Khaled toting a machine gun and wearing a keffiyeh is one of the most enduring images of Palestinian liberation
Leila Khaled—armed resistance for liberation
Palestinian freedom fighter Leila Khaled was just four years old when she fled for her life. Born in the city of Haifa, Khaled was one of nearly a million victims of the 1948 Nakba—the systematic expulsion of Palestinians from their land.
Berta Caceres — killed for defending the planet
Fearless land defender and tireless fighter for indigenous rights Berta Caceres was defiant until the end. Born in 1971 in the city of La Esperanza, Honduras, she was assassinated at just 44 years old. She was a victim of the lengths the rich will go to dominate our natural world.
Marie Equi — women’s champion, class warrior
“Queen of the Bolsheviks” and “most hated woman in the northwest” were names earned by American revolutionary doctor and fighter for women’s rights Marie Equi.
Nyakasikana — the women who took on empire
Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana was the spiritual leader and fighter against British colonialism in what is now known as Zimbabwe.
Constance Markievicz fought against British rule with a gun
Pauline Leon—a radical ready to die for revolution
The militant and radical Pauline Leon battled for women’s equality in the 1789 French Revolution.
If you want to find out more about the radical roots of International Women’s Day (IWD), you should read Russian revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai’s article from 1920 where she describes how it was founded “in the campaign for the political equality of women and the struggle for socialism.”
It’s available on the Marxist Internet Archive.
The Socialist Workers Party hosted a day school on IWD in 2023 with meetings ranging from Ain’t I a woman: race, class and sexism to Abortion Wars: why to the right attack reproductive rights? You can watch some of the meetings on our YouTube channel, SWP TV.
This pamphlet offers an explanation for why sexism continues to exist. It explores how Marxism can help us understand why women’s oppression remains entrenched in society. And it discusses why gains such as abortion and reproductive rights are now under attack.
Marxist theory is used as a framework to understand the growth in sexism online, and the question of sex work. The question of why institutions like the police perpetuate some of the worse instances of misogyny is considered. Wider issues of oppression such as racism are examined and how they intersect with sexism are explored.
Ultimately it argues that sexism, like all oppressions, is structured into society. But for socialists, the challenge isn’t just to read and understand, important though that is. The goal remains challenging and smashing the sexist system entirely.
You can buy it from the Socialist Worker shop
Thousands of residents in London have been without water for months
The climate crisis is impossible to ignore
The human cost of the heatwaves are higher than the temperature
Divide and rule was used to undermine struggle
