Every Friday on the fifth floor of Talley, the Women’s Center hosts Feminist Fridays, a student-facilitated discussion on a variety of topics related to equity across cultures.
From 3:30-4:30 p.m., NC State community members congregate to partake in discourse and reflection centered on topics such as body positivity, cultural relativism and gender gaps in the workforce.
Fri Momin, a third-year studying cognitive neuroscience and industrial medical psychology, is the student programmer for the Women’s Center and has worked closely with Feminist Friday since its birth.
“We are seeing an increase, and it’s a pretty fast increase of students coming in,” Momin said regarding the attendance and participation at the weekly event. “We’re running out of seating essentially, and it’s a great problem to have because it’s a very big shift from what we saw when the program first started up.”
Angela Gay, the assistant director at the Women’s Center, coordinates* Feminist Fridays, which is currently in its second year of implementation. Gay asked Momin to assist in the program’s expansion, a process which consisted of going into classrooms and facilitating Feminist Friday presentations catered to a particular course.
“The short-term goal is to mostly add in different ideas and get people to talk about it a little bit differently,” Momin said. “It’s essential to share perspective that individuals may not come across all the time, and it’s the idea of intersectionality and the idea of having individual truths as well.”
From week to week, a new facilitator comes in with a fresh topic to lead a discussion, such as “Cultural Relativism and Feminism” or “Complex Stories and Conflicting Identities.”
Leah Block, a third-year studying communication and sociology, attended a Feminist Friday last semester discussing intersecting identities, privilege and power.
“I established connections with peers who share an interest in delving into the social worlds and how our identities interact with each other, and how our identities interact with greater social systems of power,” Block said.
Block, who identifies as a feminist, finds that her view of feminism and all that it stands for is constantly developing.
“I see it as a process, as an ongoing engagement with the struggle for equity and the struggle for liberation for everyone,” Block said. “As I see it, feminism ties in with the liberation of women, gender nonconforming folks, with the liberation of people of color, the liberation of the environment. So I see feminism as just a way into activism in general.”
Momin commented on how she thinks the Women’s Center strives to include everyone in its Feminist Friday dialogue.
“It’s not just for people that identify as a woman, it’s for really everybody,” Momin said. “We strongly believe that most people are feminists without knowing it and I think a lot of times the idea of feminism is this white feminism, which is something that doesn’t take into account the different intersections. So feminism is a very intersectional thing.”
Block also volunteers her time with The Movement Peer Educators, a Women’s Center organization that focuses its efforts on interpersonal violence peer education and advocacy. Block further discussed why she thinks feminist efforts within the Women’s Center organizations are important.
“I think there’s really something for everyone at the Women’s Center,” Block said. “If any change is going to happen locally or globally, we need to establish practical connections with each other, we need to establish networks of support with each other, and the Women’s Center is a really great way to do that. The second you step in there, it’s a really supportive environment. You always leave with new friends.”
Students and faculty are welcome to facilitate conversations by signing up through the Women’s Center website with any ideas they are interested in. Meetings are held in the Women’s Center located on the fifth floor of Talley in room 5210.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to clarify Angela Gay’s role regarding Feminist Fridays.
