6 TIME March 15/March 22, 2021
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Letters should include the writer’s full name, address and home telephone, and may be edited for purposes of clarity and spaceWOMEN’S SUMMIT
Conversation
WRITER, EDITOR AND ACTIVIST
Raquel Willis is on a mission to
ensure the fi ght for equality is
intersectional—cognizant of
people’s identities, privileges
and lived experiences. Through
her work in media and as the
founder of Black Trans Circles,
Willis elevates the voices of mar-
ginalized communities and em-
phasizes the impact of diverse
coalitions. “We’re paying more
attention to the importance of
the leadership of women,” Willis
tells TIME in a conversation that
will air as part of the March 8
Voices of the Future Women’s
Summit. “We have to continue
to fi nd new pathways to support
that work.”
How can we ensure that the
fi ght for women’s rights is
inclusive of all women?
By, at the very least, starting
to reckon with our past. The
women’s movement has not
always been welcoming of all
types of women—it still isn’t to
this day. I think about the ways
that women who are poor or
working class or who are sex
workers have been sidelined.
And then, of course, I think
about Black women and trans
women.
We don’t fully lean in to our
power until everyone we claim
to represent is being elevated,
nourished and supported. We
are all transformed when we
learn through our diff erences.
Raquel Willis
on the power
of inclusive
activism
What must be done to ensure
women are better supported
moving forward?
We have to start having regu-
lar conversations about the
patriarchy—we still over-
whelmingly live in a society
where men and masculinity
is prioritized. That’s not O.K.
Your gender should not be a
barrier for you living the life
that you deserve.How can we better prepare
young leaders to work toward
a more equal future?
We empower young people by
giving them space to fi gure out
their story on their own terms.
We have to allow them to un-
derstand they are brilliant and
capable no matter what their ex-
perience is, which is not always
the case for children that we raise
as little girls. It’s not always the
case for gender-expansive and
gender-nonconforming chil-
dren. But we also have to let them
know their history—it’s all of
our duty to leave the door open a
little bit wider for the next folks
who come through.DON’T MISS OUT ▶Watch at time.com/womenssummitA recent Gallup survey
reported that 15.9% of Gen Z
adults identify as LGBTQ.
Can changing demographics
impact societal change?
More people openly identifying
as LGBTQ is a benefi t to every-
one. It’s a benefi t to our com-
munity because we see just how
large we are in this world—and
we have more people power to
draw on when we inevitably
have to continue to fi ght against
bigotry. And we’re healthier as a
society when [fewer people] feel
stigmatized and shame.
I think it’s a conservative esti-
mate. There are still plenty more
people who are not empowered
yet to be open about who they are.
We don’t live in a society that fully
educates us on the complexity of
love and sexuality and identity
and gender. That is a problem for
all of us.What is giving you hope in
this moment?
I am always inspired by plants
and their capacity to remind us
that growth is possible; to re-
mind us that we all need food,
water, love and sunlight.NOTICE OF
EVICTION
Following two single
mothers in New
Orleans for six
months, fi lmmaker
Kathleen Flynn’s
documentary refl ects
an all-too-common
reality for American
families: the struggle
to retain a safe place
to live while tending to
their children’s most
basic needs. Watch
the fi lm at time.com/
women-evictionsSubscribe to
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politicsemailbonus
TIME
politicsSETTING THE
RECORD STRAIGHT
▶In the March 1/
March 8 issue, a story
in the Brief on new
Italian Prime Minister
Mario Draghi misstated
the amount of recovery
loans the European
Union off ered to boost
the country’s economy.
It is $240 billion.