Women’s Day Declaration: “We will carry our memory into spaces of power”

Women’s Day Declaration: “We will carry our memory into spaces of power”

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Fri, 10/30/2026 - 14:46

A Women ’ s Day Declaration on 26 October at the African and African Diaspora Conference, delivered in partnership with the Pan African Women ’ s Ecumenical Empowerment Network, recognized the conference facets of memory, resistance, faith, organizing, and collective action.

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Photo: AAD

“ Today, we carry the memory of the women who came before us,” reads the declaration. “ We also carry the memory of women and girls who transformed suffering into organizing, faith into public action, and resistance into a collective project.”

The declaration recognizes the historical significance of the Pan-African tradition. “ Our memory must not be seen merely as a remembrance of a painful past, but as a foundation for action in the present,” reads the declaration. “ We do not want merely to be included in agendas that already exist.”

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From left: former South African First Lady Zanele Dlamini Mbeki; WCC President from North America Rev. Dr Angelique Walker-Smith;…