By Jess McCabe | 23 September 2008, 13:41

Is feminism reaching women of colour? How about women who didn’t go to university, teenage mums, or women who do not have access to the internet? Annika Spalding calls for change

I consider myself a feminist.

I have values and beliefs which I share with some of you who are reading this, I hope.

When I ‘discovered’ feminism, I was bowled over by the fact that so many women thought the way I did. Okay, we all differ in some ways, but we are all feminists nonetheless.

Earlier this year, I had the most wonderful day of my life. I marched with over 4,000 women in London, to protest against violence against women and children. The Million Women Rise march was attended by so many different kinds of woman, all uniting for the same reasons; because we believe we are oppressed. It was a fantastic day - the feeling of unity and euphoria is not one I have experienced before, but I hope to feel it again. I came away feeling positive for the future, and as women, we can make a change.

Then came the FEM08 conference, which I attended with my friends and feminist group. I was really excited about it. The workshops were fantastic, but I wish I could have attended all of them. (Not enough time in the day, if you ask me.) What I did feel disappointed by was the fact I felt like I stood out a bit. There weren’t many faces of colour; not many Black or Asian or Mixed race or anything women. When it came to filling in the monitoring form, there wasn’t even a box for me to tick! I felt like I hadn’t been considered, I hadn’t been counted, instead I’d been overlooked.

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