(-- The Beacon)
By Madeline Forinash
I have two questions for you, dear reader: Are you a woman? Have you ever known a woman? If you answered "yes" to either query, please continue reading.
On the evening of Nov. 7, I joined approximately 40 students and faculty members for "I am Feminism (And So Can YOU!)," a play on the title of Stephen Colbert's popular 2007 book about patriotism. Like Colbert, Resident Assistants Katie Doyle and Laura Atwell approached "I am Feminism" with enough humor to hook us in and maintained a light-hearted demeanor throughout their event. But if you have ever done a mere surface-level analysis of any of a vast variety of feminist issues – from the portrayal of women in music videos and advertisements to the effects of said advertisements on the mental health of girls and young women – you are likely aware that the rights of women are no laughing matter.
Why is feminism important at the University of Portland? Here, we do not typically experience regular threats of female circumcision. Women in Portland are not typically bound to the households of their husbands.
Shouldn't the aim of feminism be to tackle the "big" problems like pay inequality and domestic abuse? These sorts of hardships certainly could not be alleviated in a two-hour meeting in Buckley Center, you say. What is the point?
The purpose of this Office of Residence Life sponsored event was clear and immensely significant. Day-to-day problems with being a woman or any other social minority (yes, women – despite making up over half of the population of the United States – are considered "minorities" because of the lack of power they have in relation to men) are detrimental to the person's peace of mind.
At "I am Feminism," our conversations shifted to focus on topics ranging from marriage and Beyoncé lyrics to PMS to rape – topics that are not typically analyzed willfully by students at a Catholic university in a student-led environment. I am proud to have been part of the conversations that took place last Monday, but what I was most pleasantly surprised by was the openness of both female and male attendants to the opinions and stories of others.
As a senior who is quickly approaching graduation, I have attended several RA-led events over the past seven semesters. I am so proud of Doyle and Atwell not only for their hard work in leading this event, but in their courage to be so open and honest with their residents and the rest of the UP community. They worked hard to present issues that are not only important to them, but should be important to the rest of us as well. They saw value in feminism and felt the need to share it with others; that is what leaders do, and in my opinion, they went beyond their duties as RAs to prepare and present an event that will surely affect its attendants for a long time to come. Bravo, ladies! Keep up the good work.
Last week, Mississippi voters overturned the infamous "personhood" amendment, an initiative that would have conflicted with the Roe v. Wade decision that established a legal right to abortion. If for you that does not speak to the impact that feminism can have on creating positive change (or deterring detrimental change) in today's world, go visit Feministing.com to read about important things that women and women-supporters are doing to approach injustice in numerous facets of society. Or, if time permits, attend UP's Feminist Discussion Group on Monday nights at 6 p.m.
I am feminism and so can you!
(-- The Beacon)
