STROIKA had the honor of joining Everyday Authoritarianism and Human Rights: Comparative and Transnational Lessons -- a global convening organized by Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee, bringing together Nobel Laureates, movement leaders, journalists, and scholars from across the world. On the panel “Lessons from Frontline Activists and in the Face of Repression,”  our co-founder Yelena Litvinov joined Tawakkol Karman, Cristina Jiménez Moreta, and moderator Nermeen Shaikh to reflect on solidarity and courage in authoritarian times.

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“If there is one single lesson to take away from global experience and our own history in the U.S., our own history globally, it is that this is not the time to freeze up," Yelena shared. "We know an attack on one is an attack on everyone -- we know all the catchphrases -- but there’s a real action and agency that solidarity requires. It requires not shying away from the fear and the grief. We should feel the grief and let it compel us into action: to stand up for each other, to stand up for our communities, to keep pushing back and saying that a better world is possible.”