#womenstorytellingNOW
Find It! Own It! Share It!
For International Women’s Day 2018 (IWD2018), posts about strong, brave and smart women and girls bombarded my inbox, my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds. But this one from the New York Times (NYT) caught my eye. It is recognizing women who are DEAD. Yes, dead. They died and the undiscovered stories of their accomplishments, big and small, disappeared with them. Until, today. On this IWD2018 the NYT series launched 15 new stories and will post these as belated obituaries once a week for us to learn more about women who DID extraordinary things. We are treated to stories about Charlotte Bronte, Madhubala, Ada Lovelace and more, all being brought to life long after they left us. Kudos to the creators of the NYT’s Overlooked! I can’t wait to read the stories that will be posted each week, but I’m also impatient for women’s storytelling to be different in this era of #MeToo and #TimesUp. How do we learn about women’s stories as they happen?
As different movements of change converge from The Women’s March 2017, to the #MeToo movement to #TimesUp and more, women and girls are speaking, not just more loudly but with great strength and honesty about their lives. Girls like Emma Gonzalez from Parkland High School, Florida to Malala are sharing their stories, inspiring millions of girls to do the same. And women like Michelle Obama, are also finding, owning and sharing their stories. BECOMING, described as “a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling” is the story of how Michelle Obama became who she is today: Lawyer, mother, daughter, wife, FLOTUS and more. It is also being marketed as her own story — one that she is writing in her own words and on her own terms. And on this IWD2018 we also learned that the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be telling her story on film. And even though she is more than famous and accomplished, the film is promoting not just her accomplishments, but her story of how she became who she is today.
Women’s storytelling isn’t just for rich or famous women. As Oprah said at the Golden Globes:
“What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have. And I’m especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories. Each of us in this room are celebrated because of the stories that we tell and this year WE became the story! But it’s not just a story affecting the entertainment industry. It’s one that transcends any culture, geography, race, religion, politics, or workplace. so I want to tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because, they, like my mother, had children to feed, bills to pay and dreams to pursue! They are the women whose names we will never know. They are domestic workers, and farm workers, they are working in factories, and they work in restaurants and they are in academia, and engineering, and medicine and science. They are part of the world of tech, and politics and business. They are athletes in the Olympics and they are soldiers in the military!”
This is why we need storytelling now, and we need women and girls to #FindItOwnItShareIt!
Find It!
Women and girls need to find their stories. Every woman has a story and should have the opportunity — time and safe space — to think about it and find her story in a deliberate way.
Own It!
Women and girls need to own their stories, so that they aren’t appropriated, modified or completely forgotten by others.
Share It!
When women and girls find their stories, they find their voices and can share their stories as they choose. These stories trigger conversations about women’s leadership and participation at all levels of work and contribution to society; inspire others to envision what is possible; and allow the world to celebrate and recognize women for all that they are doing NOW rather than later.
By finding, owning and sharing their stories, women become active agents in building an inclusive narrative about the world as it happens. We should certainly dig deep in to the lost stories of women who have left us, but we also need to shine a spotlight on those who are with us NOW.
Nandini Oomman, PhD is the Founding Curator of The Women’s Storytelling Salon™. She can be reached at nandini@womenstorytellingsalon.com