Empowering Women of Color

As women of color, we wanted our activist project to present a message that was important for current and future generations. There was a consensus that women of color face many challenges but often the first challenge we face is colorism; discrimination based on skin color. We are often told that certain shades are more desirable than others and that the statement “Beauty is more than skin deep” is not always the case. To some, exterior beauty plays a role in things such as, how intelligent a woman is and how well of a partner she will be.

Beyond Take Back the Night: Continuing the Conversation about Sexual Violence on Campus

Sexual assault is a hot topic right now. We have the #MeToo movement, brought about by Harvey Weinstein’s misconduct in the workplace, as well as a slew of other movements addressing the same issue. Just this week, Bill Cosby was found guilty on all three counts of aggravated indecent assault and could be facing up to 30 years in prison. These movements have permeated popular culture, at times becoming the focal point of major broadcasting stations, but somehow they have been unable to change, or even shift, the culture in higher education.

So many students are affected by sexual violence. With a problem this large, we should make it our mission to protect them. We should arm them with information, not only about how to prevent these things from happening, but also about what to do in the event of a violation. Where do you turn if you were assaulted? What do you do if it happens to a friend? Are other students facing the same problems and, if so, how do they feel about it? I wanted to address these questions in my activism project, and I believe I was able to do so.

I started a blog!

Hello people of the world and beyond! My name is Amy Cruz, new Gender+Women’s Studies Major! I want to tell you about my Activist project for the wonderful class, Feminist Activism. Here’s some background: I have anxiety and depression. It is hard to me to speak out or speak up, let alone get out of bed sometimes. Taking part in Activism is hard for me.

What Empowers UMBC Women?

Empowerment: The process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights.

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For our Gender and Women Studies Activist Project we set out to empower young girls and women by showcasing already empowered women of UMBC.  We chose to do our project on Women Empowerment because we feel that there is a strong need for young women to feel a sense of self-worth and confidence about themselves.  We feel that young girls, in particular, are susceptible to society’s criticism and that these young women need to be “lifted up” rather than “torn down.”