Beyond Surface Level Celebrations

Let us also break our own bias, which creates compassion for self and empathy for others

As a woman who is yet to hit my forties, I can undoubtedly say there is a shift in the narrative of women, by women. History most certainly leaves clues, however, it is heavily biased as it is ‘his’ story and very rarely ‘hers,’ and then not only do we learn the struggles and the triumphs from the gender gaze, but we also hear it from a race gaze. The complexities are vast.

So, when it is time to celebrate International Women’s Day in 2022 with themes of ‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’ and ‘break the bias,’ we need to get courageous about the colloquy and go deeper than surface-level celebrations and conversations.
 

For decades, and possibly even longer as history may have omitted this, women have fought to be in leadership positions with the view of contributing and making decisions where it positively impacts society and humanity. Research and “herstory” has shown that having women-led families, communities, businesses, and countries have profound impacts on the progress of their environment, and the people in it. We need more of this.

Most traditional and indigenous cultures have and continue to live by the notion of taking a village to not just raise a child but to make progress. This anecdote is needed to progress the role women play in creating a sustainable world and reversing some of the damage already done. This will require allies never known before, and to find these allies would require difficult and uncomfortable conversations.

It is pretty difficult to say goodbye to something we haven’t said hello to, and so to break ‘bias’ we would need to know our individual biases regardless of where we sit on the gender spectrum. To look at these biases, not of others but of ourselves, will require us to review and deconstruct our belief systems. The task seems daunting, and it can be, to begin with, but it gets easier as we realize why we believe something to be true, despite never having experienced it ourselves. Or, that realization that we inherited a bias because our culture ‘said so.’ This self-inquiry is not to be littered with blame but compassion, to understand the makings of who you are, and how that version of you shows up to the world, especially around the contribution of men, women, and non-binary alike. 

The reason why this inquiry is difficult is that it challenges the very fabric of our existence. If that little boy from Germany, USA, Australia or anywhere else in the world was taught through action and affirmation while growing up that he ruled the world and could dominate others as part of his birthright, there is every possibility he has built his foundation and life on this premise – so when this seeming (but not) innate bias is challenged, he will either crumble (flight) or fight. The shift we are all experiencing suggests there is a middle ground of ‘acknowledgment’ that will allow us to know what was, what is and what needs to happen to create an equal world.

The second conversation we must have is around ‘sustainability,’ as it is incredibly negligent of us to fight for a cause such as ‘climate change’ without acknowledging the unsustainability of human life across the globe. The traumas experienced in human history that is still yet to be resolved and entering a forever recycling cycle requires a courageous village and global leadership team to look at cleaning our trauma to create a more sustainable planet.

Yes, let us celebrate the contribution of women and to do this daily will give the momentum for change. Let us also break our own bias, which creates compassion for self and empathy for others. 

Yemi Penn is an author, documentary producer, speaker, engineer, and all-around fearless thought leader on creating your own memo. A serial entrepreneur with businesses in Sydney, London, and the U.S., Yemi is working tirelessly to raise the vibration of acknowledging and healing our individual, and therefore, our collective trauma. Yemi instigates us all to use our trauma as a catalyst for transformation and growth.  Visit www.yemipenn.com Connect Yemi Penn