Intersectional Talks with Mira and Judith from Feminists Against Ableism

Because our regular dinners can’t take place at the moment due to COVID-19, we are organising our first Intersectional Talks via online platform Zoom. We are very glad that our honorary guests for this kick-off Zoom event will be Mira Thompson and Judith de Hont, members of the collective: Feminist Against Ableism.

Feminists Against Ableism, FAA, is a collective of disabled feminists. They fight against ableism, saneism, and audism. The collective proudly claims its rightful place in activist spaces.

Mira Thompson: ‘My name is Mira Thompson. I'm a singer, anti-ableist activist, feminist and interested in literature, music and politics. My aim is to find a way to use performance as a form of protest.’

Judith de Hont: ‘28, currently in isolation with a dear friend and partner in Friesland. I like to see myself as a storyteller and an active listener. I enjoy looking for ways to connect with people and I find it very important to always be on the lookout for those stories that aren’t being told. So, I guess it’s not a surprise I write for a living (and I manage social media accounts, ‘cause, well, one needs to eat ;)) The disabilities that are most prominent in my life are my hypermobility spectrum disorder which gives me chronic pains and my generalized anxiety disorder. I’ve just recently been diagnosed with ADD as well, but I’m not sure I want to label that as a disability yet, so I’ll just label that as being neurodivergent.’

At Wonda Women we are always trying to become more inclusive and we recognize that a great majority of the feminist and activist movement is enabled and not intersectional enough. 

During our Intersectional Talks we would like to create a safer space for disabled and/or chronically ill womxn to talk freely about how they are feeling in the current situation and to give us all the opportunity to practice some self-care. This is also YOUR opportunity to ask our guests some questions: What do YOU want us/them to talk about?

The COVID-19 crisis also shows a lot of ableism, which can be seen for example in the smooth way that our society is adapting to this new situation. Working online from home has become suddenly possible, free-access initiatives are popping up everywhere, and these are just a few of the things that could have been implemented long ago, and never did, despite the efforts of disability rights activists.

While our Zoom Talk won’t necessarily focus on this issue, we would like to give participants the opportunity to share within a safer space what is on their minds and how they are coping with the current situation. All womxn are welcome to join the event, but we especially encourage disabled and/or chronically ill womxn to participate. 

What can you expect? We will get together in an informal setting. This means that there is room to talk about for example the ableism that the COVID-19 crisis has caused, but there will also be a lot of room to share personal experiences and have informal conversations.

Do you have to be familiar with the topics? No, you don’t! The most important thing to remember is that our events are a safer space and that we are respectful towards each other.

Accessibility: The meeting will be held online on the platform Zoom. This event will be in English. It will be free of charge, please let us know what you need to participate in this videoconference.

Please reserve your digital spot by registering for the event on our website. You will receive a link via email to join the Zoom meeting.

Hope to meet you online during our online Intersectional Talks!

Photo credits: Johanneke Kessler (photo of Mira) and Tessa Wiegerinck (photo of Judith)