Monday at Midday #mondayatmidday

What if we all took one small step every Monday to speak up to the patriarchy?

(And white supremacy, ableism, ageism, transphobia, homophobia, classism, and colonialism.)

Welcome to Monday at Midday.

The idea at Monday at Midday is simple; consistent, collective advocacy creates significant social change.

What if we could all come together, coordinating and recording our efforts, with a focus on raising awareness about structural inequality? What might we achieve in just one year, one decade, one generation?

Monday at Midday is the advocacy arm of the School of Visibility. It's a chance to practice speaking up about inequality in your home workplace, industry, community, or country.

Our aim is to provide you with the tools you need to provoke a reconsideration of the status quo, to practice taking up space, and to keep putting forward the perspectives of the diverse majority.

Why Mondays and why midday?

This was inspired by a march I attended in early 2021, organised by the Women's March 4 Justice. It happened on Monday at midday and as I walked through the crowd, I saw a sign that said, 'On Mondays we Smash the Patriarchy'.

It got me wondering; how might we tangibly do that every week?

Two nights later I woke in the middle of the night to the words; #mondayatmidday. I saw that a simple question - What are you doing on Monday at midday? - might serve to keep us collectively motivated and focused on the task at hand.

Resources and inspiration

We've some images for you to share on social media to raise awareness and/or start a conversation. (And are developing more in the coming months so be sure to check back for them.) And for those who prefer to communicate with placards or with a well-penned letter, we have some inspiration for you too!

Click on the images below for more.

Get Involved

STEP 1: Come on over to our FB Group Women Speaking Up so you can stay up to date with all the Monday at Midday information and connect with other people participating. If you're unsure what action to take, you'll find a weekly prompt inside the Women Speaking Up group which outlines a simple, practical action you can take that week to get involved.

STEP 2: If you're starting an initiative we should know about, please complete the survey on this page. We'll then add your details to the Monday at Midday website so other people can find you and get involved.

STEP 3: Whatever action you take, if you use the hashtag #mondayatmidday we'll find you and start collating the initiatives happening globally to inspire others to join in and eliminate violence against women once and for all.

And finally, a word about self-care

As you speak up and connect to the collective voice saying #enoughisenough you’ll likely have moments that feel really unsteady.

You might feel triggered by other people’s stories and experiences.

You might feel enraged, sad, despairing, cynical.

You might feel inspired and ready to fight.

All is welcome.

This is a collective rising.

It’s not any single person’s responsibility to ‘make it happen’.

That means you don’t have to be out there, using your voice, creating change all the time. You are, however, being called to participate and to recognise that the wave of change is happening now.

So when you feel the pull to use your voice, step into the collective embrace of womanhood and take your turn. Speak loudly and let yourself be seen. Then you can rest back into the arms of the collective as you allow another to step forward and take her turn.

This is how we’ll keep the momentum going until we see the change we seek.

This is how we’ll ensure all are cared for and that all stories, all voices, all experiences are shared.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my initiative only involves a few people? Should I still submit my information?

Of course. All initiatives and all efforts are valuable and welcome. You may even have started an initiative that doesn't involve anyone but yourself. We are still very interested in hearing from you. Your willingness to share your actions or ideas might be just the inspiration another person needs to do something similar in their own life. Please complete the survey here so we can find out more about what you're doing.

Does it matter if my initiative doesn't happen on Mondays at midday?

No. Any day of the week (and any time of the day) is fine. We simply use the idea of Monday at midday as a way to remind ourselves to take action every week and to coordinate people's social media posts to create a collective impact.

Who's behind Monday at Midday?

That'd be me! Samantha Nolan-Smith. I'm the CEO and founder of the School of Visibility, an online school for women who want to speak up, use their voices, and create a positive impact in the world. You can find out more about The School of Visibility right here.