I’ve never really thought about what it
means to be a woman. I’ve always defined
myself by my likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, hopes and dreams. More recently I have realized how privileged
I’ve been. I’ve never had to think about
my strengths and accomplishments as strengths and accomplishments in spite of
my womanhood. Growing up both of my
parents raised and encouraged me to be a strong and independent person,
period. I was always pushed to achieve my
greatest potential in school, sports, and life in general. I was surrounded by love, encouragement, and
room to make mistakes and learn from them.
Unfortunately this is not the reality for
most women. Many times we are told that
we “can’t” because we are women. We’re
told we shouldn’t like this or we shouldn’t wear that simply because it’s not
what a woman should so. Girls stop
participating in sports at such young ages these days because they feel like
they aren’t good enough. There are so
many campaigns shaming literally EVERY body type which in turn is just shaming
being a woman in general, but no one actually realizes that. There are millions of girls around the world
who don’t get to go to school, who don’t get to read and write or know the vast
opportunities the world holds for them.
They don’t get to hope or dream for more.
I was lucky enough to have a family full of
men and women who have supported my hopes and dreams. However I was also surrounded by a part of society
that silenced feminist voices and was surrounded by the words feminism and feminist
used as negative terms or not even used at all.
This was so subconsciously engrained in me that I would have thoughts
and opinions that were clearly feminist in definition but would tell people
that I wasn’t a feminist and refused to use that as a defining term. Feminists were looked at as radicals,
man-haters, extreme liberals, etc. In reality a
feminist is someone who believes that women and men should have equal rights and
opportunities. Clearly there is a whole
other conversation to be had about this topic but my point is that there are
radical sides to every belief and those should not be used as definition.
Now, I would proudly say that I am indeed a
feminist. I want to see the young girls
throughout the world to grow up and define themselves not by their sex or
gender but by who they are as a person, because that is what women are, PEOPLE! I want them to be strong and confident,
lifted up by others and lifting each other up.
Two weeks ago I spent four days in the forest hiking the Congo Nile Divide Trail with four incredible women. According to our guide, we were the first all women group to do that particular hike. Together the four of us showed the men guiding us that we indeed were strong women women capable of anything. It was full of ups and downs physically and mentally but such an amazing trip being able to disconnect, see a new part of Rwanda and spend time with great people.
On Saturday I was so lucky to be a part of an
amazing event here in Rwanda. Three
incredible Peace Corps Volunteers organized the “Let Girls Ride” event in celebration
of International Women’s Day. Peace
Corps Volunteers, members of The Women’s Bakery, and the Professional Women
riders from the Rwandan Bike team road 70 km from Byumba to Kigali making stops
along the way to teach about gender equality and the importance/\ and benefits
of women riding bikes. Here in Rwanda it
is extremely uncommon to see a woman riding a bike. It’s traditionally thought that women shouldn’t
ride bikes for reasons such as the belief that it means they are no longer a
virgin. In general it is uncommon for
women to want to participate in sports. Gender stereotypes are very strongly
engrained in society and are slowly being broken down. With our group of mainly women we were able
to be examples to the women and men lining the street as we rode by that “Abakobwa
Barashoboye” Girls Can!
Everyone who participated and attended the
lessons have their own take away. What I
realized is, this is what I do every time I go on my run through my village, or
play soccer with the school kids, or even back when I’d surprise the guys in
the weight room with how much I could lift.
I’ve been lucky enough to exercise, participate in sports, and simply do
the things I love with nothing but support from my friends and family. I truly believe that that is what has shaped
me into the person I am today, still growing but hardworking, driven, and
always striving for more. I plan to
take the momentum gained from this amazing event and continue to show girls
here in Rwanda, back in America, or wherever they may be, that they CAN.
I’m constantly inspired by women all over
the world. I am thankful for the
opportunity to empower women. I am proud to be a woman.