FEMMY for Ms. Congeniality: Kutztown FMLA

For their consistent commitment to serving the Kutztown community and women across Pennsylvania, the FEMMY for "Ms. Congeniality" goes to Kutztown University's Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance.

Before 2008, I didn't know Kutztown, PA existed. Then when I joined FMF 2 years ago as a national campus organizer, our president Ellie was quick to sing the praises of the Kutztown University FMLA.

KU is a medium sized public university about an hour from Philly and Harrisburg. Ellie likes to emphasize Kutztown's roots as a teachers college - an empowering place for feminists to learn and change the world.

The FMLA, led by junior Caitlin Smith, is unabashedly political and does great work advocating for women on campus and in the community year after year. Caitlin, Jesse, and all of the FMLAers are the next generation of leaders for the feminist movement, and I know they will be lifelong activists from whom we can expect big things.

Their list of accomplishments is too long to list - the abridged version includes...

• Bringing iconic feminist Gloria Steinem to campus
• Successfully petitioning the campus president to reinstate sexual orientation in the campus nondiscrimination policy
• Contacting their senators to advocate for health care insurance reform
• Sending a delegation of 8 students to FMF's National Young Feminist Leadership Conference
  
• Pay equity bake sales
• Earth Day festivities
• Take Back the Night & Clothesline Project
• Vagina Monologues
  
• Love Your Body Day bra sizing, tshirts and posters
  
• and much more!

It's been my privilege to work with the FMLA, and I can't wait to see the things they'll accomplish next.

This article was featured in our May 2010 monthly Choices eZine. Sign up for our alerts to stay up-to-date with the latest feminist news and to receive the monthly eZine.

Countering Antis on Campus

If you organize around choice, you've probably encountered resistance from anti-choice activists. FMF receives quite a few calls and e-mails from antis, but generally it doesn't bother us. Our receptionist Danielle is always polite and adroit at handling angry callers, and she really deserves a medal for her patience.

We recently heard from the Kutztown University FMLA after they received anti-choice e-mails criticizing their work and the KU Women's Center's materials on choice. The e-mail author said she would work to "shut down" the Women's Center, so the FMLA decided to notify campus offices and the administration to ensure the university would be fully prepared to respond to any further threats.

Jesse, the Kutztown FMLA president, e-mailed me to let me know how they handled the situation. I thought they did a great job, and encouraged him to share their experience on our blog. I really liked one strategy he mentioned where they held maroon and gold KU umbrellas in front of the antis to create a buffer between the protesters and students.

If your group has encountered similar opposition and developed successful strategies for addressing anti-choice opposition, comment below or e-mail campusteam@feminist.org. We always emphasize a nonviolent, non-confrontational response, and the KU FMLA's experience is a great example.

If you or your group ever receive threats of violence, report it to local and campus police immediately. If they do not respond appropriately, contact FMF's National Center for Women and Policing. Margie Moore, the center's director, is a great resource, and you can reach her at 703-522-2214.

Responding to the Anti-Choice Movement

Guest post by Jesse Michener, Kutztown University

Over the past few years, FMLA at Kutztown University has confronted a vocal anti-choice minority on our campus, in our community and in our nation. Three years ago we had a group of anti-choice and homophobic protesters show up on our campus. We did not have time to plan a coordinated response, and we did not respond effectively.

Students gathered to counter protest. Everyone was angry, and the protesters got the response they were looking for. If there is one thing I learned from the time I have spent volunteering at abortion providers, it is that the antis, for the most part, are looking for a reaction; they are trying to upset people. So as time progressed and we realized that our campus was being targeted by anti-choice and anti-LGBTQ protesters, we decided to find a way of effectively responding.

Diversity groups came together from across campus and formed the Silent Witness Safety Response Team. We received training on how to create a buffer between students and protesters in a non-confrontational way. This allowed students to be able to walk freely back and forth across campus and not feel as though they were being attacked (to learn more about Silent Witness, visit http://www.silentwitnesspa.org).

We had organizations on campus offer safe places for students to go while the protesters were on campus in order to talk about their emotions, and we had other groups hand out pins that said “Hate is Not a KU Value.” The antis ended up bringing KU students together and helped social justice groups on our campus learn to work together.

But that wasn’t the only time that we have been confronted with anti-choice protesters. During our Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics, a national movement sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation, we had anti-choice community members show up at our meetings.

We had our tables defaced; we learned that when that happens, we have to report the incident to Student Government. We received e-mails from antis; we learned to turn them over to our Women’s Center, Chief of Public Safety and Police Services, and other university officials. During our Roe v. Wade celebrations, we had anti-choice protesters show up at our event; we learned to meet with our Public Safety officials before events to ensure everyone’s safety.

Throughout our experience, we have found that the best action we can take when reacting to the antis is to avoid confrontation. Instead, we focus on supporting the people that they are attacking and the pro-choice work we do. We have used the anti-choice attacks to build stronger relationships with social justice organizations on our campus and build strong bonds with other students.