What We Want You to Understand About Belarusian Women Diaspora Activists
What We Want You to Understand About Belarusian Women Diaspora Activists
We have been doing Belarusian women diaspora activism for years. Some of us for decades. Recently, we also began to study it more systematically.
Can we share a few things we’ve learned?
- Activism in diaspora is absolutely essential.
In our home countries, we often outsource identity to institutions. Schools teach history and literature. Museums present heritage. Public holidays, cultural events, and state-funded initiatives help maintain a shared sense of who we are.
Even in Belarus — where national identity is often suppressed — some of this infrastructure still exists.
In diaspora, it disappears.
You are expected to adapt to a new country, learn a new language, build a new life. There is an existing infrastructure you can join — but not necessarily one that supports your own identity.
And building that from scratch, on top of everything else, is a lot.
Very often, too much.
And this is where activists come in.
- Yes, women activists often carry more
Even before activism, migration is a lot: learning new systems, preparing documents, working jobs that may not match your qualifications, navigating uncertainty.
On top of that, women statistically carry more unpaid domestic labour — care work, household work, emotional support.
This is not abstract. This is daily reality.
And yet, despite having less time and more responsibilities, women continue to create initiatives, organise communities, and support others.
- Patriarchy is still very much present
Women-led initiatives are often underestimated.
In our community, this can look like: • less trust in women’s projects • lower or no pay for their work • lack of recognition • the expectation that work related to care, crafts, or children is “natural” and therefore not real labour • criticism shaped by stereotypes about women being “too emotional” • and, sometimes, comments about appearance that have nothing to do with the work itself
This is not unique to our community — but it is something we need to acknowledge if we want to build something better.
- Activism does not have to be huge to matter
Activism often begins with a desire to change something in your community.
In the Belarusian diaspora, there are countless things that need attention — and that can feel overwhelming very quickly.
This is a direct path to burnout.
But activism does not have to be large-scale to be meaningful.
A small group, a regular meeting, a single initiative — these things matter.
They create connections. They hold identity. They make space.
And sometimes, that is already a lot.
Please support women activists - come to their event, pay for their work, say a good word if you like their work. Oh, and if you’re a woman activist yourself - don’t forget to support yourself. We are rooting for you.