It's International Women's Day, and Allison Russell has released a fittingly timed remix of "All of the Women," which originally appeared on her 2021 solo debut Outside Child.
The remix was produced by dim star and features a verse from Atlanta-based rapper Sa-Roc. The song chronicles Russell's experiences as a healthcare worker in Vancouver, honouring the women she met working the frontlines.
In a statement about "All of the Women," Russell said:
I had a day job when I lived out West. I was a front-line mental health worker for almost 7 years in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver (aka DTES, the poorest postal code, heart of the homelessness crisis and fentanyl/opioid crisis in Canada), from 19 until I was 26. I worked for two harm reduction initiatives- the PHS - a low threshold housing society, and Insite - the first ever safe injection site in North America. Most of our residents/participants were dual diagnosis- addiction, and mental health.
Many of the women in our community had histories and stories akin to mine. I was constantly afraid for the women working in the sex trade especially- I moved to Vancouver amidst the ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis- now understood to be on the level of Genocide - that was belatedly only semi-addressed by law-enforcement. It is more perilous to be a woman in every culture and society.
We are seeing the devastating overlap between #blacklivesmatter, #blacktranslivesmatter and #mmiwg today. BIPOC women are leading the way out of bigotry and into true equality. Shirley was luminous and so kind to me as I got to know the parameters of my caregiving jobs, and the complex and close-knit community that I served and came to love and identify with deeply. She was indomitable and I miss her.
dim star's remix adds some droning low-end heft to Russell's haunting original, and you can listen below.
The remix was produced by dim star and features a verse from Atlanta-based rapper Sa-Roc. The song chronicles Russell's experiences as a healthcare worker in Vancouver, honouring the women she met working the frontlines.
In a statement about "All of the Women," Russell said:
I had a day job when I lived out West. I was a front-line mental health worker for almost 7 years in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver (aka DTES, the poorest postal code, heart of the homelessness crisis and fentanyl/opioid crisis in Canada), from 19 until I was 26. I worked for two harm reduction initiatives- the PHS - a low threshold housing society, and Insite - the first ever safe injection site in North America. Most of our residents/participants were dual diagnosis- addiction, and mental health.
Many of the women in our community had histories and stories akin to mine. I was constantly afraid for the women working in the sex trade especially- I moved to Vancouver amidst the ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis- now understood to be on the level of Genocide - that was belatedly only semi-addressed by law-enforcement. It is more perilous to be a woman in every culture and society.
We are seeing the devastating overlap between #blacklivesmatter, #blacktranslivesmatter and #mmiwg today. BIPOC women are leading the way out of bigotry and into true equality. Shirley was luminous and so kind to me as I got to know the parameters of my caregiving jobs, and the complex and close-knit community that I served and came to love and identify with deeply. She was indomitable and I miss her.
dim star's remix adds some droning low-end heft to Russell's haunting original, and you can listen below.
