#drcevent

I really found both of these women influential and they are proof that women can accomplish anything. As someone going into a future in either a law or political career these women have not only given me inspiration but the motivation to work my hardest.

Art is such an excellent medium in which to communicate ideas, especially ones that require critical analysis and unfiltered thinking. The 2016 Women and Creativity Student Exhibition allowed students of DRC to use their artistic talents to express their opinions on many of the topics we discussed in K&P this semester like gender, sexuality, and identity. I want to briefly examine the image used for the flyer as I feel it is significant. The image encompasses an array of elements, starting with neon colors in the background contrasted with a shadowy dark girl which I interpret as conferring the message that we all experience life on a continuum with different experiences determining exactly where we fall. Some days we may feel as if our lives mirror a swirl of neon colors and others we may feel like we are being enclosed by darkness. Additionally, there is a separation of how we are all truly feeling and how we portray ourselves to everyone else. If there was one important element to reflect on for the semester, I would say it has to be the notion that women need to rely on other women. We have to ban together as a group of people who no longer think the status quo is acceptable and are willing to challenge the norms set by society. To reflect back on the concept that sometimes we hide behind illusions of happiness, it is imperative that we allow the women in our lives (friends, family, peers, and acquaintances) to reflect their true selves free from judgement and condemnation. It is not until we feel safe among one another that we can really push for change. The artists in this exhibition are taking a huge step towards relaying this message to society through their work. 

My second breakout session was ran by Jeremy and was about LGBTQA. I was so excited for this breakout session. We watched a daily show video about the LGBTQA community but it was specific about people who identify as Transgender. It really made me angry  that people are so against people who identify as transgender to use the bathroom that they want to identify as. They want to force them to use the the bathroom that corresponds with the gender on the peoples’ birth certificates. Some people think that people who identify as transgender are people who are perverts and are trying to attack the people in the bathroom that they want to identify. This makes me so angry because people should be  allowed to use which ever bathroom that the feel most comfortable in and which gender identity that they want to identify as. People take for granted how much of a privilege it is to be able to go to the bathroom without being questioned. It is so wrong that people get questioned or stopped if they try to use the bathroom of the gender identity that they want to identify as. It also makes me angry that Kansas is trying to pass a bill saying that students will be paid $2500 if they encounter someone who is transgender in the bathroom. This makes me so upset because they are teaching the students the opposite of what they should be teaching them. They are promoting discrimination towards people who identify as transgender instead of teaching them that transgender people are wonderful people who are just like everyone else. Why can’t everyone have the right to identify which ever gender identify they feel comfortable in without getting questions!!!!!!!!! 

The Chitra Ganesh display was an absolutely intriguing experience. The purpose of this event was to endow Mabel Smith Douglass Library with a solo exhibition of the newly awarded 2015-16 Estelle Lebowitz Endowed Visiting Artist in Residence. The Estelle Lebowitz Endowed Visiting Artist in Residence program provides Rutgers University’s Libraries to view the work of a renowned contemporary woman artist and visiting scholar, Chitra Ganesh. Chitra is a Brooklyn based artist who creates mixed media focusing on history, literature, and art. While attending the Chitra Ganesh display at the Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries, I perceived her use of mixed media of comics, romance, female anatomy, nature, desi culture and other types of religion to depict a feeling of feminist empowerment. According to our course unit theme of Media Representation, we discuss how a women’s body is usually viewed with a sexualized meaning, through the social stigma of the male gaze. However, my experience viewing this “modern” type of artwork, motivated me to detach all social views of anatomy and sex, to portray this unique view of femininity.

By attending this event I learned lots of important information of pregnancy and contraception such as how to have a safe sex and how to deal with pregnancy. First part of the event the speakers talked about different types of birth control procedures and where to go for help if you need any help or concerns on health issues. Then we did a group task where each group has to put the condoms on a toy penis. This task was to help us know about the perfect way to put and take off the condom. Then she explained, ways of how women should have sex safely. After the discussion, we watched a movie called  “Catching babies.” The movie was very touchy and emotional because it showed how women suffer during pregnancy and how hard is to give a child birth. It also shows how facilities and nurses are helping pregnant women to deal with pregnancy emotionally, physically, and spiritually well and give a safe child birth. The event was really knowledgeable and helpful to my health and others because without knowing these information I would might do something which can be very upsetting for me and others. However, knowing these little important information can save me or others from life-taking hazardous diseases. After all health is wealth and knowing information about health is the key to live life better!

Today, I attended the premiere of the long-waited documentary, ‘The Hunting Ground’ inside the College Avenue Gymnasium. I was pretty aware of the plot of the movie before I got there since Rutgers University has clearly marked their position on sexual violence since I enrolled here. The movie itself however, brought the idea of sexual violence a whole different meaning for me. I did not know a lot about rape or sexual violence before I got to college but now, the idea of ‘victim shaming’ and the unawareness angers me. The statistics for rape on college campuses really stood out to me in the film because ironically, the schools of good standing were trying to hide the sexual violence incidents on their campuses to hold a good reputation yet; they were just making themselves look worse by ignoring the problems. I think its all pretty embarassing but I’m proud to be a part of a university that supports anyone who was sexually assaulted or raped. I also thought what the women did in the film :quitting school and advocating for these problems, was very inspiring because it isn’t that simple to leave a university even after something so traumatic. Especially since they were there to earn a degree and to be educated in the first place.

I attended "From Research to Practice Symposium & Wellness 360" and it was a great event! I visited the Douglass friends of UNFPA table during the interactive part of the event, and learned about their goal to collect donations of feminine products for homeless women. It was interesting to learn of this effort because usually when people think of donating to the homeless, they think of food or clothing brand donations. People do not think about the fact that homeless women menstruate and may not have the means to buy pads or tampons. This is is likely a result of the ridiculous shame surrounding the female reproductive system. People are ashamed of or disgusted by periods and thus avoid talking about them, when in reality periods are a normal part of life and are an important part of the female reproductive system. If people were not so reluctant to discuss periods in public, they might have thought about the fact that homeless women need a monthly supply of pads and tampons and donations in these areas would not be so low. I encourage anyone reading this post to donate pads or tampons to Douglass Friends of UNFPA who will then distribute them to the homeless.