My Interview With Four Brilliant Feminist Leaders

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending the Othering & Belonging conference hosted by the Haas Institute at UC Berkeley, and I can say without exaggeration that its content was some of the best content I have ever consumed in any form. The conference was on the obstacle of "othering," the process through which we are conditioned in society to discriminate based on any kind of difference -- and how to strive toward "belonging," or inclusion, across all sorts of fields -- from philanthropy to public health.

I think I never knew what it meant to be in a "safe space" until I experienced what it felt like to be present here. To know that everyone in the room (about 2,000 people) were all striving, aching for utmost acceptance and uplifting of ALL persons regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, etc. was freeing in a way I cannot articulate. I wore things I wouldn't wear elsewhere, I said things I wouldn't say elsewhere, and I felt so fully empowered to speak my mind. I am eager to share some of that spirit with you all.

I attended a breakout session called "Building a Transformational Women's Movement: Feminism at a Crossroads" where four feminist activists shared their vision and wisdom on how to forge a powerful women's movement for our time, as well as how to be kind and loving toward ourselves and others. Their words blew me away, and after the conference, I had the opportunity to interview each of them. Please check out my piece to learn from the beauty and brilliance of Malika Redmond, Vanessa Daniel, Kathleen Gutierrez, and Kim Tran.
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