Next in Our Fearless Together Series: Meet Anna
This email is part of a series where we deliver powerful stories of feminist activists, right to your inbox. Feminist movements are fearless, and so are the funders and supporters who stand with them in solidarity.
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For our final edition of Fearless Together, we want to introduce you to Anna. For years, Anna has worked to ensure women’s voices are included in peacebuilding efforts and advocated against the escalation of violence in her home country.
Research from UN Women shows that peace agreements that include women are 35% more likely to last at least 15 years compared to those without women's participation. Yet, women peacebuilders are often targeted with reprisals and marginalization.
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Because of her work to prevent armed conflict and build sustainable peace, Anna faced smear campaigns, intimidation, online threats, and more. Eventually, staying in her home country was no longer an option and Anna was forced into exile in search of safety. Being forced to leave your home country is a particularly acute kind of trauma––a rupture of identity, family bonds, and ancestral roots. Even in exile, Anna has been intimidated by state actors for speaking out at the United Nations and receives threats online.
“We had a lot of online threats. And now, it’s getting worse. In the past months, it’s been terrible, terrible, terrible –– not just for me, but for our group, our [network].”
When we spoke to her, Anna talked about the severe toll this backlash was exacting on her physically and emotionally––and how much collective care has allowed her to heal. At a gathering of activists from around the world, she had the chance to participate in a healing circle with other activists.
“Our friends from Guatemala led a collective therapy exercise and I never thought that they would be able to bring out very deep traumatic emotions from all of us. We really need this. Because we try to heal our communities, but we [must] also heal ourselves. And it’s beyond self-care. The power of the collective is very, very strong.”
It can be easy to forget that peace is not a passive state: it’s a precious thing that requires commitment and effort. And it can come at great cost to activists like Anna and her colleagues. But you can help share the load with feminist activists by being part of a powerful collective care response.
A donation to Urgent Action Fund supports the safety and security of women, trans, and non-binary people acting now for a more just and equitable world. We support activists who are at risk, under threat, and under-represented, and we provide funds to help them protect themselves and their communities as they challenge systems of oppression. Consider making a gift today.
Thank you for being part of our Fearless Together series and taking the time to listen to the powerful stories of feminist activists like Anna, Irina, Hana, Selma, and Diana. It has been an honor to share them with you.
In solidarity,
Urgent Action Fund
P.S. Looking for more specific strategies that movements can use to build collective power and care? Check out this resource that gives an in-depth look at collective care in practice. Thank you again.
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