April 8, 2014 | By Ariana Bostian-Kentes
Spring has sprung! Or at least I’m hoping that the polar vortex will be staying in the Arctic for a long while. This past month, we celebrated Women’s History Month with some amazing events, mostly collaborations between the Spectrum Center and other units and organizations both within and outside of Student Life. We collaborated with The Center for the Education of Women (CEW) and the Dean's Initiative on TBLG Matters (School of Social Work) to host a follow-up panel to our Out @ Work event in October called, “When Your Identities Are Your Work: Navigating Multiple Identities and [*]” with the * meaning anything from the academy to the workplace to the office to the job market. The panelists in attendance all held multiple different identities, including several women, and how they navigated leveraging their identities when working toward the advancement of those identities. The event generated some really great discussions, all of which I heard about second-hand as I was sitting on a panel concurrently for an event titled, “I Am Woman: The Intersectionality of Gender, Monotheism, Heterosexism, and Classism.” I was thrilled to speak at this event alongside a great friend and colleague, Trey Boynton, as we discussed our views on gender, femininity, attractionality, cultural and societal expectations around our roles in relationships, and even the recent Twitter discussions between white feminists and feminists of color. It was inspiring to be among a group of women who were moved to discuss what we could all do to coach other women up in order to recognize the patriarchy landing on us and to examine if there is a specific skillset that we could help create around this. The vibe in the room brought me back to an event that my mom took me to at the Michigan Theater when I was a skinny, awkward 12-year-old girl, where Gloria Steinem was speaking. I had never been in a room before full of women who were loud and proud and angry all at once – but they were interested in more than just shouting in agreement with Steinem, they seemed to be all about action too. I have carried that energy with me all these years; it infuses the work that I do as well as the passion that I have for breaking barriers and helping to create spaces where everyone is safe and has a voice. Happy (belated) 80th birthday, Ms. Steinem, and thanks to all of you out there who act in solidarity with our work toward celebrating our identities, whether they have a special month or not. Now let’s go play in the sunshine!
Ariana Bostian-Kentes
Education & Training Program Manager