Revolution #200, May 1, 2010
From the Burkha to the Thong:
Everything Must, and Can, Change—WE NEED TOTAL REVOLUTION!
a talk by Sunsara Taylor
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From Hawaii, to California, Chicago and NYC, hundreds have attended Sunsara Taylor’s national campus speaking tour. For one woman, it was the words “and can” in the title—which convey not only the need, but also the possibility, of change—that made her come.
People came for different reasons. Then something extraordinary happened. They listened to searing exposure of the conditions of women worldwide, an examination of how all this is woven into and reinforced by the system of global imperialism, a vivid picture of how this will be ended through revolution, and a challenge to get into the movement for revolution, starting now! Then, the audiences dived in: discussing, questioning, debating.
Taylor’s talk has been very controversial exactly because it goes against deeply held beliefs. She challenges the view that women are “free to choose” the thong. One group of women came to argue in favor of the veil as a “personal choice.” Some attacked Taylor saying, “who are you to tell Muslim women what to think.” I’m a communist, that’s who I am, she said, and then went on to dissect the ultimately disastrous consequences of cultural relativism, religion and identity politics.
One student wrote afterwards, “Now I’m thinking, ‘What if every thought I have about myself as a woman has been drilled into me and not developed on my own?’”
Another woman who marched in Harlem on International Women’s Day said, “It’s only been a little over a week since Sunsara Taylor’s talk, and I can’t help walking down the street imagining how everything in society could be different.”
For information on the tour, go online to sunsara.blogspot.com
LA • April 8 • Thursday • 7pm
La Kretz Hall Auditorium, UCLA. (Doors open and photo display at 6:30 pm.) Sponsored by Critical Thinking at UCLA; Academic Advancement Program (AAP), UCLA; and Revolution Books/Libros Revolución.
for information: 310-210-6012
Honolulu • April 13 • Tuesday • 7 pm
UH-Manoa, Architecture Auditorium
Sponsored by Revolution Books
contact: 808-944-3106
NY • April 27 • Tuesday, 7 pm
At Barnard College
202 Altschul Hall, Lehman Auditorium
116th & Broadway.
Free and open to the public.
Sponsored by Columbia Political Union and Revolution Books.
Webcast • April 28 • Wednesday, 8:30 EST |
More dates upcoming.
To bring Sunsara to your campus, Contact: sunsara_tour@yahoo.com
Find Sunsara Taylor on YouTube and Facebook.
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