Commemorative justice isn’t just about equality, it’s about justice. It’s a way of correcting the record. For many marginalised people, their histories and achievements have been deliberately subjugated in order to uphold an unjust status quo. Commemorative Justice is about changing this and telling the true story of our public places, who shaped them, and who continues to shape them.
For many women in Victoria, the only place they see themselves in public spaces is in advertising designed to drive consumption, while seeing mostly men’s faces and names commemorated by the public and community as agents of historical change. Changing public places, to recognise the true histories and stories of women in this state is about changing the story of our public.
The Put Her Name On It project recognises that within the feminist and gender equality movement there has been historic erasure of the stories and achievements of First Nations people. A strong commemorative justice movement must acknowledge and recognise the stories of First Nations women, whose stories and achievements have long been erased from the history of Victoria. Our gender equal future depends on addressing the falsehoods of our past.
Whilst advocating for change in the discriminatory gender imbalance that exists in public place naming and commemoration the Put Her Name on it Campaign will champion an intersectional approach to ensure the stories and names of all women, cis and trans be represented. We also recognise the important place gender diverse people who exist outside the binary have in feminist histories, and endeavour to ensure their stories are told.