Women’s rights have been an ongoing issue for nearly 70 years, but there has been a far greater emphasis on the topic now more than ever. Sonoma State University has made it a goal to empower women and educate people by hosting various different feminist lecture series. On Mon. Sept. 23 there will be another feminist lecture series which will focus in on the historical roots as well as the opression of Filipino women. 

This lecture series will be held in Stevenson 1002, it will begin at 12:05 p.m., and will last a little under an hour. This lecture, as well as the others apart of the series, are free and open to the public. 

Each lecture focuses in on a certain place in the world and makes the struggles of the women who live there today relevant and known. By putting on this series the university aims to connect the women’s liberation movement to the national democratic struggle of the people. 

This lecture in particular will be educating the audience about things occuring in the Philippines as well as talk about GABRIELA USA. GABRIELA stands for General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Education, Leadership, and Action. GABRIELA USA is the first overseas chapter that extended their movement to the USA. 

“ I chose to organize it around the theme protest, justice, and transnational organizing which is the theme of the National Women’s Studies Association annual meeting,” said Brooke Lober, the coordinator of this event. This year transnational feminism is coming together with organizations and protests which is exciting because we are in an era of an increase in feminist movements, not only in the U.S. but also expanding to several other countries. 

Imar Shauf-Bajar will be the speaker for this lecture, “Break Our Chains: The Situation and Struggle of the Filipino Women.” Imar Shauf-Bajar is the chairperson on the GABRIELA USA National Executive Committee. For each series Lober invited speakers who were active in movements and who also work in local organizations that have a transnational reach. 

Being able to have organizations that not only focus in on what is going on locally but also globally is ideal because feminist movemnts have been expanding across the globe quickly. These series highlight the different struggles that women in different countries face. Women are oppressed in all countries but in various different ways. It is important that people begin understanding what exactly is occurring in the different countries as well as understand why. 

“I really wanted to do something for students where they felt like they would have a chance to dive in,” said Lober on what students can take away from this series. At times it is not clear nor obvious on how to participate in world change. That is one of the reasons behind why Lober chose speakers who work locally but their work also helps globally. This way students can get aid world change in an achievable manner. 

“Feminism has become a topic of discussion for a while now, especially in the global north. Yet as feminists, we must be conscious of those in the global south and other nation states that are involved in the movement as well,” said Rojin Bijan a student in this lecture series.