I definitely could have used Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists in high school, so it’s a great move on publisher Albert Bonniers and the Swedish Women’s Lobby part to distribute the book to Swedish high-school students as “a stepping stone for a discussion about gender equality and feminism.” UN Association of Sweden, the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, the Order of the Teaspoon, Unizon and Gertrud Åström are also supporting the effort and hope that Adichie’s work will be integrated into the school curriculum. Every 16-year-old will receive a copy.
In the above video message, which was played at the Stockholm launch event, Adichie talks about what feminism means to her, and why she identifies as one. She concludes with this statement:
When I was 16, I don’t think I knew what the word ‘feminist’ meant. I don’t think I knew the word at all. But I was a feminist. And I hope that the 16-year-olds that will read this book in Sweden will also decide that they’re feminists. Mostly, I hope very soon that one day we will not need to be feminists. Because we will live in a world that is truly just and equal.
My high school curriculum was, unfortunately, super male and super white and even in university diverse voices are often found in elective courses rather than required ones. I’m all for this initiative and I hope other schools will integrate writers like Adichie into their required reading.
(via The Guardian)
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