Celebrating Women's History Month: Mariama Sibide

Today on International Women’s Day, a special day of recognition during Women’s History Month, FIUTS is excited to announce the start of a blog series that will feature stories of current students, staff, and alumni as they work to advance women’s rights and social equity around the globe.

MARIAMA SIBIDE

1.) How are you connected with the FIUTS community?

I am a work-study student for FIUTS. My job title is the Activity Assistant and most of the work that I do with FIUTS is with the various education programs that we host. I have also facilitated with FIUTS and led the English conversation group.

2.) How do you support women’s rights?

As an undergraduate, I think that one of the ways to support women's rights is to be sure that you are educated on women's rights. My concentration at UW is in Human Rights, and I have taken various courses on women's rights as well as feminism. Beyond the UW, I also engage in educating myself by listening to podcasts and staying up to date with politics surrounding women's rights. I am also starting a Black Feminist Book Club because while we often use Black women's contributions in academia we rarely cite their books or give them the credit that they deserve. In the future, I hope to support women's rights by becoming a Human Rights Lawyer and representing women in sub-Saharan Africa. 

3.) What woman inspires you? Why?

The Woman who inspires me is my mom. My mom managed to attain her post-secondary education in Guinea during the 1970s when it was rare to see women being given the same education opportunities as men. When she was in Guinea, she led development programs with international NGOs for her community and women within her region. After immigrating to the U.S. with my siblings and I, my mother managed to work and go to community college at the same time so that she could learn English. It is through her that I witnessed how successful an independent woman can be, and it is because of her that I identify as a Black feminist. 

4.) What is the biggest challenge women currently face? How do we overcome this obstacle?

The biggest challenges that women currently face are economic and social disparities. Women in the United States and abroad are not paid for their reproductive labor, such as taking care of their families and completing domestic tasks. This is difficult as economic disparities require women to engage in paid labor, but the devaluation of their reproductive work means that women are taking on added responsibilities without additional support. Beyond these economic challenges, social challenges include inadequate access to reproductive services and educational institutions. Overcoming this obstacle requires centering marginalized women within policy decisions made concerning women's rights as well as supporting existing grassroots efforts that are spearheaded by women. 

Stay tuned - FIUTS will release the next post in the series early next week.