“Białczi na placu: A report on women’s activism in Kashubia,” authored by Sulisława Borowska, Karolina Ciechorska-Kulesza, and Ewelina Stefańska, consists of two main parts: 1. Women’s activism in Kashubia and 2. Reflections of women activists in Kashubia.

Seventeen women activists from Kashubia were invited to collaborate on the report and commented on their activities, sharing their insights.

This report seeks to provide an overview of contemporary social and civic activism of women in Kashubia. It discusses what unites them, but also what differentiates them, enriches them, and guides change. For the authors, the voice of women is the essence of this document.

The first part, discussing women’s activism in Kashubia, begins with a brief review of research on women in Kashubia, their social roles, and their activity in both family and public environments. This refers to the post-war period (when research indicates women’s important, often decisive, voice in the Kashubian family), the end of the 20th century (when women’s presence in the public sphere became more pronounced) and the beginning of the 20th century (when, according to Kashubian women, the power structure within the family was slowly moving toward partnership).

The next section contains an account of women’s participation in local government in selected local governments in Kashubia and the following one discusses women’s participation in the governance of Kashubian organizations: the Kashubian-Pomeranian Association and “Kaszëbsczi Jednoce.”

The second part of the report is the most extensive. It presents the diverse activity of women involved in non-governmental organizations and informal groups in Kashubia. Here, the women themselves, the subjects of the report, speak: Dominika Biekisz-Olejnik, Agnieszka Bronk, Katarzyna Byczkowska, Aleksandra Cieszyńska, Agnieszka Gleinert-Pobłocka, Magdalena Januszczyk-Łabacka, Witosława Koprowska, Karolina Kozakiewicz, Magdalena Krause-Kolasa, Joanna Kreft, Grażyna Majkowska, Anna Miszczak, Aleksandra Nemś, Aleksandra Ochocka, Alicja Serkowska, Kinga Szulc, and Justyna Wnuk-Lipińska.

The statements of the women in the report were organized according to specific themes. In the first part, they were asked to answer questions about themselves [e.g., what does Kashubian identity mean to you? – here, they responded with varying or similar answers: roots, origins, people, culture, language, family, regional identity, pride, the beauty of tradition, values, a sense of security, “my home”]. Then, they were asked to outline the organization in which they work. Their statements included a variety of references: artistic, cultural, social, educational, and related to tolerance towards LGBTQ+ people. Another request was for them to formulate proposals addressed to women activists. The report also asks about the perception of Kashubian identity from the perspective of the protagonists’ activism. Here, they commented on the need to cultivate tradition and work to promote an active community.

The work of activists, animators, and leaders is resulting in change. Their efforts manifest themselves in ways that empower other women – drawing them out of their homes, encouraging them to engage in community work and strengthening their initiatives. Women activists, striving to reach out to diverse women, are focused on connecting and finding common paths to understanding. The novelty lies in the fact that alongside active women, supportive and cooperative men are emerging.

The report’s authors emphasize that cultural changes are not occurring abruptly. They are being implemented in a way that makes them easier to put into practice.