I am Generation Equality: Marissa Gabriela Solano, feminist and human rights activist
Billions of people across the world stand on the right side of history every day. They speak up, take a stand, mobilize, and take big and small actions to advance women’s rights. This is Generation Equality.Date:
I am Generation Equality because…
Gender inequality is blatantly evident in my country and we need real change. Honduras is an extremely violent country for women—the number of femicides [killing of women] has increased in recent years, despite the many campaigns held.
Three things you can do to become part of the Generation Equality:
- Take action! Step out of your comfort zone and start questioning inequalities, beginning at home.
- Join organizations that are working on gender equality and women's rights.
- Educate yourself! Read and share stories like these with your friends and networks.
The violence that women suffer and the number of women who die every day as a result of gender-based violence is the most urgent issue of our times.
Young women, women in rural areas, indigenous women and older women, we need to take over the positions [of power and decisions] that we have been denied historically.
We need to have that vision and understand that the power of change lies within us.
Actions speak louder than voice
We need to get much more involved. In Honduras, we criticize everything. I believe that we should also take action and participate in the spaces [where discrimination persists] so we can change things from within. Actions speak louder than words. Words go with the wind or simply remain on social media. We need proactive actions.
If future generations have empowered mindset, our societies will begin to change.
“If future generations have empowered mindset, our societies will begin to change.”
My message to young people is: Fight, do everything you can to better yourselves and educate yourselves. The idea of being submissive was deeply rooted in the generation I grew up in, but we need to be more disruptive.
Men are part of the solution
Everyone should be a women’s rights activist because we should all be equal. [Men and women] are not antagonists, we must rally together in this fight. It's important to understand the importance of feminism.
We are not trying to harm anyone, we are claiming our rights and increasing access to opportunities for all women. The fact that we are women doesn't make us less valuable; we have lots of ideas and have a lot to contribute to society.
In my opinion, [men can be part of the solution] by becoming more aware of the issue and having more empathy. Women and men are raised to adopt gender-specific roles in this society. It’s important to get rid of these structural problems.
Marissa Gabriela Solano, 33, is a Honduran audiovisual producer, human rights activist, and a self-proclaimed feminist. She focuses on afro-descendant people’s rights and published studies and led audio-visual workshops on the issue.