On Saturday, October 19th, the Women’s and Gender Studies Department hosted its first annual Feminist Summit. There were six speakers, including two workshops and two spoken word poets. The event was kicked off by a video that compiled a discussion about feminism from local community leaders, including Larry Brickner Wood from Waysmeet and Dr. J Ruby Ryan, a UNH WGS professor. Students Hannah Mathieu and Tavion Dignard performed a spoken word poem called Feminism is for Everybody that dealt with their social identities and experiences. Crystal Paradis, the founder of Feminist Oasis, led a workshop on self care for feminists; and Isaiah Iboko, coordinator of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, led a workshop on feminist relationships. Dr. Marla Brettschneider, a WGS professor, gave a presentation on intersectionality and the theory of co- creation, and Mary Jo Brown, the founder of the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation, gave a presentation on her experiences as a woman in the workforce and the data the NHWF collected about the New Hampshire gender wage gap. Students were given time at their assigned tables to discuss the presentations and to do some individual writing. The event was sponsored by SHARPP, Black Student Union, Students of Social Work, Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, Kappa Delta, Women in Business, and Girl Up UNH. The event went well for a first run- there was a 100 person turn out of professors, students, and community members. Attendees reported feeling a “sense of community and inclusivity” and that they enjoyed the “diversity of topics discussed and the open environment”. One person said that what they liked most was “the storytelling and the personal, genuine accounts of people’s experiences/ thoughts with feminist topics”. Another student wrote that they liked “the focus on empowerment, health, and self care” as well as “asserting yourself but taking responsibility for your actions”. Students enjoyed the “opportunity to meet new people and network”.
At the end of the day, students were asked to provide feedback on how they would improve the next summit. People had a variety of ideas from the length of the day to choice in workshops to the diversity of the presenters. The WGS Department read over these surveys and is already planning improvements for next year. We will continue to focus on growing the diversity of the voices and identities of the speakers and work to people with different levels of experience in social justice.
Overall, the summit had something in it for everyone, and provided an open and welcoming space for students to learn more about feminism, intersectionality and social justice.
Laney Meldrum, she/her, WGS Program Assistant