Wait...what?

Earlier today I was working on the twitter site for WomenNC. As I scrolled through the recent posts from those we follow, I found an interesting article from Jezebel, titled "The Time Michele Bachmann Thought She'd Been Kidnapped By Lesbians." My first thought was "Wait...what?", and of course I clicked on the link to read the article. The article discusses Ms. Bachmann's encounter with two women, a lesbian and an ex-nun, in the bathroom. Bachmann states that these two women tried to kidnap her, while these women state that they only wanted to discuss issues further with the then senator. The state declined to press charges.

Although most people who read this article are probably thinking a lot of the same thoughts I was, I think I also took a different approach to the article. Not only to I believe that this is ridiculous and that the state made the right choice in not pressing charges, but I also believe that it is absurd that Bachmann went to these lengths and claimings. We should be about Women's EMPOWERMENT, not putting one another down. We should be about supporting one another and providing a better life for current and future generations. We should discuss issues intelligently, just as these two women tried to do with Michele Bachmann. And so be it if the women talking to her were lesiban, heterosexual, bisexual, ex-nun, Christian, Muslim, agnostic, purple, black, white...it doesn't matter. And it shouldn't matter. They weren't trying to kidnap anyone. They were trying to have a conversation about issues concerning them. And what's so wrong with that?

It's instances like this that set us, women, back. If we all worked together to create a great life for one another, so many great things could be achieved. Fortunately, we're making progress in many ways. But to think that we could all unite and do great things would be amazing. We could ratify CEDAW in the United States, we could help women internationally, we could help our neighbors...the possibilities are endless. Let's stand together and make these dreams a reality.

Pins

My bookbag for school is covered in pins, ribbons, and little trinkets that I've collected during my college career. Many of these pins are for organizations on campus that I support or am involved in, or are special because a friend or family member gave them to me. At this point, my bookbag is covered. I probably have twenty plus pins, and people are constantly commenting on my pins or asking me about them. I'm actually really excited about being back on campus so that everyone sees my bookbag again along with all of my new pins!

This past week, Devi, Beth, and I attended the WILPF conference in Chapel Hill. During our lunch break, Devi and I took the time to walk through the many tables set up by various organizations. At this time, I found some really great pins to add to my collection. I put these new pins on my bookbag, many of which discuss peace and women. One of my favorite pins from the day states "The rising of the women is the rising of us all," which was a pin made for International Women's Day.

When I first received this pin, I put it on my shirt and didn't really pay much attention. However, later that day when I returned home, I took that pin off of my shirt and stopped to really read it. After a great day of learning at WILPF, it was really nice to sit back and think about the rise of women. We, as women, can truly make a difference. We, as WomenNC, can truly make a difference. We, as Americans, can truly make a difference. By ratifying CEDAW, Women are able to rise above our current standing and empower one another.

Although many college students have pins on their bookbags and are passionate about a variety of subjects, I feel that many students don't take a lot of time to consider what their pins are really saying. Many just place the pin on their bag and move along. But the small quotes and pictures on these pins really do speak volumes.

Something as small and simple as a pin on a bookbag can really get the word out. Pay attention to the little things.

I see it everyday...

A few years ago a family friend gave me a very sweet gift. This gift, a small ceramic tile that reads "She believed she could so she did," sits next to my bed. I see it every morning when I first wake up, and again each night before I go to sleep. Although this tile was given to me in high school, it still rings true every day. No matter what we put our minds to, it can be achieved.

This tile definitely stands true with WomenNC. Since coming on board with this organization, this little saying has stuck with me. No matter what we, as an organization, put our mind to, it can happen. Every member of WomenNC is working hard to raise awareness, gain support, and support the CSW. We also work extremely hard to ratify CEDAW in the United States. These are achievable goals. With all of us believing in ourselves, in each other, in WomenNC, CSW, and CEDAW, we can make a huge impact. We can make a difference. "We believed we could so we did." We have to believe that these changes will happen and that each person involved with WomenNC will make a difference. If we believe, it will happen.



On another small note, I am going to follow Devi and tell you a little about myself. I am a rising Junior at UNC and am double majoring in Peace, War, and Defense and Women's Studies. I'm also on the pre-law track. I just came back to North Carolina after a semester in Washington, DC and am extremely interested in Women's Rights, domestic policy, and international policy. I am a huge supporter of WomenNC and am very excited to be interning with this wonderful group of people for the summer! I look forward to all of the great things to happen in the upcoming months!

A New Beginning

Yesterday afternoon was my first opportunity to really dive in with WomenNC. I'm an intern here for the summer, but didn't really know what to expect. I'd met with Anita and knew my assigned tasks, but was a bit anxious to begin. However, when first walking into the meeting, I was greeted with a huge hug from Beth, several questions from members of WomeNC, and a LOT of enthusiasm. As we sat down to the meeting, I could sense that these individuals, coming from all different backgrounds, all have one common passion: to truly make a difference in the ratification of CEDAW and to leave a lasting impact on CSW. I had read articles discussing these two topics and knew that WomenNC was founded on these values, but these women and men feel it in their bones. The passion, enthusiasm, and excitement these folks have make me want to work hard this summer in order to leave my mark on WomenNC and to benefit this organization in as many ways as possible. Our meeting was filled with new ideas, great discussion, and a lot of support. To this organization, it's not just about putting these ideas out there; it's about putting them into practice. I look forward to working with this amazing team and cannot wait to see what all we produce. In many internships, it seems that the interns are doing work that is never really noted. With WomenNC, I know that the work I'm completing is beneficial to the organization and that what I'm doing matters. That's what is great about WomenNC: they believe in the younger generation, and believe that the young, elderly, women, men, and anyone from any background can unite and truly make a difference.

I look forward to my time here at WomenNC and the many experiences that are ahead of me this summer. I cannot wait to get started!

Feminist fortune cookies

At my recent Women's Studies graduation ceremony, our professors gave all of us feminist fortune cookies. I'm always hopeful, but generally disappointed when I open fortune cookies because they always seem to contain ridiculously obvious statements rather than exciting fortunes. The feminist fortune cookies did not disappoint, however. They said things like "You will see many women as presidents and leaders" and "You will never be inhibited by the size or shape of your body." I wanted to do that same sort of encouraging exercise for WomenNC as a final reflection from my fellowship experience. Below you can see some of my fortunes for the organization and for women's and gender issues overall.

WomenNC will educate people of various backgrounds and ages in North Carolina and beyond about gender, women's rights, and international human rights.

WomenNC will play a major role in the ratification of CEDAW in the United States.

WomenNC's Fellowship Program will serve as a model so that younger people can attend and participate at CSW each year.

WomenNC will develop chapters at local universities that conduct educational outreach to elementary, middle, and high school students.

Women's and gender studies will become integrated into primary educational programs and will be paired with creative, applied opportunities for students to be involved in their communities.

Thank you all for following our blog and to WomenNC for providing me with this amazing opportunity! Happy summers to all of you!

Bringing CSW to North Carolinians and intersectional analyses to all

Throughout April, the 2011 WomenNC CSW Fellows and I gave presentations to North Carolinians about what we had seen and heard at the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. We each discussed sessions we attended in relation to our topics, as well as interactions we had with others present at the meetings. We did our best to bring the content and sentiments from individual sessions to our North Carolina audience so that they could better understand the relevance of CEDAW and national and international women's rights advocacy. As I sat in both of the presentations we gave in Raleigh, I realized how much more comfortable we had become speaking about our specific topics and fielding the tough questions that arise about sex trafficking and sex education policies. I thought again about how important the applied experience of attending and presenting at CSW 55 was and how it was so much more meaningful because we were totally immersed in it as attendees and presenters.

I also realized the importance of informing North Carolinians about CEDAW and women's and gender issues in North Carolina, the U.S., and internationally more frequently throughout the year and to more audiences. It is unacceptable that the issues we're talking about today have been going on for hundreds of years and that people seem surprised about rates of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and adolescent pregnancy. Because history is taught from the vantage point of men and positive discussions about sexuality and women are generally silenced, the topics that we discussed in our presentations were likely surprising and alarming. Yet, because these are historical issues, some people may have not found our musings that shocking. The point is that we need to begin educating people about multiple forms of identity and inequality on the basis of gender, race, socioeconomic status, nationality, ability, and age beginning at younger ages. My engagement in Women's Studies and involvement with various organizations that focus on minority rights have made me extremely aware of intersectional identities and inequalities, but this only occurs within a small portion of people's educational experiences. We must work to create more opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to increase their knowledge of and/or experience with the aforementioned issues and utilize organizations like WomenNC to make this a reality.

If you'd like to learn more about our experiences at CSW and subsequent reflections, please see the following:

Look at our reflection papers and PowerPoints here: http://www.womennc.org/CSWFellowship.html.

See clips from our presentations here: http://www.youtube.com/WomenNC#p/u.

And view pictures from our presentations here: http://www.facebook.com/WomenNC.

Oh, How Far We've Come!

Monday evening was the WomenNC Fellow's presentation at the UNA-Wake meeting at Meredith College. As I drove to the event with my presentation manuscript printed and seated safely in my bag, I felt at ease. My tranquility was a striking contrast to the feeling I had three months ago, right before our rehearsal presentation event at the Woman's Club of Raleigh.

Instead of feeling nervous about how my research on sex trafficking would be received by my audience, as I felt in February, I felt excited to meet the guests of UNA-Wake and share with them my findings. The atmosphere in the reception room at Meredith was warm and welcoming. The room was abuzz as everyone sat down at long tables to chat while we ate a dinner provided for guests before the presentations.

Kristen kicked off the presentation with a great overview of the United Nations framework for addressing human rights issues related to the status of women. While listening to Kristen share her impressions of CSW and the UN, I began to reflect on my own experience at the conference.

At CSW, I was able to learn so much more about my research topic: sex trafficking. I was extremely lucky to meet the women leading the crusade against the various forms of exploitation that cause sex trafficking. I surveyed the different approaches NGOs take to combating sex trafficking, which, upon my return, has given me a great comprehension of the current dialogue on the best anti-sex trafficking policy.

I feel equipped to share my ideas with others, from curious citizens, to organizations interested in combatting sex trafficking. Thanks to CSW, I have gone from an informed researcher, to an innovative activist. I am excited to continue to share my thoughts on sex trafficking and its various policies as I continue working within the nonprofit sector.