Reflection - as we move forward with intention

On March 8th, my various apps and email inbox were alive with ‘pings’ and ‘buzzes’ and that familiar alert of ‘you’ve got mail!’ to wish me a ‘Happy International Women’s Day’, celebrating the value and importance that female voices bring to the table. But through all that celebration one message stood out to me more than most, a message from a friend who asked the very simple question - is the existence of International Women’s Day a necessity to let all voices take part in the conversation? It’s a question that stayed with me throughout the 24 hours of digital celebrations. Voices that have a right to be heard cannot be swept under the carpet and left there for dust balls to adorn and decorate. An optical homogeneous version of the world does not reflect the reality that it may lay claim to, the unnaturalness of it obvious to the naked eye. Embracing our new pixelated world when celebrating International Women’s Day allowed, one may argue, a much more dispersed and widespread celebration in 2021 than previous years. We were allowed to celebrate each others’ successes and weep with each other in a vast virtual landscape where many of us have made a home in recent months. Days later the high of the celebrations turned into the depths of shock when news emerged from the UK that the remains of Sarah Everard had been found by police. Her name and those of so many others are ones that cannot be forgotten. Celebrating womens’ voices is one thing but ensuring that those who have suffered receive substantial justification should be a primary motivation to ameliorate the world we occupy today. I was told once that education is a pathway to help take you where you want to go in life, but during my short time on this earth I have found my most educational moments have not been in a classroom but instead listening to my peers. It is through that we reach the common trait that we all share, our humanity. We have so much to learn from each other, with voices that deserve to be heard. Until next time,Fiona Keeley