Each week in the Women’s Center, people from all walks of life come together to discuss the various issues that intersect with feminism. These student-facilitated conversations are part of a new program on campus and debuted just last semester, but they are already having an impact. Feminist Fridays gives students the opportunity to better understand both themselves and their world.
Angela Gay coordinates the program, but it was a student intern last fall that initiated it. Mary Chamblee, a senior studying communication, says that there are many misconceptions with feminism that need to be dispelled.
“I think educational programming is so important,” Chamblee said. “There are so many misconceptions about feminism, whether that it is man-hating or not inclusive of black women. Feminist Fridays provides dialogue and facilitations to reach a better understanding of the branches of feminism as well as address its misconceptions.”
Gay says that growing opportunities such as these are her heart’s work, and that feminism is accessible to everyone.
“We think of feminism as being narrow because it’s female-oriented, but it’s not,” Gay said. “It addresses all layers and all facets of identity. We address the oppressions we face on a daily basis and how to get to a place where we can find those solutions.”
These oppressions are not only imposed by gender, according to Gay, but also by the facets of identity such as race, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. This is where intersectionality comes into play and why students of all different backgrounds can appreciate Feminist Fridays.
“A lot of people don’t necessarily know how feminism fits into their world, into their ideology, or into their belief system,” Gay said. “We just want to iron those things out.”
Interest meetings are held at the beginning of each semester where students share their ideas about the topics they would like to present. Gay then helps guide them in the planning process to make these ideas concrete. The pitches and their ensuing discussions at these interest meetings work like a demo Feminist Friday.
“I always have people approaching me, wanting to participate, but then there’s that shyness of how do I facilitate a conversation?” Gay said. “That’s why I do the interest meetings, because it helps ease their minds. You don’t have to be an expert on this topic; you’re just presenting on something that’s important to you.”
She gives students the guidance and the resources that they need to feel comfortable with presenting, but she also allows them to retain some freedom over their topic. Gay says that this opportunity for exploration is important for them to grow a fascination into a passion.
“When they have an interest, I let them foster what that interest is,” Gay said. “It’s about having ownership over the experience, over talking about the things that are relevant to you. Because if it’s relevant to you, it’s going to be relevant to someone else.”
Sometimes, she even gets the opportunity to learn herself. The most recent Feminist Friday topic was on the intersection of class, race and feminism. Naila Segule, a sophomore studying biomedical engineering, pitched the idea of talking about diaper insecurity, a condition plaguing women that do not have the money to provide basic necessities for their children.
“We had a really rich discussion,” Gay said. “The presenter, Naila, had a very specific interest in diaper insecurity and what that looks like. Then she cultivated it into this amazing topic on class, race and feminism, specifically around diaper insecurity. There was a lot to unpack.”
She says that at the end of the day, students just really appreciate the chance to come together and discover something new about themselves.
“People really love coming to events where they’re able to talk and unpack themselves,” Gay said. “It’s really not just about feminism; it’s about social justice education. How do we create equity? We can use our critical thought to engage in research, to engage in action and to move forward.”
Besides Feminist Fridays, the Women’s Center also has the Gender and Equity Research Symposium coming up on April 25. Gay is excited about this since one hour per week does not allow for as much or as deep a discussion as she would like. Gay says it is resources like this symposium that make the Women’s Center instrumental in any endeavor for social justice education.
“The NC State Women’s Center has phenomenal people in here,” Gay said. “They all do amazing work. To see the commitment, there is an investment in caring for people.”
