Across the globe, feminists are confronting authoritarianism, gender backlash, and violence, and they are winning, even as backlash intensifies. From Kenya to Latin America to Korea, women organizers are changing laws, shifting public understanding, and building power for a more just future.
In a world that often feels like it is on fire, join the Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative (IGLI) for an International Women’s Day webinar to hear these stories of hope, courage, and persistence. Hear from WCDMZ Executive Director Cathi Choi, Ruth Mumbi, Catalina Martínez Coral, Julia Zulver, and Marie Berry.
Join us on Tuesday, September 2 at 5pm PT/8pm ET (Sept. 3 at 9am KST) for a webinar debriefing South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s first meeting with U.S. President Trump. We’ll hear from speakers Youngmi Cho (PEACEMOMO), Paul Liem (Korea Policy Institute), and Dae-Han Song (International Strategy Center), moderated by Cathi Choi (Women Cross DMZ).
In his August 15 Liberation Day address, President Lee Jae-myung vowed to ease tensions and restore diplomacy with North Korea. However, Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, rebuffed Lee’s statements stating that South Korea “cannot be a diplomatic partner” of North Korea.
Lee’s administration has also proposed transferring wartime operational control of its troops from the U.S. to South Korea by 2030. But in July, the U.S. Senate passed a bill barring spending on the transfer of wartime operational control and the reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea below 28,500. As Congress returns from August recess, the House will consider these issues in voting on the National Defense Authorization Act.
These coming weeks represent a critical time. Join us!
Join Women Cross DMZ for a webinar discussing the key findings of the newly released report, “Women’s Rights Under the Division System in Korea.” The report sheds light on the often overlooked consequences of Korea’s division, exposing the militarization, human rights violations, and family separations that continue to impact women’s lives today. Read the report here.
The webinar will include:
– A discussion of the gendered consequences of Korea’s division, including landmines and unexploded ordnance, U.S. military base expansion, and sexual violence at military camptowns.
– Firsthand insights from experts, activists, and contributors to the report on how militarization and geopolitical tensions disproportionately affect women.
– Policy recommendations and actionable steps for how governments, policymakers, and the international community can support women’s rights and peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula.
Speakers:
This webinar is a must-attend for policymakers, activists, scholars, journalists, and anyone passionate about human rights, peace, and gender justice. RSVP here.
Crossings (2021) by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem, is coming to Berkeley! Crossings follows 30 women peace activists from around the world who crossed the DMZ from North to South Korea, calling for peace on the Korean Peninsula. A screening event for the documentary will be hosted by UC Berkeley’s Center for Korean Studies on September 20 at 5pm PT. Filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem and WCDMZ Co-Director Christine Ahn will lead a discussion following the screening. RSVP here.
On Friday, Oct. 13, at 7:30pm ET, the LIFT (Let Individuals Freely Travel) campaign will kick off its film series with a screening and discussion of People Are the Sky, the 2015 documentary by filmmaker Dai Sil Kim-Gibson that “offers some of the best political and social history of the relations between North and South Korea, and also a contemplative exploration of the meaning of home.” The screening is being co-hosted by the Korea Peace Now! Study Group and the Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network New York/New Jersey Chapter. Register here to watch online.
Join us for a screening of Crossings, a new documentary film by Deann Borshay Liem that
follows the historic journey of 30 women peacemakers including Gloria Steinem and Nobel
Peace Laureates as they cross the De-Militarized Zone between North and South Korea calling
for an end to a 70-year war that has divided the Korean Peninsula and its people.
Following the film, we will host a discussion with Christine Ahn, Executive Director of Women
Cross DMZ, who led the women’s peace walk. Ahn is a CU Boulder alumna, INVST graduate, and
recipient of the 2022 Social Activist Award from the Nobel Peace Laureates.
Refreshments donated by Lucky Pie of Louisville. Center for Academic Success is located at
Euclid and Broadway next to the UMC. For more info, contact invst@colorado.edu.
A 7:30 PM EST panel discussion with Filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem will follow the screening.
Crossings screening at the Association of Asian Studies Film Expo, 39 Dalton St, Boston, MA 02199, Boston Sheraton Hotel — Hamptom (3rd floor). Q&A with Deann Borshay Liem in person. Free and open to the public.
Crossings Special Festival Preview Screening at the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon, Art House, 492 E 13th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401. Deann Borshay Liem and Christine Ahn in attendance. Tickets are available here.
Virtual Screening: Feb. 25, 12:00 am – Feb. 26, 11:59 pm (48 hrs.)
The kickoff event in PDF’s 40th Anniversary event series and celebrations!
This event featured a panel of representatives from PDF’s 2017-2019 Women Peacemakers Initiative, including Women for Genuine Security, Women Cross DMZ, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and Whose Knowledge?
The Women Peacemakers Initiative culminated in a gathering of eighteen women in San Francisco’s Women’s Building in March of 2019. The women, most of whom led groups fiscally sponsored by PDF, came from many countries, including Japan, Korea, France, India, Burkina Faso, Albania, Brazil, the U.S. and the U.K. Together, they explored what a feminist foreign policy could look like and helped to build a stronger coalition working for peace.
We were joined by:
Christine Ahn, Founder and Executive Director of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War and ensure women’s leadership in peace building.
Gwyn Kirk, a founding member of the International Women’s Network Against Militarism, and Women for Genuine Security, the US-based group in that Network.
Adele Vrana is Co-Director and co-founder of Whose Knowledge? a global campaign to center the knowledge of marginalized communities (the majority of the world) on the internet.
Darien De Lu, is US President of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), and a peace, justice, and Latin America solidarity activist.