“I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be bought.”

By Aiden Jewelle Gonzales

As we approach International Women’s Day this 8th March, the spotlight is falling on women in leadership who are working to achieve ‘an equal future in a COVID-19 world.’ However, beyond just the big names in business are the women who are working tirelessly behind the scenes to enact lasting change that will affect the livelihoods of millions of people. This month, TIME Magazine has chosen to highlight a few such women, who have been at the forefront of the Indian Farmer’s Protests over the last few months. The demonstrations have been against three farm acts passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020, which the majority of the country has described as ‘anti-farmer acts’.

TIME’s cover feature, titled, “I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be bought,” follows the story of the women who refused to leave the protests after the government asked them, together with the elderly protestors, to go home at the onset of winter in Delhi. Mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, these women responded with even more determination, with many camping at the protest sites for months. One was quoted as saying, “Something snapped within us…Why should we go back? This is not just the men’s protest. We toil in the fields alongside the men. Who are we—if not farmers?”

To read more about these women’s bravery and resolve, visit the original article here.