As feminists and engaged Elon University students, we often tend to question the status quo. In many settings and circumstances, I, and I’m sure many of my peers, are grateful to Elon academia and our activist generation for instilling in us this helpful skill of not simply accepting but rather questioning.
However, we must be careful not to seek out fault in the organizations that oversee and direct us with an expectation of finding wrongdoing.
Some may argue that universities can always do more to honor the accomplishments and sacrifices of women during International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. But, we must also acknowledge that an effort is being made on this campus to do just that. On March 9, Spence Pavillion hosted guest speaker Kristina Gupta, who spoke on the topic of feminist debates in health care.
The GLC hosted an International Women's Day Drop-In celebration featuring food, music and card-making on March 10. The Center for Leadership is to host a Women’s HERstory event on March 11 with the intention of analyzing lyrics and music of female artists who implored leadership and empowerment through their works. Elon’s radio station, WSOE, is soon to release a blog post series featuring female artists.
These are just a few events taking place on Elon’s campus to honor Women’s History Month. Students, faculty and organizations should be recognized for making a concerted effort to engage in a conversation around gender and pay homage to women.
Further, I believe it is important not to equate Women’s History Month with Black
History Month. They carry different connotations of oppression and affect the Elon community in distinct ways, warranting differing forms of recognition and celebration.
We cannot simply rely on a Google search for awareness of campus events, but rather
must engage ourselves in these communities, which advocate equality throughout the year and have in fact stepped forward this month in particular to connect with our peers through thoughtful conversation.