More than a Skirt: Threading Intersectional Identity at Women Deliver

By: Brittany J. Evans

Our clothes can be symbolic looms, weaving our past into the vibrant patterns of our present reality. A ribbon skirt is not merely a piece of fabric; it’s a vibrant testament to my Indigenous heritage, a story in every stitch. At Women Deliver, one of the largest conventions focused on gender equality, I decided not just to wear my ribbon skirt but to wrap myself in my identity as an Indigenous, queer, disabled woman.

The decision to bring me to the conference came in a rush, leaving me with less than three weeks to prepare. Not only was I attending the conference in Kigali, Rwanda, but now I was covering it as a content creator too. Recognizing this was an opportunity to make our voices heard, I timidly reached out to my grandmother, a living echo of our cultural history and anchor of our community, and she, in turn, called upon my network of sisters.

The author (second from the right) and her sisters smile for a group photo in their colorful fancy shawl dancer regalia at a pow-wow on Potawatomi land.

The origin of the ribbon skirt dates back hundreds of years and over time has become a symbol of the strength, resilience, and wisdom of Indigenous women. Found across tribes, each skirt tells a story yet is part of a shared history. The skirt I wore for the Women Deliver Opening Ceremony was woven for my sister to honor the birth of her child. Wearing it, I celebrate the welcoming of a new life, a commitment to hope, and a new chapter in our shared story.

The collective story of indigenous women is one marred by violence. The statistics are grim: as reported in 2016, 84.3 percent of Native American and Alaskan Native women experience violence in their lifetimes. The same study found that over 5,600 cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in the United States remain unaddressed. Our intersectional experiences are often marginalized and overlooked. Despite constituting about 30% of the Indigenous community in the United States, the narratives and experiences of disabled Indigenous individuals are silenced or ignored.

The world cannot forget that our narrative is not solely one of victimhood. My sisters and I are more than tradition and trauma. Instead, our stories, like our ancestors, are rooted in resistance and resilience. Wearing traditional clothing in a “professional” space was not just a challenge to the status quo; it was an assertion of our strength and our continued resistance against hundreds of years of erasure.

To be honest, I was hesitant at first, with a gnawing apprehension about whether a professional space like Women Deliver could accommodate the entirety of my identity. Can my Indigenous heritage, my queer identity, and my disability co-exist in spaces that have often been oblivious, or even openly hostile, to the spectrum of human experience? By choosing to show up as my authentic self, I was challenging the norms, pushing the boundaries of what professional spaces look like… and who they include.

The author raises her fist as she stands before a large sculpture wearing a maroon ribbon skirt with various pink, blue, green, and yellow ribbons at the bottom. She is wearing a white t-shirt with an image of a jingle-dress dancer and text reading, “No more stolen sisters.” The sculpture base is green with the Women Deliver 2023 Conference logo. The top portion of the statue displays cut-out yellow letters reading “#WD2023.”

At Women Deliver 2023, I felt welcomed and became a living testament to the resilience and power of my family, both biological and those bound beyond blood. Moving among global thought leaders, each swish of my skirt was a rallying cry for recognition, an insistence on making space for all our stories.

Globally, our stories are not just tales of survival but powerful narratives of community, resistance, and hope. We must recognize the interconnectedness of our struggles, the intersectionality of our identities, and the undeniable strength that we carry.

Authenticity is a journey, a path that requires us to continuously reflect, question, and understand our multilayered identities. It demands we redefine the spaces we inhabit and the roles we play. Women Deliver 2023 was not merely a platform but a call to action. By wearing a ribbon skirt in this global space, I wasn’t just representing my identity; I was part of weaving a more inclusive future, one thread, one ribbon, one skirt, one sister to another at a time.

From now on, I don’t think you’ll catch me at a conference without one.

About the author:

Brittany J. Evans is an advocate, educator, and current Communications Manager for Women Enabled International.