It has already been a month since the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut. We continue to update our feminist resource list built from our statement of solidarity and are advocating for a strong feminist recovery. No doubt Beirut has been reborn too many times to count, but maybe this time we can rebuild Beirut as the Arab region’s first feminist city!

In fact, our journal, Al-Raida, has joined forces with Kohl not to return to things as they were before, but to stand in feminist solidarity with each other, with our writers, and with all of the people on the ground rebuilding Beirut. The powerful collaboration of these two feminist journals on Writing Beirut is open for submissions here: submit@kohljournal.press. We want to hear your voice!  

Soon we mark one year since the uprising in Lebanon. We’re so proud of our feminist activists on the frontlines! To celebrate their efforts, Al-Raida launched a special Issue on Gender and Revolution, now online. We are always looking for new voices from the ground and are open to ideas.

We’ve also put out a call for perspectives on feminist political economies of the Arab region, and women and labor. Submit your papers to al-raida@lau.edu.lb.

One critical issue that deserves our attention is “period poverty”. Due to the deteriorating economic situation, women and girls are no longer able to afford the sanitary products they need. What’s more, these are considered “luxury items” rather than health necessities. This poverty is magnified for those who are already vulnerable: female migrant domestic workers, Syrian and Palestinian refugees, and all women without access to economic resources or the ability to make their own purchasing decisions.

Our partner, Fe-Male, has been vocal on this issue – check them out! We also continue to work closely with our partner She Decides to ensure that women and girls have access to the full range of sexual and reproductive health and rights – without question.

Our occasional paper series, Aqlam, is looking for submissions on gendered activism and the environment and feminist analysis of foreign debt restructuring plans – both critical issues that need our attention and action!

Given that we continue to be plagued by multiple protracted crises in the region, we continue to keep our attention on advancing the women, peace and security agenda and the critical need to center women in all aspects of this effort. After all, there is no peace and no security without women!

Write, act, and rage with us!

In solidarity,

The AiW

 

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