Feminist 50th Invitation
To celebrate the “50th birthday party” of 2nd wave Canadian and Quebec feminism.
Date: 1 January 2010.
Why 1 January 2010?
Feminist historians have earmarked 1960 as the year that ushered in an unprecedented upsurge of feminist activities characterized as the “2nd wave” of feminism in Canada and Quebec. So it seems only fair to take 1 January 2010 as a symbolic marker for “our 50th birthday.” Some women, who may not be able to participate on 1 January 2010, may want to select other dates to celebrate – in the month of January, or indeed any date at all in the year 2010. Fiftieth birthdays deserve to be stretched out. But we want to kick off the 50th year with a big bash on January 1st.
Why Celebrate?
These are not the best of times for feminists. The world around us grows more discriminatory and troubled every day. Yet a 50th is a momentous point to pause and to reflect on our experience, our accomplishments, our strategies, our futures. Things are so bad that we could weep, or we could party. We need to party. Even if we may be celebrating with a few tears thrown in.
Who’s Invited?
All feminists who want to celebrate – including women from the 1st wave, 2nd wave, 3rd wave etc etc. This is a time to come together to reminisce, laugh, and kick up our heels over what we accomplished, and share our dreams of changes still to come.
Where’s the Party?
Across Canada. Location of your choice! Size and number of the parties limited only by the imagination and energy of the party-planners.
What are the Party Plans?
Some of us aspire to book whole restaurants to hold celebratory dinners for over-flow crowds. Others want to invite feminist friends and their families for brunch. Some want to shape their events around concerts, theatre, art. Some want to rent halls and dress up in costume for the occasion. Some want to create intimate dinner parties in their own homes. Others want to stage gala public events to honour special groups or individual feminists amongst us. We hope the parties will be as wonderful, varied, and eclectic as our movement has been over the past 50 years. Our goal is to put the 1st of January 2010 on the map as an unforgettable, fabulous “Feminist 50th.”
Who is running this?
This is a bottom-up initiative. It lacks a centre, an edge, a funder, and an organizing association. We remember with fondness the days when our movement existed on the grass-roots venues of coffee klatches, potlucks, ad hoc committees, and fly-by-night activism. In the best spirit of feminism, we want to encourage a thousand different initiatives, to cheer the hearts and spirits of feminists everywhere.
What can you do?
* Circulate this message: This invitation needs to be “glitzed” up by those with more expertise than we have in the ways of glitz. Add all the spangles & stars you want, and then circulate this to whomever and wherever you think it might find a receptive reader.
* Make plans: Conspire with feminist sisters to create the 50th of your choice. From gala balls to potluck dessert parties, go wild with the party of your dreams.
* Information sharing: It would be wonderful if someone could volunteer to help start collecting information locally, provincially, or nationally about various plans underway, to inspire others with great ideas, and to link the parties together.
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