Abiola Afolayan

A Seat at the Table for Women, Girls and Movements Abiola Afolayan

Framed around United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325, 1820, and other measures on Women, Peace and Security, this manifesto is inspired by the author's local and global experiences from Oakland, California to the Syria-Jordan border. It draws the connection between and highlights a few of the globe's most influential and powerful women, girls, and movements. In the end, we learn that women and girls are central to the safe and prosperous functioning of all societies across the globe. The examples are fraught with human frailties, and other constraints, including living in imperfect societies; they are nonetheless endowed with extraordinary grit and moral conviction. In other words, we do not have to be perfect or be in the perfect context before we can make a change in the world, take a seat at the table, or create a seat for others. This manifesto attempts to cover as much as possible the breadth and scope of experiences that have shaped the women featured through words and images; these are intended to capture imaginations and shift the paradigm of societal perceptions of what women and girls are currently doing or have done, as well as what they can do globally. It aims to inspire boys, girls, men, and women the world over - perhaps confirm some truths and unravel fallacies that exist in our minds about the resilience of women and girls - and their centrality to the survival of the human race.