Van Joke Smit naar Gloria Wekker en Angela Maas, tot onze eigen Mariah
Header by Elise Mesner
Last week the Joke Smit award was presented, an award for the emancipation of women in the Netherlands. But who was Joke Smit? Who is this year’s winner and who were the other nominees?
The Joke Smit award is a prize awarded by the Dutch government to a person or initiative that has made or has made a successful, fundamental contribution to the position of women in Dutch society. The award is an encouragement to continue this exemplary role.
Joke Smit
This award is named after Joke Smit (1933-1981). Joke Smit was a journalist, teacher and feminist. The article ‘Het onbehagen van de vrouw’ that she published in 1967 was seen as the beginning of the Second Feminist Wave.
Joke Smit has had a great influence on the emancipation of women to this day. She is seen as one of the founding mothers of the Second Feminist Wave.
Her position was that women should be independent and able to continue to develop.
‘That the woman would become a free person, that she would realize her potential as much as possible and that she would become a full-fledged member of society.’ – Joke Smit
Mariah Mansvelt-Beck
Our Mariah was nominated for the Joke Smit prize, because Yoni believes that all women have the right to know what their tampons and sanitary towels are made of .
By setting up Yoni together with Wendelien, they wanted to make women aware of the choices they make. Unfortunately, our Mariah did not win, but of course we are very proud of her and all the other nominees.
Gloria Alarm Clock
The one who won the prize last week this year is Gloria Wekker . She was chosen because of her long-term struggle to improve the position of black women in the Netherlands.
Gloria Wekker is a professor of gender and ethnicity. In 2016 she wrote the book White Innocence , which is about the ‘cultural archive’ in which she states that white Dutch people have an ingrained way of thinking, resulting from colonialism. With this book she denounces racism.
‘A way of thinking and feeling has developed over the past 400 years from which we must escape.’ – Gloria Wekker
‘According to the jury, she has made a crucial contribution to teaching and encouraging students, journalists, activists and others interested in the field of gender and ethnicity. She made it concrete and at the same time raised the academic and social debate on this to a higher level.’
The outcome of the prize was met with considerable criticism , with Theodor Holman stating in the Parool that Angela Maas should perhaps have been the winner.
Angela Maas
Second was Angela Maas, professor of cardiology and feminist. She discovered that the symptoms of heart failure occur differently in women than in men. She is committed to more research into women. And with that, she too, has made a very good contribution to Dutch society.
Whoever the winner of the prize is, we all agree that everyone should have the same rights and opportunities. And Joke Smit, Gloria Wekker, Angela Maas and Mariah Mansvelt-Beck have all contributed to that.
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