Ms. Magazine: Reclaim the Name

This last week, Natalie Hart wrote a post about Reclaim The Name, a project she undertook in school to replace “I’m not a feminist but…” with “I am a feminist because…” Natalie notes that her idea behind the campaign was to:

"remove any damning myths associated with the feminist movement by coming out, loud and proud, about the reality of what being a feminist really means."

Natalie, we couldn’t agree more with you.

Here at Ms., we want people to feel comfortable identifying as a feminist. Our strength is in numbers and in sisterhood–and our silence about feminism will only strengthen those who oppose our feminist ideals.

We wanted you to know why we are feminists. So we will be posting a few videos of the Ms. and Feminist Majority staff telling you some of the many reasons why we are feminists.

And we want your story too!

Send your videos to msreclaimthename@gmail.com telling us why you are a feminist. We will post some of the submissions here on the blog, and the others will go up on our YouTube page. If you’re an individual, your video should be no more than two minutes long; if you have done a group video, keep it to no more than 4 minutes.

We’ll start with some of our stories, then we look forward to yours!



Cross posted with permission from Ms. Magazine blog.

The Year of the Woman?

Ellie Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority, FMF's sister organization, was featured on NPR's Tell Me More this morning to discuss the recent midterm election and the role of women. Listen in and share your thoughts on last week's election.

Sesame Street: I Love My Hair

From the great folks at Sesame Street. An early morning pick up for the pre-schooler in all of us to enjoy.

Cross-post: Feminism…the other “F” word?

I asked one of our newest FMLA leaders, Sara Alcid, to share a post on feminism at a women's college that was featured on Bryn Mawr College's blog series celebrating BMC's 125th anniversary. Sara also writes about feminism and gender on her blog Genderead.

Originally posted September 20, 2010

Welcome to Sara’s Scholarly Musings! Sara Alcid is a Bryn Mawr senior majoring in Political Science and minoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies. She’ll be posting her reflections on the themes and events of the College’s 125th Anniversary and providing a current student’s perspective on Bold Vision. For Women. For the World.

Although I am biased, I think students at the Seven Sisters colleges carry their heads high and possess an intellectual and social confidence that I am yet to discover elsewhere. Quite frankly, we are empowered women and the face of the modern feminism. I embrace this role wholeheartedly and endlessly appreciate the way my world view has evolved since enrolling at Bryn Mawr.

While there are certainly drawbacks to being a feminist in a male-glorified world, I would feel that I were cheapening my growth as a Bryn Mawr woman if I masked my empowerment in order to perform a “patriarchal bargain.” Feminist scholar, Deniz Kandiyoti, coined the phrase “patriarchal bargain” to describe instances of men and women’s acquiescence with traditional gender roles in order to avoid the societal punishment that often comes with deviating from these roles.

Despite the fact that the atmosphere at Bryn Mawr is geared toward feminism, the term carries just as much stigma as anywhere else. Although I am certain that the vast majority of students stand for the goals and beliefs of feminism, many are hesitant to deem themselves feminists.

I have some ideas as to why this is the case, but I want to hear from current students and alumnae. Do you think some students come to resent feminism because they feel bombarded by its messages at Bryn Mawr; do “that’s hetero-normative” or “that’s gender-normative” sound a bit too familiar? Do you think there is a fear of being negatively judged for being a feminist by prospective romantic partners? Or does it come down to career prospects—a reluctance to add feminist extracurricular activities to one’s resume or gender studies courses to one’s transcript? Or perhaps you have had an experience with feminism at Bryn Mawr that parallels mine, in that you embrace it and are proud of it.

Bryn Mawr’s new Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance chapter, or Fem-Co. as it was recently renamed, will be setting up a photo booth outside of the campus center this week during lunch hours where students, faculty, and staff can have their picture taken with a “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” sign. Fem-Co. is hoping to begin to break down the stigma and stereotypes surrounding feminism on campus with this photo campaign. Hope to see you there!

-Sara Alcid, President of Fem-Co.

Voting Is a Feminist Issue!

Elections are frequently won by tiny margins and the mobilization of students-especially young women-has the potential to change the political landscape drastically. Young people, especially young women, have important rights at stake in this 2010 midterm election. The stakes are high which means it is even more imperative that we exercise our right to vote! Voting is a feminist issue because we are disproportionately under-represented in all levels of government. Even though women are 51% of the population, they hold 17% of the seats in the U.S. Congress. Only 5% of U.S. House seats are held by women of color, and there are no women of color in the U.S. Senate. The picture in our state legislatures is better, but still dismal: women today hold only 24% of state legislative seats nationwide. At the current rate of gain for women in elective office, it will take over 200 years to achieve parity with men in Congress.

Not only is it necessary for us to go out and vote this coming November, but increasing voter participation among young women has the power to transform politics. Everything from abortion rights, the environment, educational loans, immigration reform and LGBTQ civil rights are going to be determined by who we elect into office. Women, between the ages of 18-24, have consistently voted less than any other age group: it’s time to change these numbers!

Your Vote Counts! Young women need to register, vote, and run for government in record numbers. Underrepresentation begins in student governments, so run for office on your campus and Get Out HER Vote this fall!

This was post was featured in the September 2010 campus eZine. To join our mailing list, sign up here.

Sufferin' until Suffrage

In case you couldn't tell by the plethora of yard signs or TV ads, we're in an election year, folks. Many states have keys races and measures on the ballot this year that will deeply impact your lives and your future. This fall, the Feminist Majority Foundation will return to college campuses with our Get Out HER Vote Campaign, to encourage young women to register to vote, to become informed on the issues, and pledge to cast your vote (along with all your friends) on November 2!

For many of us (now full fledged politicos) our first introduction to politics was from the catchy tunes of School House Rock. (Yes, I'm only a bill, and I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill...) To celebrate the recent 90th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment and to pay homage to our SHR mentors, turn back the clock and remember the time when we were "sufferin' until suffrage" and pledge to vote this Fall.

"Then the 19th Amendment struck down that restrictive rule. (Oh yeah!)
And now we pull down on the lever,
Cast our ballots and we endeavor
To improve our country, state, county, town, and school."

Vote on, sisters!

Women's Suffrage: A privilege, not a drag

This year's rapidly approaching Women's Equality Day, August 26th, provides an interesting means of reflection. Looking back over ninety of the most eventful years of human history, it is incredible to see what women have accomplished. Women in science, politics, literature, journalism, business, and a multitude of other professions have without question changed the world, and advanced human understanding to an incredible amount. When one considers all that has happened as result of women, it is hard to believe that just ninety years ago, women did not even have the right to vote.

The fight for suffrage is a famous one, yet many do not know the degree to which women were terrorized, tortured, and endangered as result of their conviction, their collective quest for political voice. Suffragists (as 'suffragette' was originally used as a derogatory term) were horrendously beaten by police and hostile observers of their peaceful protests and White House pickets. In prison, suffragists were even more badly abused. Hunger strikes were dealt with by force-feeding, like in the case of Alice Paul, while other women like Lucy Burns and Dora Lewis were also brutally mistreated by prison guards. Conditions in prison were awful for the suffragists. In one case, women at the Occoquan Workhouse spent several weeks using only water that came from an open pail, and eating food infested with worms.

What would these women think now, seeing their daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters forsaking the precious right that they spent so long fighting for? Voting is a privilege and a responsibility, and the fact that so many women do not take advantage of it is most distressing. It goes without saying that the fight that suffragists fought ninety years ago was an incredibly difficult one. Nevertheless, they fought it anyway, because they could see how valuable, and necessary it was for their growing, changing country.

Modern women need to continue to value their right to vote as much as female suffragists did when they first were granted it. We tend to forget that suffrage isn't something that we were just given. It was something we fought very long and very hard to win.

Feminist Summer Reading List

Today we asked our awesome followers on Facebook and Twitter what feminist books they were reading this summer. Here are some of the responses we got:

Photo by Flickr user: smiteme

• "Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History" by Laurel Ulrich
• "Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body" by Courtney E. Martin
• "Sappho's Leap" by Erica Jong
• "Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center" by bell hooks
• "The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World" by Michelle Goldberg
• "The Shock Doctrine" by Noemi Klein
• "Woman: Intimate Geography" by Natalie Angier
• "Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape" edited by Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti
• "Impossible Motherhood" by Irene Vilar
• "Gender Trouble" by Judith Butler
• "Cunt" by Inga Muscio
• "Reclaiming the F-Word" by Catherine Redfern and Kristin Aune
• "Yentl's Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism"by Danya Ruttenberg
• "Click" edited by J. Courtney Sullivan and Courtney E. Martin

Picture by Tumblr user: prettykooky

Here are some already made lists I found online:

Jezebel

Ms. Magazine

Autostraddle.com

WAM! (Women, Action, and the Media)

Which books do you think are missing? Let us know in the comments.

Pictures of the Year at the Annenberg

The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles and the prestigious Pictures of the Year International (POYi) annual photojournalism competition recently teamed up to present "The Year," an amazing collection of the best documentary photographs of 2009. Their shared goal of "informing, inspiring, and connecting the public to the human experience through powerful imagery and stories" allowed them to display a truly powerful collection of photographs.

The gallery displays 80 photographs from the competition and also plays a "Behind the Lens" video showcasing some of the winning photojournalists and their commentary. Winning images were selected from over 45,000 entries submitted by photographers from various countries across the globe. (Here is the complete Winners List as well as the Winners Gallery).

Many of the photographs are categorized under four main themes: The U.S.: War and the Economy, Reflecting the Human Experience, Ecologies and Economics, and The Globe. Among those themes there are several incredibly striking images that make one seriously think about the situations in which the subjects are living.

A number of the photographers document through photojournalism issues relevant to women all around the world. For example, there is a series of images by Stephanie Sinclair, a photojournalist for National Geographic, called "Polygamy in America." She documents the lives of the members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint (FLDS), a Mormon sect notorious for its practice of polygamy. There is also an image by photographer Preston Gannaway for the Virginian-Pilot of a newly sober pregnant woman talking with her also-pregnant 17-year old daughter, explaining what to expect with her pregnancy. Other pictures include a group of homeless teens gathering for an annual festival, children soldiers, and a powerful Feature Story - Multimedia entry about a student who finally faced her struggle with gender dysphoria and changed from a male to a female.

It's also very inspiring to see how many of the winning photojournalists are women, who bring their skills and distinct perspective and sensitivity to the subjects they document. One photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times, Barbara Davidson, speaks in the "Behind the Lens" video about her experiences and her approach to taking powerful pictures in challenging situations. Davidson has worked for numerous newspapers and, along with seven staffworkers, she also won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography after shooting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. She uses her compassion to talk to the subjects of her photography and explains how it's necessary for her to shoot their situations in order to bring awareness and inform the public on issues similar to their own.

If you get a chance you should really check out this exhibit before it closes on October 10! The photos are amazing and extremely representative of the chaos and hardships that faced the world in 2009.

Why Do We Still Need Feminism?

I was in a recent argument with a male friend about why the world still needs feminism. At the time I was tired and didn’t feel like arguing, but now in the comfort of the Feminist Majority Foundation office, I think I will rebut with this list of reasons why feminism is still relevant. Feel free to add to it!

-Studies show women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn. This pay equity imbalance is currently being addressed by the United States Senate as a result of pressure from feminist groups.

-Even though women have some legal protections on their equality, the equal rights and protection of women is not defined in the Constitution. Feminists are still pushing for an Equal Rights Amendment.

-Though women make up more than half of this nation’s population, they are still underrepresented in all elected and judicial positions of national and state governments.

-Many states are whacking away at women’s reproductive rights. Oklahoma now mandates that all women must look at an ultrasound (they are not legally allowed to CLOSE THEIR EYES!) and be given a pamphlet that says life begins at conception (an issue that is more philosophical than scientific, given the guise of truth because it is handed to her by the doctor).

-Women have a lower body image than men. In many industries, companies can fire (and hire) women based on their physical appearance. More than 9 million women a year have some form of elective cosmetic surgery to enhance their physical appearance. However, this does nothing to correct the psychological issues that cause this intense body hatred (that in fact is rarely addressed in our society). Cosmetic surgery is a multi-billion dollar a year industry that profits from the societal importance of women’s appearance. Men can be considered attractive because of power and wealth while much of women’s attractiveness is defined only by their physical appearance.

-In the US, a woman is raped every six minutes (according to Amnesty USA). A woman is battered every 15 seconds. This is WAY TOO MUCH! Like, no arguing. And what is anyone doing to really change this? The hyper-sexualization of women and violent masculinization of men is enforced by the media in many ways. Positive heterosexual relationships (and also positive gay relationships) need to be provided as the ideal.

How big Pharma constructs sexual dysfunction and what this means to both women and men

So, I have a problem. It’s with Flibanserin, the new “female Viagra” – the libido-enhancing drug manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, touted to treat “hypoactive sexual disorder in premenopausal women.” And this problem—it is not around the “pink Viagra’s” technical name, but around its politics.

While Feministing’s Vanessa Valenti posts a positive note—that a drug addressing women’s sexual needs represents a positive shift in the medical industry's priorities, she warns that this ‘progress’ lies in the hands of big-pharma.

The Daily Beast's Joan Sewell argues that Flibanserin labels women's lower sex drive as a dysfunction-it unfairly compares male and female sex drives, creating unrealistic expectations of women's sexuality.

And a recent alternet.org article titled “Sex Pill for Women: Big Pharma Trying to Profit from Low Sex Drive?" lists some of the major problems regarding Flibanserin: it must be taken every single day, not just when sexual activity is desired, its long-term safety profile is not yet available, and it and HSDD--the dysfunction it claims to treat--hark back to "the same forces responsible for the terms 'frigid,' 'nymphomaniac,' battles for safe and effective birth control and reproductive health care and social tolerance of violent or degrading pornography -- namely, men defining women's sexuality for their own purposes.”

While safety and dosage concerns should be a top priority, I think that focusing solely on these issues completely overlooks the detrimental and regressive effects of Viagra on female and male sexuality. Flibanserin does not represent a recognition of female sexuality but rather a medicalization of female sexuality. In this way, female sexuality is transferred from the private to the public realm—it becomes an issue of the social body (ooohhh so Foucauldian it makes my skin shiver!). It is simply another way to control sexuality, another way to impose distinctions on what is right and wrong, or what is healthy and what is dysfunctional.

Instead of critiquing the name, instead of critiquing the safety concerns and the dosage (which actually lends itself to my argument—in the sense that taking the medication becomes a habitual act controlled by a foreign influence, the medication becomes part of the body’s functioning, and the act becomes a normalized, controlled routine of living), we should criticize the reach of science and medicine (and the state) into our personal, private lives—dictating what is normal or acceptable (for example, policies that encourage the nuclear family or that deny women reproductive freedom).

Now, this doesn’t only concern women, but men as well (remember the male Viagra pill?). In asserting the existence of a normal, healthy sexuality (or, to name another example, the existence of a “standard” way of acting, dressing, engaging in social relations—conforming to societal norms), you guarantee that most people will fall either to the left or the right of the center: you guarantee a base of ‘dysfunctional bodies,’ and in essence, a base of consumers (think everyday actions—we are sold specific products that help to mask or rid us of our "abnormalities," from weight to skin tone).

Both the male and female Viagra pills assert that a specific type of sexuality is normal—and it (strangely?) speaks to gender stereotypes. For example, the male Viagra pill asserts that men must be sexually vigorous in the form of a type of dominance, a control over one's erection (the pill targets blood flow), while the female Viagra pill asserts that women must be sexually and emotionally up-to-speed with their partner. That’s right, I said “emotionally” as well, and the reasoning behind this is that Flibanserin does not work to increase blood flow to the clitoris, but works on sexual desire by targeting dopamine and serotonin.

On June 18th, the FDA voted against approving Flibanserin for use in the United States. This, however, does not mean very much—sexuality is still in the realm of the medical industry and of Big Pharma. In order to resist this medicalization, I say lets celebrate our sexuality! I am not a hypo- or hyperactive sexual body, I do not need to be poked, prodded, and diagnosed. I will not feel shame for having too little or too much sex as defined by society, and I will not blame myself for the actions of others.

Photo credit: Brooks Elliott on Flickr

Women's News: equality or segregation?

Ruth Rosen of Alternent.org raises an interesting point today in her posting titled “Gender Apartheid Online”—that female and male media is not only segregated, but that male media remains the “default.” In Rosen’s own words

"The quality of the writing and analysis in these "separate sections" is quite high. So what's my problem? My concern is that gender equality will only emerge when men are educated about women's lives and when women stop being quarantined as "the other.""

Now, this immediately reminded me of male as the “default” in marketing children’s toys (see here, here, and here) and white-as default, but can also be applied on a larger scale—reaching from sports (baseball versus women's softball) to the classroom (history opposed to women’s history).

But in writing this I’ve realized that this kind of disagrees with my previous argument—the idea that there should exist separate spaces for groups who then have the power to act in their own interests without having to accommodate to others. And now I am conflicted—is it a bad thing to create separate spaces for female-centered news/media? I immediately thought this when I discovered Slate’s Double X—how could they separate women’s news from men’s news?! I read Slate, I enjoyed Slate, I did not want to be partitioned into a new site specifically for me because I identify as female. I do, however, find pleasure in reading feministing and Ms. magazine—I think they are valuable outlets, valuable resources for an audience interested in articles on women’s rights, LGBTQI rights, immigrant rights—the list goes on…In fact, maybe that holds some of the answer.

Why are these sources positioned as female news sources when they encompass much more than female-centered stories? Maybe this is somehow connected to popular media and the generalization of all women as consumers of beauty and fashion products (as seen by “women’s magazines” like Glamour and Cosmopolitan)—women are assumed to be the prime audience of human-rights centered media. But why isn’t that the norm? Why does this have to be gendered? (For example, today’s New York Times front page draws heavily on “terrorism” and Petraeus while its specifically "female" section features a story about women and men’s rights in Sweden).

Do you agree that news is gendered? Let me know!

Photo credit: bravenewtraveler on flickr

Protections for domestic violence victims - a controversial issue?

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a subset of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, was signed into law in 1994. The passage of VAWA addressed the lack of significant legislation addressing domestic violence, making domestic violence a national priority. VAWA initially sought to provide legal protections for victims of abuse (for example, legally recognize orders of protection across state borders) as well as federal funding for domestic violence shelters and non-profit outreach organizations, a national domestic violence hotline, and youth education programs—to name a few.

Since then, it has expanded to include dating violence and stalking, legal assistance to victims, and the creation of new programs, including the National Resource Center of Workplace Responses. The results are obvious—since 1994, “non-fatal, violent victimizations committed by intimate partners [have] declined by 63%” (NNEDV).

Phyllis Schlafly, however, raises her voice in opposition to VAWA in "A Good Father's Day Gift"—her argument buried behind quips of “noisy feminists." Although she states that feminists stereotype women as victims and men as perpetrators, her article—her argument—hinges on generalizations about women.

For example, Schlafly argues that VAWA incentivizes false charges of domestic violence, or that all women, when armed with the opportunity (or in this case, legal backing), will freely accuse men of assault. She characterizes verbal abuse as “annoyance” or the use of a “naughty word”—a viewpoint that completely reinforces a rape culture in which small acts of violence and hostility are normalized. It reinforces a rape culture that downplays spousal abuse as “arguing” and marital rape as a sexual obligation inherent to a relationship.

Schlafly goes further to assert that shelters are centers of indoctrination that “promote divorce, marriage breakup, hatred of men and false accusations, while rejecting marriage counseling, reconciliation, drug-abuse treatment and evidence of mutual-partner abuse.” These centers, Schlafly argues, do not just exclude men, but actively encourage man-hating (one of the easiest cards to draw against feminism, and a false one at that).

According to NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) , 85% of victims of domestic violence are women, and in regards to sexual assault, 91% of victims are female, while 9% are male (National Sexual Violence Resource Center). One of Schlafly’s arguemnts is that VAWA (a bill, to use Schlafly’s words, that “feminists lobbied [for]”) provides federal funds for shelters that turn away men.

In response to this I argue that feminists worked hard to pass VAWA and to secure funding for resources for domestic violence, shouldn’t men do the same? If VAWA does not address male sexual assault and domestic violence, then that should be some impetus to create new legislation.

This argument is very similar to other arguments I’ve heard before—do you open up an existing space to others or do you create your own space? I remember this argument was applied to the UCD feminist film festival, as a student critiqued the festival for largely excluding male-directed films. Another student responded--then why not create another film festival that includes both female and male-directed films? Why force a group to accommodate when it is their space?

I’m all for collaboration and inclusion, but I think this argument holds some weight. I don’t think that groups should have to bend over backwards to accommodate others. What do you think about this argument, as well as Schlafly’s other arguments?

Photo credit: Rainer Ebert on Flickr

It's Good to be an Intern

Hello, my name is Victoria Nichols and this is my second day as an intern for Choices Campus Leadership Program at the Feminist Majority Foundation. I am extremely excited to learn more about the issues facing women and I am looking forward to working with the Feminist Campus Team in effort to advance women’s equality.

I am a recent high school graduate and I will be attending Claremont McKenna College in the fall. I am thinking of majoring in International Relations and will definitely make sure to enroll in some women’s studies classes. I can’t wait to get involved on my college campus as a feminist and work with other students to help make an impact on local and eventually international level.

With this internship I am taking my first steps towards getting more involved in political issues that affect my community. I want to participate and be knowledgeable about world events and I am glad to have the opportunity to be a part of an organization like Feminist Majority which has the power to evoke change in the world.

It is only the second day of my internship and I have already learned so much about feminism. There are so many people out there who are simply unaware of the issues that women face on a daily basis. My goal is to not only make myself more aware but provide others with more information so that more people will join the fight for women’s equality. Looking forward to making an impact this summer!

Hello fellow Feminists

Hello my fellow feminists! My name is Colleen Mullen, and as this is my first of many blogs for the Feminist Majority Foundation, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I recently gradated from UCLA with a major in Political Science (concentration in Political Theory) and a minor in Women’s Studies. While at UCLA, I realized the ever growing importance and power of civic engagement, community activism, grassroots organizing, and student activism. During my first 2 years at UCLA, I served as the Logistics and Finance Coordinator for the Student Activist Project (SAP). SAP aimed to enlighten students on broad social justice issues, to teach the fundamentals of grassroots organizing, and most importantly to empower students to challenge students to use this knowledge to make a change in our society. In addition, I completed the JusticeCorps program in Downtown Los Angeles where I provided legal information to self-represented litigants in family law cases. With this background, I aim to (at some point) go to law school and study public interest law.

Student Activists hard at work. Student Activist Project Facilitation Team Retreat (2007). Photo Courtesy of Tina Reggio.

Feminists have many different faces. I'm sure that even if we all identify as feminists, we each have different definitions of this means. Feminism, as a political, epistemological, social, cultural philosophy, constantly reinvents, questions, and challenges itself. The theoretical feminist rainbow (for lack of a better metaphor) includes everything from traditional, political Liberal Feminists who strive for individual autonomy; radical Socialist feminist who acknowledge the intersecting oppressions of patriarchy and capitalism on women; third world feminists who challenge Western cultural imperialism; to post modern feminists who claim every individual is a result of intersectional, unique, oppressions that cannot lend itself to group formations. This is the beauty (and some would even argue it is a pain) of feminism.

For me, feminism is something much simpler. Feminism is simply a different perspective of life, a forgotten and invisible perspective. Without realizing, many people have been socialized to view life, themselves, and others, through the perspective of a white, heterosexual, capitalist, rich/middle-class male. This unrecognized perspective ignores the different experiences of communities of color, working class, the LGBTQ communities, physically or mentally disabled, women, societies in non-Western and developing countries… the list goes on and on. The fundamental goal of a feminist (of any theoretical background) therefore must be to simply acknowledge, respect, and act upon all these philosophies.

Allow me to introduce myself

10 fun facts about Bie Aweh:

1.) Senior Political Science and Women Studies double major with a minor in Race, Culture, and Power

2.) Born and raised in Boston and I am Haitian and Cameroonian

3.) I have an identical twin


4.) Huge Boston Celtics fan/Ray Allen


5.) First Concert: Prince or the "Artist formally known as Prince"

6.) Favorite movie: Kings of Comedy

7.) Favorite book: Sleep Toward Heaven

8.) My inspiration: God, my parents, Audre Lorde, Angela Davis, Francis E.W Harper, Nikki Giovanni and the list goes on!

9.) Proudest moment :Having dinner with Nikki Giovanni

10.) Sparking moment: I realized I was a feminist first semester of freshmen year.

My feminism:

I am developing my feminism every day and each day I am introduced to something new that give more meaning to being a feminist. In feminism I am interested in the progress of women of color and LGBTQ people, more specifically transgender women. These two groups have played the role of the “outsider within” in feminism, they are marginalized because they are women but further marginalized because of their gender identity and race. I am also interested in prisoner rights for women, including abortion and overall reproductive health. Lastly I have a strong interest in women in developing nations.

Summer goals with the FMF:

My goal this summer is to rally around the FMF's mission to empower women and young girls everywhere. It is important to equip these women with the knowledge and resources they need to combat the oppressive regimes that exists in the world and become agents for change.