The Feministing Five: Jamia Wilson
image via Feministing.com
From Feministing:
Jamia Wilson is an intersectional feminist activist powerhouse, a storyteller, a media maker, and now, the first women of color to lead the Feminist Press.
Before the Feminist Press, Jamia was the Executive Director of Women, Action, and the Media, a TED Prize Storyteller, and the Vice President of Programs at the Women’s Media Center. Her thoughtful and sharp ruminations on race, gender, and women’s rights issues can be found in New York Magazine, The Washington Post, Rookie, Teen Vogue, Bust, and more. And if you didn’t think she could possibly get any more badass, she’s currently writing her own book on Beyonce and feminism.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Jamia for this week’s Feministing Five to talk about her new role at the Feminist Press, her own evolution in women’s activism, the feminist that inspires her most, and more! Catch Jamia on Twitter and @jamiaw and in the pages of your fave magazines.
Senti Sojwal: Congratulations on your new role as Executive Director of the Feminist Press! You are the youngest person to have this role and the first woman of color. What excites you most about what’s ahead of you, and in what ways do you hope the Press can grow and evolve?
Jamia Wilson: Thank you so much! What excites me most is that the press is coming up on its fiftieth anniversary as the longest running feminist press in the world. I recognize that in this position, as the youngest and first women of color in this role, I not only bring myself into this but I bring the communities that I’m a part of and the people who are doing this work to the conversations that we’re having along. I’m excited to be part of this team and to be leading the press at a time when we’re planning for our fiftieth and have our eyes on the future. It feels really special to me to have followed Jennifer, my predecessor, who has been a friend and mentor since I’ve been in the movement and someone who has inspired me as I was developing my own path in activism. To me, this is really an opportunity to model and experience what intergenerational feminist movement building and thought leadership means by having a board that has members my age, some younger, and some almost 90 years old! What draws us together is that we’re all feminists. It’s really special. We represent so many feminisms, and the press holds space for so many different ideas and we will continue to uplift feminism in many different forms. I’m so excited for that.
Click here to read the article in full.
Want to read more? Check out these two FP titles that Jamia contributed to before her tenure as ED began!
Katie Cappiello and Meg McInerney
A Play and Guidebook for Combating Sexism and Sexual Violence
Edited by Amy Richards and Cynthia Greenberg
The nation's most notable feminists, organizers, and scholars reflect on the Clarence Thomas hearings.