SULAYMANIYAH, Kurdistan Region, Iraq — Sixty people turned out here Mar. 30 for a lively discussion and debate on the struggle for women’s emancipation, hosted by two local youth groups, Tema and Nova. Alyson Kennedy, the 2016 Socialist Workers Party’s candidate for president of the United States and its candidate in this year’s election for mayor of Dallas, spoke on the roots of women’s oppression and a working-class road forward.
Kennedy drew on her past experience in coal miners’ battles and other social struggles, as well as her political work discussing the party’s program and activity with working people in Dallas and surrounding towns and rural areas. She was joined by Dashne Nariman, who spoke about the challenges of the fight for women’s rights today in Kurdistan and Iraq.
Savan Ako, speaking above, welcomed meeting participants on behalf of the organizers. “We want to give a different reading on women’s issues than the ones before in south Kurdistan,” she said. “We believe that women’s emancipation can’t come true unless men and women work together on ending the capitalist system.”