Having a place to start when learning about feminism is essential to becoming more knowledgable about feminist topics, without becoming overwhelmed or being unsure where to begin. These resources are about feminism more generally and are perfect for anyone who is looking for a starting point to dive into the world of feminism.

In this collection:

• We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 305.42 AD

• Feminist Majority Foundation

• National Organization for Women

• Women’s Refugee Commission

• Stuff Mom Never Told You Podcast (A podcast about how feminism and the patriarchy impacts the everyday life of women)

• In this collection:

• Periods Gone Public: Taking a Stand for Menstrual Equity By Jennifer Weiss-Wolf (Not in library)

• Period Power by Nadya Okamoto 612.6 OK *Good on Audio (read by the author)

• Black Feminist Rants Podcast (a show about reproductive rights and intersections of race within the feminist movement)

• The Wandering Womb Podcast (A podcast about being female in a world made for men. “Podcast contains strong women, strong drinks, strong language and strong views”)

• Period

• Hashtag Happy Period

• Plan B (movie)

• Unpregnant (movie)

This is one of the topics in the feminist world that I am personally most passionate about. Periods and reproduction is something that has long been taboo and is still stigmatized today; inequities surrounding menstruation and the controlling of reproductive rights is a huge issue in the United States and around the world. I am always learning something new about this movement and I believe that menstruation and reproductive rights is something that is so important to be talked about since education regarding menstruation and reproduction for girls is scarce. Did you know that 50% of girls globally don’t even know that periods are linked with reproduction?! (Hashtag Happy Period) I could go on about this topic forever, but I think I will just let these resources speak for me.

Representation of non-male visionaries, pioneers, and trailblazers throughout history is essential for learning about the feminist movement and finding role models who are like you. Feminist history has long been erased and it is time to take it back.

In this collection:

• Women in science : 50 fearless pioneers who changed the world by Rachel Ignotofsky 509.2 IG

• History Chicks Podcast (“Two women. Half the population. Several thousand years of history. About an hour”)

• Criminalia Podcast (A podcast about the history of female criminals and the villainization of women)

• Hidden Figures (movie) + Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win The Space Race 510.92 LE

• A League of Their Own (movie)

In this collection:

• Six Angry Girls FIC KIS

• Moxie FIC MAT

• Cinderella is Dead FIC BAY

• Furia FIC MEN

• Netflix’s Moxie (Movie based off of the book above)

• Go With the Flow by Lily Williams GRA WIL

Finding good feminist representation in fiction is really difficult. Although cis white women make up the majority of the writers in the publishing industry there continues to be a lack of diversity for non cishet white women, women of color, lgbtqia women, and disabled women. (Continue reading here for more statistics about demographics in the writing industry). Often the representation of feminists in fiction is of angry female know-it-alls (ex. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter), and growing up as a reader, I haven’t found very many books in fiction that I’ve felt accurately represented the feminist agenda, the female and female presenting non-binary experience, and especially what it is like to be a young feminist (Continue reading here if you are interested in learning more about the intersection of the gender binary and feminism). That being said, I do have some favorite books that have filled this gap for me that I think should be essential reading for every teenager, regardless of gender identity.

White women are often the face of feminist movements, but communities of color have made significant contributions to feminist movements with little recognition. It is important for every feminist to understand the role that race and racism have played in feminist movements throughout history. From the work of the Suffragettes, to the Black Lives Matter movement today, women of color have been leading the fight for women’s rights and gender equality.

In this collection:

• Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall *Good on Audio (Not in library)

• Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde 814.54 LO

• Well-read black girl : finding our stories, discovering ourselves : an anthology by Glory Edim 810.8 ED

• The Black Feminist Project

• Black Feminisms

• Black Women Radicals

• ProMujer

In this collection:

• Feminist City: Claiming Space in a Man-Made World by Leslie Kern (title incoming)

• Concrete Kids by Amyra León 811.6 LE

• World Pulse

It wasn’t until more recently that I was exposed to the idea of feminism in cities, or rather building a feminist world. I had never thought about how women are excluded from nearly every aspect of city living and how the challenges that women face structurally, architecturally, and systemically are all inextricably connected, and now that I have I am more aware of the world around me and the role that misogyny and the patriarchy play in shaping it. To quote Feminist City by Leslie Kern “Our public spaces are not designed for female bodies. There is little consideration for women as mothers, workers or carers. The urban streets often are a place of threats rather than community”. This needs to change.