Party for Socialism and Liberation - Chicago
Template:TOCnestleft Party for Socialism and Liberation - Chicago is affiliated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Cadre
The Party for Socialism and Liberation - Chicago, June 25, 2016.
With Katherine Cavanaugh, Stefanie Fisher, Jim Santoyo, Ciju Francis, Thomas Jaeger and Andrew Fink.
“Smash the Patriarchy”
On March 10 2018, the Chicago branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation hosted a forum entitled “Smash the Patriarchy” to celebrate International Women’s Day. The forum involved several speakers from the PSL and allies in the struggle who talked about their own experiences of sexist and queer-antagonistic oppression, the historical accomplishments of the the struggle, and showcased their revolutionary optimism in the face of misogyny. The forum was chaired by Ana Santoyo and Samantha Jacobs.
First to speak was Stefanie Fisher, of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, who tied the oppression of women and LGBTQ people with humanity’s shift to a class society from a primitive communal matriarchal society.
Stefanie also highlighted that women have been leaders in every social justice movement throughout history. “Women and LGBTQ people will be not just be the heart, but the brains and the muscle of the revolution,” she said to an outbreak of applause from the attendees. “In order to solve the many problems we face, we need socialism … Capitalism needs to be killed, and women, all women, we are going to kill it.”
Next up was Party for Socialism and Liberation member Sarah Bradham who spoke about women and the struggle against imperialism. She encouraged the audience to “always remember the international struggle of women.” Imperialism depends on racism and sexism to divide people and make them easier to conquer and control. Patriarchy is an effective tool for imperialists, as demonstrated by the fact that 20th century imperialism in Latin America relied heavily on attacking the rights of women and LGBTQ people.
Nerissa Allegretti, Midwest Coordinator of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, spoke out against the sexism of the Duterte government, noting that Duterte himself instructed military officials to shoot revolutionary women in the vagina so that they could never reproduce, and that officers could rape revolutionary women three times without facing consequences. After Narissa spoke, those in attendance chanted “What do we want? U.S. out of the Philippines! When do we want it? Now!”
Lashawn Yvonne Littrice from Black Lives Matter Women of Faith, spoke to the historical connection between celebrating International Women’s Day and fighting against an unjust system. International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to remember and act upon the multinational struggle against capitalism and imperialism, which are propped up by racism, sexism, homophobia, and trans-antagonism.
The next panel included Dana Null and Vex Humana who spoke about the trans experience, and the history of trans people fighting on the front lines of liberation struggles the world over. Dana talked about the “trans spectrum,” noting that the term could refer to trans, non-binary, gender-queer, and gender-non-conforming people.[1]
References
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- ↑ [ https://www.liberationnews.org/chicago-psl-celebrates-international-womens-day-with-forum/?utm_source=one_signal&utm_medium=desktop_alert&utm_campaign=liberationnews Liberation, Chicago forum celebrates International Women’s Day By Caleb BrombergMar 18, 2018]