The Feminist Lens
By Nina de Ayala Parker and Peris Thuo
Join Peris Thuo and Nina de Ayala Parker the co-founders of the Women's Rights Organisation 'Women For Wanawake' and a powerhouse of incredible Feminist guests to discuss the current issues of today from an intersectional Feminist perspective. Be inspired, feel empowered and live your best life!
The Feminist Lens Nov 09, 2020
#17 The Feminist Lens Presents on Byline Radio!
Please rate, review and Subscribe! And let us know what you would like to hear and discuss, we want to hear from you and we want you on our show! Get in touch at womenforwanawake@gmail.com
#19 Racism in the UK, a conversation with Gloria Onitiri
Join Peris Thuo and Nina Park interview the incredible Gloria Onitiri about her career, racism in the UK, and some words of wisdom and lasting hope. You would have seen Gloria at the in The Taming of the Shrew as Katherine and also as Guardiano in Women Beware Women, Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic, as one of the Fates in Hadestown at the National, Yomi in Chiaroscuro at The Bush, Nala in Disney’s The Lion King, Rachel Marron in the original cast of The Bodyguard and much more.
Gloria is also the Founder of Letter to a Black girl Podcast. Which is a podcast full of musings and roundtable discussions with the best of Black British Women.
It is so refreshing having someone like Gloria who through her podcast celebrates and empowers Black Women in the UK, and also provides a platform for Black Women to tell their story and their truth in a mainstream format. This is incredibly important as we know black women are often ignored and overlooked in society.
Gloria IMBD
Glorias Instragram
Glorias Twitter
#18 Post Poverty Britain with Carmel McConnell MBE FRSA
Hello everyone! Welcome to this weeks episode of the Feminist Lens podcast with Nina de Ayala Parker and Peris Thuo! Today we are joined by Carmel McConnell MBE, author and campaigner, who campaigns on child poverty, education and well-being. Carmel is the Founder of the children’s charity Magic Breakfast. You may remember or know of Magic Breakfast when they collaborated with Macus Rashford and Jack Monroe on the free school meals campaign which ended in the Government’s U-turn on school meal vouchers during the christmas holidays of 2020. Or you may know magic breakfast in their own right as one of the most important children’s charities in the UK, which dedicates their work to eliminating child hunger by providing free breakfast to schools across the UK. Carmel stepped back from day to day involvement in the charity in 2020, but continues to use her voice to campaign on behalf of hungry schoolchildren.
Please rate, review and subscribe thank you!
#16 Abortion Rights UK with Chair Kerry Abel
Hello Everyone and Welcome to the Feminist Lens podcast, brought to you by Women for Wanawake.
On today’s episode Nina Parker and Peris Thuo will be speaking to Kerry Abel, Chair of Abortion Rights UK. Which is the national member-led pro-choice campaign. Who campaign to defend and extend women’s rights and access to safe, free, legal, and local abortion. They oppose any rollback of the legisilation and restrictions to abortion access.
It’s more than 50 years since abortion was made legal in Britain and we think women’s rights should be advanced not driven back. A consistent three-quarters of people support a woman’s right to choose in Britain. They believe the law should be brought into line with public opinion – so that women can make their own reproductive decisions without the current unfair legal barriers, obstructions, and delays.
#15 A Life Devoted to Gender Equality a call to action with Helen Pankhurst CBE
Helen Pankhurst CBE...Need we say more? Yes we shall! For the last episode of Season 1, join Nina de Ayala Parker and Peris Thuo in conversation with the incredible, kind and devoted Helen Pankhurst.
Helen Pankhurst is a women’s rights, an international development practitioner working mainly in Ethiopia for CARE International and a Trustee of ActionAid, a Professor at MMU and the Chancellor of the University of Suffolk. Helen is the convenor of the Centenary Action Group and of GM4Women 2028 and is the granddaughter of Sylvia, great granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, leaders of the British suffragette movement. To reflect on the progress since the struggle for the vote.
In 2018, she wrote Deeds Not Words, the Story of Women’s Rights, then and Now - available here
What an incredible conversation, we hope you feel inspired to go out and fight for gender equality too after listening to this beautiful conversation with Helen Pankhurst, Peris Thuo and Nina de Ayala Parker.
Trigger warning: We speak about Sarah Everard , Police brutality and misogyny and also domestic violence , and FGM .
#14 Ending Sexual Harassment - action and solutions with Eliza Hatch
Today we will be speaking to an incredible woman, she is a photographer, activist, and founder of the podcast Cheer Up Luv, Eliza Hatch. Eliza has created and supported a network of women and girls who are fighting to end sexual harassment by retelling very powerful and often emotional stories of sexual harassment on her podcast, and on her social platforms.
As we know sexual harassment is in many ways a epidemic across the world, and ever since the term was coined in America in the 70s, women have been able to report it with greater ease, but still, not enough is being done to stamp it out. Have you ever been cat called in the street, or maybe a colleague has commented on your skirt on live tv *cough* Piers Morgan *cough*? We are so excited to speak to Eliza about what we can do, what solutions there are and how optimistic she is about the future.
Rights of Women Free Legal Help Line
Women For Wanawake Online:
#13 Global ‘Gender and Covid19 Working Group’ - IWD2021 Special with Clare Wenham and Anne Ngunjiri
Today we will be speaking to two incredible guests who are here to represent and in their own right and expertise the Global ‘Gender and Covid19 Working Group’, which brings together academics from around the world, who conduct real time gender analysis to identify and document the gendered dynamics of COVID-19 and gaps in preparedness and response. Wow, this is possibly the most relevant interview and one which we are super, super excited about.
There has been a lot of misinformation and nervousness around covid’s impact on women from care, to treatment, to humanitarian intervention, to covid actually effecting our path to equality, by slowing it down, Our two experts representing this global working group will be able to help us make sense of it all.
Anne Ngunjiri, Senior Technical Advisor for Gender Based Violence, and Violence against Children Programs, LVCT Health in Nairobi, Kenya. In the Gender-COVID working group, Anne’s role is to conduct interviews with the marginalized population of women in urban informal settlement to better understand the secondary effects COVID has had on their lives, specifically health, social and economic wellbeing. The intention with the data generated is to disseminate to policy and decision makers to better inform their gender responsive plans at county and national level across relevant ministries, departments and agencies.
Clare Wenham, Assistant Professor of Global Health Policy at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Clare specialises in global health security and the politics and policy of pandemic preparedness and outbreak response, through analysis of influenza, Ebola and Zika. Her work considers global health governance, role of WHO, national priorities and innovative financing for pandemic control, particularly in Latin America.
More recently she has been analysing the downstream effects of global health security policy on women, with a forthcoming Oxford University Press book offering a feminist critique of the Zika outbreak, and co-founding and co-leading the Gender&COVID project and working group. Her work features in The Lancet, British Medical Journal (BMJ), Security Dialogue, International Affairs, BMJ Global Health and Third World Quarterly. She previously worked at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, delivering projects relating to surveillance and transmission of infectious disease.
Find their work:
The Gender & Covid-19 Working Group website
#12 Changing the world with Barbara Blake Hannah, UK's first black TV Journalist
Peris and Nina spoke to the earthmoving, world-changer, politician, film maker, festival organiser and cultural consultant, who started off her extensive career by breaking through the glass ceiling of 1960s UK tv broadcasting, as the first ever black person to report the news on UK TV, Barbara Blake Hannah.
More than 50 years later, the Press Gazette has created the Barbara Blake-Hannah Award to celebrate upcoming journalists from ethnic minority backgrounds - in the hope of inspiring others in the future.
Wow. Barbara I cannot begin to express how excited and grateful we are to talk to you and for you to give us some of your precious time and wisdom. We started Women for Wanawake and this podcast The Feminist Lens, to inspire and empower, and to educate, break down barriers and have conversations that will change the world.
Buy Barbara Blake Hannah's Books:
#11 Part 2. 'What is the role of Men in Feminism?' with Adeyemi Adebuseyi and Calum Millbank
This episode is split into two parts. It is a bit different to our usual in that we are speaking to Men. We believe that to realise and achieve full Gender equality women must engage with and work with men.
We believe that men can indeed be feminists, and that right now more than ever before we need more men championing women’s rights. We simply cannot leave men out of the conversation if we are to achieve gender equality. On that note, we are glad to have two male guests who are progressive, represent hope and see Women as equals. In addition to being forces in their fields and contributing to making society a better place from Policy, sustainable living and finding real, tangible solutions to issues facing the world today.
Adeyemi Adeyemi MBE is the Co-Chair for the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network of NHS England and NHS Improvement and was awarded an MBE for services to Global Health policy. Ade is also a Global Health policy expert who is also a Director at the Think Tank Chatham House, where he supports Ministry of Health stakeholders across Africa, by strengthening their leadership and policy development capacities. He is also the Managing Director of the world’s biggest Global Health Jobs platform www.globalhealthjobs.com. Ade is also the founder and Executive Director for the African Healthcare Hackathon (www.ahhack.com), Ade is also studying for a Doctor of Philosophy in Global Health and Social Medicine at King’s College London.
Calum Millbank is a Mechanical Engineer, currently working across the UK to decarbonise our cities. Calum has previously campaigned on social justice issues, focusing on climate.
Womens Refuges in the UK:
https://www.womensaid.org.uk/the-survivors-handbook/what-is-a-refuge-and-how-can-i-stay-in-one/
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/homelessness/womens_refuges
#11 Part 1. 'What is the role of Men in Feminism?' with Adeyemi Adebuseyi and Calum Millbank
This episode is split into two parts. It is a bit different to our usual in that we are speaking to Men. We believe that to realise and achieve full Gender equality women must engage with and work with men.
We believe that men can indeed be feminists, and that right now more than ever before we need more men championing women’s rights. We simply cannot leave men out of the conversation if we are to achieve gender equality. On that note, we are glad to have two male guests who are progressive, represent hope and see Women as equals. In addition to being forces in their fields and contributing to making society a better place from Policy, sustainable living and finding real, tangible solutions to issues facing the world today.
Adeyemi Adeyemi MBE is the Co-Chair for the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network of NHS England and NHS Improvement and was awarded an MBE for services to Global Health policy. Ade is also a Global Health policy expert who is also a Director at the Think Tank Chatham House, where he supports Ministry of Health stakeholders across Africa, by strengthening their leadership and policy development capacities. He is also the Managing Director of the world’s biggest Global Health Jobs platform www.globalhealthjobs.com. Ade is also the founder and Executive Director for the African Healthcare Hackathon (www.ahhack.com), Ade is also studying for a Doctor of Philosophy in Global Health and Social Medicine at King’s College London.
Calum Millbank is a Mechanical Engineer, currently working across the UK to decarbonise our cities. Calum has previously campaigned on social justice issues, focusing on climate.
- Womens Refuges in the UK:
https://www.womensaid.org.uk/the-survivors-handbook/what-is-a-refuge-and-how-can-i-stay-in-one/
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/homelessness/womens_refuges
#10 Changing the Narrative through Journalism - a Conversation with Nicola Gill
Let's Change the Narrative through Journalism! Join Peris, Nina and Nicola Gill a journalist, copywriter, editor, content consultant, and Mum. Who began her career working with local newspapers, then moved to Fleet Street to senior features writer at Cosmopolitan - Nicola's career spans exciting and changing times in journalism.
Are you a journalist? Do you want to be one - we hope you feel enriched and inspired by this episode to start or simply understand how journalism has changed throughout the decades.
You can connect with Nicola on LinkedIn
Send us a line, if you would like to be on the podcast, or have a issue you would like us to cover, let us know!
We're on insta: @Women4Wanawake and @thefeministlens_by_wofwa
#9 Brexit Impact on Women with Naomi Smith and Roberta Guerrina
Have you ever thought how Brexit will impact you? Well Nina and Peris chatted to podcaster and activist Naomi Smith CEO of Civil Society Campaign Best for Britain, and Professor Roberta Guerrina, expert on EU & UK gender relations at Bristol University, Gender Research Centre.
We chatted about Brexit's impact on women, and the intersections of race, language and culture. Both Naomi and Roberta have been campaigning and researching Brexit's impact on the UK since 2016.
We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did and please do get in touch with us at @WomenForWanawake or thefeministlens_by_wofwa on instagram.
You can find Naomi Smith's work at:
@Pimlicat on Twitter
BestforBritain Website
You can find Roberta's work at:
@RGuerrina on Twitter
Research papers available via Bristol University Gender Research Centre
#8 Inspire - a Conversation with Dawn Butler MP
A life devoted to fighting for women's rights and racial equality in the UK, Dawn Butler MP gave us all sorts of feels! We hope you enjoy the chat as much as we did, and feel inspired.
Dawn Butler is a women's rights advocate, and member of parliament for Brent Central, plus she is the first elected Black female government minister in the UK and she was recently featured in Vogue's top 25 women shaping 2020
Find Dawn on social media:
https://twitter.com/DawnButlerBrent
https://www.instagram.com/dawnbutlerbrent/
#7 Reflecting on 2020 with Marie Claire Future Shaper Deeba Syed
Join Peris and Nina in a whirl wind conversation with lawyer, activist, and Marie Claire 2020 Future Shaper Deeba Syed. From Rights of Women Sexual Harassment helpline, to Raising awareness around Domestic Abuse during lockdown, to Michaela Cole’s I May Destroy you, Cardi B and Meghan the Stallion’s WAP, Black Lives Matter and Why Labour still hasn’t had a Women Leader – we chatted to Deeba about A LOT and we would’ve spoken to her all day, all week if we could! I hope this conversation gives you some good ideas, and spurs you on.
Deeba’s wealth of knowledge and experience in fighting for women's rights is systemic and personal, she is a role model for many women and we wanted to platform her knowledge and inspire more young women to fight for what they believe is right.
Deebas work:
One of the most effective forms of activism are Donations, if you can donate please do:
· https://www.womensaid.org.uk/
#6 Homelessness Xmas Special with Phil & Murphy
Join Peris and Nina in conversation with Murphy Gabriella Hopkins-Hubbard from Homeless Link and Phil Kerry CEO of New Horizon Youth Centre.
Homelessness is on the rise in the UK and we could all do more to help those who are homeless and contribute to ending homelessness. Please follow and Support Phil & Murphy's work.
020 7388 5560
Email: info@nhyouthcentre.org.uk
Email: info@homelesslink.org.uk
#5 Women of the Forest who Galvanise - 'Diwata' a film by journalist Rossalyn Warren and videographer Remi Bumstead
Join Nina and Peris interview the incredible feature and investigative journalist and digital outreach Director for @gijn and @dartcenter Rossalyn Warren and award winning videographer and photographer Remi Bumstead.
We asked Rossalyn and Remi how they would change the world through 'The Feminist Lens', which is what their film 'Diwata' in many ways, represents.
What is 'Diwata' about:
'Mining companies are destroying large parts of ancient forest. However on the island of Palawan in the Philippines a small group of women are standing up against these big companies and protecting the forests and the spirit that lives within them; Diwata.'
Diwata is available to view on:
Follow/support Rossalyn Warren's work:
Follow/support Remi Bumstead's work:
Call to Action:
https://www.voanews.com/east-asia/philippine-activists-call-end-foreign-mining
https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/petitions/1215/keep-plantations-out-of-palawan-forest
#4 Sip and Chat Live! - Part 2
Join Peris and Nina's first LIVE podcast where they'll be joined by a powerhouse of women (and some men) discussing the biggest issues and barriers facing women's equality today. This podcast has been split into 2 parts because it is THAT good and also, a lot. So take a break, have a tea or a G&T and listen to 1&2 woohoo.
We want to hear from you and if you feel there is an issue we have missed, message us and we'll cover it with you!
Follow us on our Linktree or:
#4 Sip and Chat Live! - Part 1
Join Peris and Nina's first LIVE podcast where they'll be joined by a powerhouse of women (and some men) discussing the biggest issues and barriers facing women's equality today. This podcast has been split into 2 parts because it is THAT good and also, a lot. So take a break, have a tea or a G&T and meet them over on part 2.
We want to hear from you and if you feel there is an issue we have missed, message us and we'll cover it with you!
Follow us on our Linktree or:
#3 'We need System Change!" - with EarthbyHelena
We had the pleasure of having the amazing @EarthByHelena / Helena Bennet chat to us about all things climate activism, system change, and just generally good earthy stuff. We hope you enjoy this world changing conversation as we did. Helena is active on instagram as @EarthbyHelena - check out her page to find a breakdown of climate solutions, activist tips and tricks and just general important and current posts towards system change. Light and love, Peris Thuo & Nina de Ayala Parker
#2 Kamala Harris is VICE PRESIDENT
Join Peris and Nina as they analyse the US Election through 'The Feminist Lens'. They discuss what the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Presidency and Vice Presidency means for the US and for the World. An election of "firsts", but does this mean we can now sit back and relax...?
There is reflection, and there is hope and if you think they missed anything or if you have a completely different opinion, Nina and Peris want to hear from you!
Find them on:
Instagram: @WomenF4Wanawake
or drop us an email womenforwanwawake@gmail.com
#1 Introduction to Nina and Peris
Nina de Ayala Parker and Peris Thuo are super excited to launch their first introductory podcast episode, where they will be warming you up for a powerhouse of incredible feminist guests and discussing the current issues of the week through a Feminist Lens.
Peris and Nina are co-founders of the Women's Rights Organisation 'Women For Wanawake'.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
- INSTAGRAM: @Women4Wanawake
- TWITTER: @Women4Wanawake
Music: 'Move Your Body' by Marissa Mckinnon - Spotify.
Domestic Violence Help Available now and during Lockdown:
- National Helpline
- UNWomen
- Womens Aid
- If you are worried that someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, you can call Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline for free, confidential support, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. Visit the helpline website to access information on how to support a friend.
- If you believe there is an immediate risk of harm to someone, or it is an emergency, always call 999.