Julianna Glasse was joined by powerhouse guests such as Fashion Designer Cynthia Rowley and Founder and CEO of maude, Éva Goicochea and many more at the New York Public library for the inaugural reception of This Is What Happens When Women Read (TIWHWWR), a bold new organization dedicated to liberating women from oppressive extremism worldwide through the transformative power of literature.
At the event, Julianna shared the deeply personal, lived experiences which led her to creating TIWHWWR, “"For 33 years I was indoctrinated into a religion that told me who to be, what to believe, and how to live my life in a way that would press forward the cause of this religion. The daughter of a pastor, the submissive wife to my spiritual leader, a Christian singer, author, and teacher to millions of women -- my entire world was thrown into an upheaval when I tripped upon the philosophical works of Plato. Ideologies and dogmas I had once held with certitude began bending into question marks. The formidable foundation of my theological beliefs fissured and shifted. The container through which I saw the entire World cracked and allowed light to illuminate a path forward out of indoctrination and towards my liberation. A liberation through literature."
On the organization's mission, Julianna stated, “We’re here to liberate millions of women. Millions of women who are told they don’t deserve an education. Millions of women who are still restricted in what they can and cannot read. Millions of women who hide their books for fear of being discovered. We will inspire them. We will expose them to the greatest, most expansive minds in history. We will introduce them to their true selves. We will connect them to other women in pursuit of their own full and flourishing lives.”
Providing details on how TIWHWWR will work to fulfill its mission, she continued, “Here’s how we’re going to do it. First, we’re partnering with Oxford University to create a scholarship for women who are leaving religious extremism or who have an interest in feminism and religion. Second, we’re putting together a curriculum to help women re-create meaning in their lives after religion. When you leave the container of religion, you feel stripped of community and belonging. You’re seeking a new system of meaning. We’re working with a team at Berkeley — including Dr. Rulik Perla, using psychology, meditation, poetry, and stories to help women build the free and joyful lives that await them. Third, we’re creating community. I’ll be bringing women together to share their stories, so the world can see how religion has been weaponized.”
Julianna concluded with powerful remarks on how literature contributes to dismantling oppression, “It all starts with a book. We read to free ourselves. To question. To self-educate. To unlearn. To stop judging. To rethink, reclaim, and restore. You may have heard that books are dangerous. They sure are. They’re dangerous to what limits us. They’re dangerous to taboos and stereotypes and indefensible traditions. This is a good danger and we’re bringing it to every woman worldwide who wants to escape the box she was put in by oppressive religious systems”
Image credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
