benefit of the women we work
for and with. For example, an environment that encourages humor and laughter
will feel more welcoming and enjoyable to staff, volunteers, students
and visitors, who in turn are likely to become more interested in contributing
to our organization. Likewise, the practice of sharing food at meetings
may foster feelings of comfort, security and nurturance. As women, we
have long been associated with kitchens and the traditional role of preparing
food in the family. Although these roles were often imposed on us, the
“women’s domain” of the kitchen sometimes served as a place
where women could gather and find their place of power within the family.
This familiar reminder in our work can help foster a comfortable environment
in which it feels easier to have meaningful yet challenging discussions. Within the feminist
practice of joy and celebration, we create opportunities to revisit our
feminist roots, and encourage newer members or younger women to connect
with our feminist history. Annual celebrations like International Women’s
Day, Women’s History Month and Take Back the Night are an integral
part of the women’s When we do not take
the time to rejoice in the work that we do, we risk creating an unhealthy
environment where members feel unappreciated and frustrated, and lose
the desire to stay involved with our organization. Within our larger vision
of equality and inclusion, sharing joy in our work is a healthy practice
that lends to a happy organization. When we add joy and fun to our agenda,
whether at a meeting, retreat, or conference, we create opportunities
to reclaim our feminist roots and ignite passion for our work.
source: PACSW pdf document (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
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return to Feminist Principles index page Page last updated July 20, 2003
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