Dear Fii reader,
When I started feminism in India in August 2014, it was nothing more than a personal blog – a small corner of the Internet, in which I was able to write about topics that were important to me. I have never imagined that 11 years later it was developed into one of the leading feminist media platforms in India and has a bilingual presence, an incredible community of writers and a committed team that creates content every day.
Thinking about our trip fulfills me with gratitude. During these years, FII has more than just published them-we have carried out campaigns that challenged sexist media to publish research reports on TFGBV, created media leaders to abortions and GBV, organized Wikipedia Edit-A-Thons to make women visible. Documentary films, like our latest film about the Ghazipur waste landfill. Each of these milestones reminds me of how far we got – and how much we want to go.
But more than awards, campaigns or recognition, it is the people who make FII something special. Our readers, writers, editors, community members and supporters – they are the reason why Fii exists. Every comment, every donation, every submission of stories tells us that feminist media are important that there is space and need for voices that challenge patriarchy, reinforce marginalized stories and build solidarity.
Of course, it was not easy to maintain independent feminist media. There were challenges – financially, emotionally and logistically -, but through all of this, our commitment has only become even stronger. We have remained true to our mission to make feminism accessible, relevant and accessible in lived realities. And we will continue to do so as long as we have your support.
Today, when FII turns 11 years old, I would like to take a moment for each individual of them who was part of this trip – whether they discovered us yesterday or have been here since 2014. You are the reason why we continue.
Many more years of feminist stories, collective action and changes are many more years. This is about considering space for voices that have to be heard. And here is to do it together.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Japleen 💜
Japleen makes the patriarchy for his livelihood! It is the founder CEO of feminism in India, an award-winning digital, bilingual, intersectional feminist media platform. It is also a ingenious, TEDX spokesman and young innovator of the UN World Summit. Japleen may be to the garden, travel, swim and cycle.
