Dr Bianca Joseph
03 Oct 2024
Women’s Day allows us to pause and think about the various impact women have had and still have in our society. During our reflection of the work we are currently involved in and passionate about, three outstanding women came to mind: Professor Ronelle Carolissen, Elana Meyer and Caroline Peters. Professor Ronelle Carolissen is a clinical psychologist, author and professor in the Psychology Department at Stellenbosch University. Elana Meyer is a South African Olympic long-distance athlete. Caroline Peters is the executive director at the CALLAS Foundation, as well as an award-winning activist against gender-based violence.
On the 9th of August 1956, thousands of women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest the restriction of movement of black women by the apartheid government. Hence, this date is reserved as Women’s Day where we celebrate women taking up space in their communities and workplaces. Empowering, equipping and providing opportunities to women to grow and excel should be a daily priority along with celebrating the contributions of women.
I, Imanuella, chose to highlight Caroline Peters. Caroline, fondly called “aunty Caroline” by community members, formally established the CALLAS Foundation in 2018. She has, however, been active in several communities for over thirty years providing access to opportunities and resources to those most in need. The CALLAS Foundation is a well-known place of safety in the Bridgetown community in Athlone. The foundation takes a holistic approach and provides psychosocial support to victims of gender-based violence (GBV), through counselling, guidance through the court systems for GBV – victims, and training for GBV ambassadors and first responders. Caroline is also the founder of the Nantes Athletic Club in Bridgetown. Caroline’s journey and personal story is a beautiful illustration of how pain can be turned into a source of strength, safety and hope for those around us. We hope to soon bring you her full story on Coffee with Bee.
I Bianca, chose to highlight two women who represent areas that I am passionate about. Ronelle Carolissen was my supervisor for both my Masters, and PhD degree. I wrote a blog on her previously, trying to illustrate how she paved the way for my academic career, but that blog was somewhat of a miss and did not really honour her as was intended.
Ronelle is an amazing human being and a formidable academic. She holds the 2016 Psychological Association of South Africa award for excellence on teaching psychology in higher education and is the president-elect of the Psychological Association of South Africa, added to this she is also the chief editor of the journal, Psychology in Society. She has taken me along exploring notions of belonging and citizenship. Her research on these topics including critical community and decolonising understanding of teaching, has been widely published. She has been a mirror to many proving what is possible and has been committed to helping others reach their goals.
I used to participate in long distance running. I remember being part of the last group of runners to finish the Cape Town Marathon within the allocated time. Being last meant that I was greeted by Elana Meyer at the finish line. It felt like a win.
Elana won the silver medal for the 10, 000m race at the 1992, Barcelona Olympic Games. This was South Africa’s first time participating in the Olympic Games since 1960 after being banned from participating in international sporting events. Elana' s victory lap with gold medallist, Derartu Tulu, from Ethiopia and the first African to win the race, broadcast hope, unity and a new dawn for South Africa. A symbolic act that will stay with us for years to come. Today she is the Co-Director of the South African Endurance Academy, a non-profit organisation that offers sports management solutions for aspiring athletes.
We salute these and all women who show up for themselves, their fields, their communities and the generations to come. Thank you for inspiring us.