We are seeing a wave of rights rollbacks—from the repeal of Roe v. Wade in the United States to systematic rights violations in Afghanistan to attacks on trans rights globally. Yet, even these same countries, along with a host of corporates and influencers, profess to prioritize gender equality. What is one to do with these consistent juxtapositions?

In The Everyday Feminist: The Key to Sustainable Social Impact–Driving Movements We Need Now, I tell the stories of grassroots activists, or “everyday feminists” who are powering social change and demanding that reality match the rhetoric on gender equality.

Grassroots feminists are loudly standing up like never before, joining the protests in Iran or saying “me too” worldwide. These grassroots activists and movements are one of the most effective levers for progress on gender justice as well as other social issues—but they and their work are often overlooked.

It shouldn’t be this way.

Everyday feminists are often Black, Indigenous, and other people of color who began their activism without ties to an organization. They are uniquely positioned to come up with solutions because they have direct experience with the issues at hand.

Everyday feminists represent their communities in struggles for justice, equality, and transformational social change using their voice and other personal resources. They are relatable and perfectly imperfect in a way that makes them human. They are not the once-in-a-generation, lightning-in-a-bottle charismatic leader. Rather, they are mostly ordinary people with extraordinary passion and commitment working toward lasting transformational change. Everyday feminists lead movement work and drive the emergence, growth, and maintenance of social movements. They are the ones who show up, push forward, and who get the hard stuff done. They can be from any sector, and they work toward justice for all genders, as the excerpt below shows.

Read the full article about gender equity for men by Latanya Mapp Frett at Stanford Social Innovation Review.