Watch Us Rise

by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan

[Kelly]

★★★☆

Amsterdam Heights High School is considered a liberal arts college, a progressive institution that encourages students to experience the world through artistic activism. Students Jasmine and Chelsea are tired of female students being reduced to stereotypes, forbidden to create conversations around the patriarchy, experiencing prejudice, racism and body shaming.

Jasmine Grey is an artivist and a black young woman raised in Harlem, using her stage presence to create and inspire. Chelsea Spencer creates poetry to raise awareness of the expectations placed on women, how they are perceived and often regarded as fragile and vulnerable members of a patriarchal society. Jasmine and Chelsea are founders of Write Like A Girl, a women's rights movement that encourages female students to share their experiences through solidarity and challenge Amsterdam Heights High School in creating an impartial, tolerant and inclusive environment for all students, especially female students and through an online blog, their artivism begins to inspire and empower a feminist movement.

Jasmine is passionate about black women being heard. As a voluptuous young black woman, she's aware of her body, aware of how society views those who aren't white and slender, our bodies dismissed and degraded. Within the August Wilson Acting Ensemble, Jasmine is typecast as the loud, sassy character who is considering weight loss, despite protesting her aversion of occupying roles that the industry has stereotyped for black women and women who are plus sized. I applauded Jasmine's character for her bravery and fortitude to challenge the authority of the Amsterdam Heights High School faculty, especially considering her personal circumstances.

Chelsea unfortunately was incredibly superficial and although she attempts to advocate through her poetry, her character needed guidance, especially as to not appear judgemental of females who do not conform to her feminist ideals. Choosing traditional roles such as the homemaker or primary caregiver of children as an example. As women, we're often instinctively the peacemakers, we guide others and educate, we're nurturers and caregivers. We liberate, we're scientists and mathematicians, we're women supporting all women but now with accessible online resources and spaces for women to openly discuss equality, without the concern of conversations being derailed or diminished.

Within the dialogue, Chelsea also uses the term womyn and as she describes, so I don't have to include the word man which is harmful as it excludes transwomen and also often uses the term womanist. Previously feminism movements have excluded black women and therefore womanist was representative of black women. Unfortunately it was introduced into the narrative and used exclusively by Chelsea who is a young white woman.

Unfortunately it didn't discuss intersectionality and the marginalisation of queer women, women with disabilities or transwomen. Characters Jasmine and Chelsea are beginning their journey as activists, fuelled by inspirational women who forged pathways for the next generation of feminists. Watch Us Rise is a great resource for young women as an introduction to feminism.