The Future Needs Your Feminism: A Message from Tomorrow | Ky Polanco | TEDxBerkeley

Key Concepts

Feminist movement, intersectionality, internationalism, intergenerational collaboration, intentionality, abundance, digital activism, community building, reproductive rights, social justice, collective liberation, radical care, mutual aid networks.

Finding Your Place in the Feminist Movement

Kai Palano, co-founder of Feminist, outlines a four-step process for individuals to find their place and contribute to the feminist movement. She emphasizes that the future utopia she described is dependent on present actions.

1. Find Your Passion and Make It Your Superpower

• Passion as Purpose: Palano shares her personal journey, starting with her parents' fashion brand and her own exploration through photography. She highlights her experience shadowing designer Dion Bomb Fenberg, where she learned that passion and purpose can combine to create community and drive meaningful impact.
• Feminist as an Example: Palano founded Feminist (formerly Feminist on Instagram), which reaches over 25 million people monthly. This platform allows her to amplify diverse voices and stories.
• Creating New Roles: Palano's role as a digital advocate and community builder didn't exist when she was in college, demonstrating how following your passion can lead to creating entirely new roles.
• Example: Her participation in a roundtable discussion with Vice President Kamala Harris on reproductive rights, which she saw as a realization of the dreams of those who fought for her rights before her.

2. Identify Who You Can Bring With You

• Shared Superpowers: Palano emphasizes that superpowers are amplified when shared.
• The Story of Aisha Becker Burroughs: She recounts meeting her co-founder, Aisha Becker Burroughs, in college. They built a radio show together, creating an inclusive platform without even realizing it.
• Exponential Growth: In 2020, Feminist experienced exponential growth, going from 1 million to 6 million followers in six months. Palano knew Aisha was the right person to join her.
• Miz Magazine Analogy: They envisioned Feminist as a modern-day Miz Magazine, existing on social media. Palano even asked Gloria Steinem about this, who agreed that social media is the forefront of feminist discourse.
• Kaleidoscope of Voices: Feminist is unique because of its diverse voices, ranging from climate warriors to trans lawyers.
• Four Key Pillars: The platform is built on four key pillars: intersectional, international, intergenerational, and intentional.
• Collective Wisdom: Palano argues that the smartest person in the room is the room itself, emphasizing the power of diverse experiences and collective wisdom.
• Seeking Different Perspectives: When choosing collaborators, look for people who challenge your perspective and amplify your superpower.

3. Share Your Abundance

• Shifting Mindset: Palano highlights a shift in thinking within the feminist movement, moving away from gatekeeping and towards sharing resources and knowledge.
• Interconnected Liberation: She emphasizes the interconnectedness of liberation, making gatekeeping seem meaningless.
• Roe v Wade Overturn Example: In 2022, when Roe v Wade was overturned, Feminist opened its platform to activists, abortion providers, and lawyers. They raised $50,000 for abortion access in 48 hours and created a reproductive rights toolkit.
• Abundance Defined: Abundance isn't just about money; it's about recognizing and sharing your unique contributions.
• Examples of Abundance: This includes being the person with the "juiciest gossip" (sharing critical information), being an optimist (providing hope), or being an artist/writer (capturing the movement).
• Small Acts of Sharing: The power of the movement lies in millions of small acts of sharing, teaching, and lifting each other up.

4. Take Action

• "Think Globally, Act Locally": Palano quotes Jane Goodall, emphasizing the importance of local actions creating global ripples.
• Global Tapestry of Change: She notes the interconnectedness of local actions, citing examples like protests against femicide in Istanbul and Mexico City, and climate victories in Montana inspiring activists in the UK.
• Bridging Generational Gaps: Solutions often exist in the wisdom of those who came before us.
• Empathy as Foundation: The future utopia she described begins with actions taken today, guided by empathy.
• Acts of Revolution: Every act of care is an act of revolution, including supporting local clinics, teaching digital literacy, and simply being there for others.
• Radical Care: Revolution isn't just about resistance; it's about radical care, healing, and showing up for each other.

Feminist from the Future

• Mutual Aid Networks: The mutual aid networks being built today will become the systems of care in the future.
• Social Feeds as Historical Treasures: Future scholars will look back at social feeds to understand the origins of the movement.
• Collective Liberation: Palano emphasizes the importance of bravery and stewardship in the pursuit of collective liberation.
• Value of Small Actions: Even seemingly small actions, like sending memes about resistance, matter.

Conclusion

Kai Palano's message is one of empowerment and action. She urges individuals to find their passion, collaborate with others, share their unique abundance, and take action locally, emphasizing that every contribution, no matter how small, is valuable in building a more just and equitable future. The future she envisions is not a given, but a direct result of the choices and actions taken in the present.