This International Women's Day, Stop Expecting Women of the Global South to Labor For Free

I know, I KNOW! Its origins are in white feminism. So what better occasion to highlight how me and my sisters of the Global South continue to be disrespected and undervalued for our ingenuity and work? I am not talking "girl boss" energy, it's "be fuckin for real Friday" over here at Thambusami, and you're about to get this smoke.

We were less than one week into Women's History Month when I received a series of voice notes from a dear friend and educator about a workshop attendee who asked where the fee for her 6-week workshop would be donated. Donated.

Let us sit with the audacity of this question…

The female educators who will be leading the space hold several marginalized identities (Global South, Queer, neurodiverse, differently abled, refugee, etc). In addition to the 12+ hours they will commit to conducting the actual workshop, additional hours of intellectual and emotional labor go into the crafting, planning, researching, and organizing of the material. These are the people being asked where they will donate the fee for their workshop. Again, we will take a pause here to sit with the obtuseness.

I want to remind everyone that regardless of our stance on capitalism, most of us live under the weight of it. While we dream of liberation and use our gifts and talents in that pursuit, we still exist within these systems. We need to be paid with money and not sentiment. I cannot pay for my groceries with volunteer hours. To force someone to explain this to you is beyond demoralizing and disrespectful. Altruism and positive vibes don't provide food, shelter, and healthcare. It is outrageous to be made to say this, and I am inviting my sisters to stop feeling obligated to do it. Because, let's be honest, they were not asking out of a need for clarity or accountability…

Many times, this unabashed foolery can come from your own people. It is evidence of the inner work they have yet to do. Women who are used to being exploited and undervalued get offended at the dollar amount and boundary you place around your time and talent. Rather than respect you for it and learn from it, they engage in the oppressor's work by interrogating you about it. When you give it away, people are more than happy to take it with abandon. Quiet longsuffering and sacrifice are what the world expects of us, after all. I wonder how often Robin DiAngelo, Brene Brown, or Glennon Doyle are made to explain their rates at this granular level. When you are a woman of the Global South and state your rate, people who claim to care about justice and liberation become offended. Suddenly, their praise and support turn into, "Who do you think you are, a white woman?"

Meanwhile, those of us who engage in liberative work naturally participate in community care, mutual aid and donate countless hours of our time to better the world around us. This happens in concert with the work we must do to survive. It is a way of life. So, on this International Women's History Day, honor us by paying us. Stop glorifying unpaid labor as the best we can offer our community. We, too, need to be nourished, rested, and cared for. Stop projecting your unhealed selves and opinions onto us because we realize our limitations and prioritize our dignity. We have enough devil advocates, internal critics, and obstacles to contend with daily. Don't be an ass, pay us.