Students Make Pilgrimage to Seneca Falls

          On Saturday, September 14, the Center for Women's Studies hosted a trip to Seneca Falls, NY and nearby sites to visit iconic monuments of the early Women's Rights Movement in the US and other socially significant sites from the time period.  The trip was divided between a morning visit to Seneca Falls, NY and Auburn, NY in the afternoon.  
          Seneca Falls is home to the Wesleyan Chapel, which was the site of the first Women's Rights Convention in July 1848, as well as Elizabeth Cady Stanton's family home during the crucial years of 1847 to 1862.  These sites have been gathered under the Women's Rights National Historic Park, which was established by Congress in 1980 with the goal of preserving these sights and opening them to the public.  The park now includes a visitors' center that pays tribute to First Wave feminists whose contribution to the women's rights movement is perhaps best signified by the achievements of the first Women's Rights Convention.  
          Auburn, NY is home to Harriet Tubman who is known for her courageous efforts to liberate slaves in the South through the Underground Railroad.  In Auburn, we also visited the house of William Seward, the illustrious Secretary of State under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.  Seward obtained Tubman's home where she spent the rest of her life after the Civil War.  The Tubman and Seward homes are both on South Street in Auburn, and these two homes stand as a testament to a friendship that exemplifies the era's spirit of cooperation.
          This trip organized by the Center for Women's Studies gave students interested in women's issues a chance to explore these historic sites and pay their respects to these iconic forebearers in the cause of women's rights.  Students participated in guided tours provided by the National Park Service and the organizations that maintain the Harriet Tubman House and William Seward House.  The accompanying Colgate faculty and staff members facilitated a scavenger hunt of the visitor's center of the Women's Rights National Historic Park and further discussion of the sites on the bus as the group traveled between sites. 
          The first stop was Elizabeth Cady Stanton's home in Seneca Falls where she lived when the first Women's Rights Convention took place in 1848.  The Stantons named the house "Grassmere" after the Romantic poet William Wordsworth's home that inspired his "poetical dreams."  The tour guide also informed the group that the house was known as the "center of the rebellion" and was the place where Stanton held her "war councils."  Here she met with leaders in the women's movement, especially her close friend Susan B. Anthony and together they planned strategy.  The house also featured the desk where she penned her landmark 1892 speech "The Solitude of the Self" and her autobiography, Eighty Years & More: Reminiscences 1815-1897.  While the house paid tribute to her accomplishments, it also stood as a symbol of some of the restrictions placed on her activist by the duties of motherhood.  A placard in the house quoted her as saying, "I am bound hand and foot...with a baby in my arms and four boys revolving round me as a common centre...Woman must ever be sacrificed in the isolate household."
          The tour then continued to the site of the Wesleyan Chapel and the adjacent visitors' center of the Women's Rights National Historic Park.  The Wesleyan Chapel was a powerful monument to the achievements of women at the first convention there 165 years earlier even if it was sparse in accouterments of the actual event.  All that remained from the Wesleyan Chapel was some of the original brick and plaster from the first structure that had "witnessed" the first convention and was now exposed for viewing.  New brick was put in to create a structure around this material that matched the chapel's design.  Before the National Park Service obtained the building in 1980, it had been a car dealership and laundromat among other things, and the specifications of the original configuration of the building had been lost to history.  The empty brick structure approximating the original thus stood as the best place to envision and feel the energy of that early and exciting moment in American women's history.
         When we walked into the adjacent visitors' center, we were immediately greeted by a bronze sculpture of life-size First Wave Feminists. Figures of the movement including Elisabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, and Frederick Douglass appear as they would have looked during that revolutionary period in their full stature.  A scavenger hunt encouraged the students to explore the exhibits on display.  Students discovered which individuals were responsible for organizing the National Park and learned that Hilary Rodham Clinton was highly involved. Furthermore, they also learned how religious revivals in New York State or the "burned-over district" helped to inspire the women's movement.
          The final destination was to Auburn where the group visited the homes of Harriet Tubman and William Seward.  The tour of Harriet Tubman's house gave her extraordinary biography as a freedom fighter working to free slaves.  We toured past the original house and barn where she once hid slaves on the Underground Railroad and took them into the second house where she later lived and operated a home for the aged.  The tour then traveled down the street which led to Seward's house.  The museum at his house emphasized his achievements as a prominent statesman and a man of culture and learning. Overall, students returned back to campus inspired by their journey through history.


-Tom Wiley, Graduate Student

Seneca Falls Field Trip

          The chill of an early September morning awoke the group of forty of us, comprised mostly of college students and a few faculty and staff members from the Center for Women's Studies.  As we made the drive on the coach bus towards Seneca Falls, NY, the birthplace of the women's rights movement, I recalled my last visit to the small Upstate New York town.  I had last seen the homes of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Harriet Tubman on a Girl Scout trip in the fourth grade.  Then too young to quite understand the importance of these women, all I remembered was the disappointment I felt as I walked through those small, old, unfurnished homes.  Upon hearing that our Women's Studies class was taking a field trip to this same location, I could only recall those lack-luster rooms.  I thought to myself, I understand we've been learning about these women and have read a number of their works, and I respect the progress they made, but those houses are not much to see.   However, what I did not consider were the changes that had occurred in my own life since then.  Now I am a young adult, far more aware of the prejudices and social conventions that surround me.  In addition, since taking Intro to Women's Studies, I have also become more educated on the struggle for women's rights.  This is a movement and a history that is sorely under appreciated, and in my opinion, not taught enough to young students.
         We entered Stanton's home and stood in the living room where Stanton first met with other revolutionary women of her time and began to plan a convention that would forever change the lives of women in the United States.  It was then that I realized the intention of us going on this trip, for however early we woke up and however much homework we all had on our minds, there was nothing more empowering and humbling than being in Stanton's house and imagining all of those women who we are forever indebted to.
          It is not always about the sights, the smells, the largest paintings hung on the walls of a museum, or the size of a gift shop.  What it really comes down to is immersing yourself in history and applying it to your life, for one must consider what these ordinary people sacrificed in order to better the lives of others.  That is when true understanding and appreciation can occur.

-Natalie Krause '17

Brown Bag Reflection - ReThinkPink: Moving Beyond Breast Cancer Awareness

Yesterday’s Brown Bag, “ReThinkPink: Moving Beyond Breast Cancer Awareness,” featured health activist and medial sociologist, Gale Sulik. Dr. Sulik, is the author of Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women’s Health, an active blogger, and founder of the Breast Cancer Consortium. Her presentation was educational, enlightening, and provocative in which it focused on the history and evolution of breast cancer awareness campaigns in America.

In terms of how it all started, what began as a disease that no one wanted to talk about, eventually turned into movement of female empowerment. As breast cancer became more widely recognized and awareness grew, corporations capitalized on the campaign and branded the pink ribbon campaign. In essence, the ribbon turned into a corporation advertisement strategy by increasing pink consumerism and raising billions of dollars for a “good cause.”  Dr. Sulik argued that the consumerism of breast cancer has undermined women’s lived experiences and obscured controversies surrounding research, diagnoses, and treatments. By turning the Pink Ribbon into a logo, it ignores the reality of what living with breast cancer is really like and undermines women’s health.

An important question that Dr. Sulik raised was, “Why breast cancer?” When looking at the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of death among women in the United States is: 1) heart disease, 2) lung cancer, and 3) breast cancer. Not to diminish the impact on breast cancer in America, but why aren't there campaigns as commercialized as the pink ribbon campaign against heart disease and lung cancer? Dr. Sulik believes that our fascination with breast cancer is because it pertains to the breast. In other words, Dr. Sulik called it the “sexy” cancer. When taking a step back, it is easy to see why corporations have capitalized on the pink ribbon campaign. It’s as simple as “Sex Sells.

In essence, Dr. Sulik challenged us to question the goodness of the pink ribbon campaign. Not to totally reject awareness and fundraising campaigns, but to ask the tough questions. Where is the money actually going? Who benefits from awareness raising campaigns? Can corporations become health advocates without some underlying benefit?  Which awareness-raising campaigns continue to objectify women and hold them under the male gaze?  Is the information you are getting from these campaigns truthful or accurate? Asking questions is what being a curious feminist is all about (Enloe). These questions may not be easy, or always taken well, but they expose the often well-hidden truth. These are the tough questions that Dr. Sulik, as a health advocate, pursues. 

- Michelle Van Veen '14

Brown Bag Reflection: Dear Colleague and Title Ix Compliance

For all of you that missed last Tuesday’s brown bag, be glad I’m here to tell you about it!

Let’s start with definitions.

What is Title IX? It is the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on one’s sex, in educational programs and activities that receive federal funds.

What is the Dear Colleague Letter?

It is a letter rendering responsibility of institutions of higher education "to take immediate and effective steps to end sexual harassment and sexual violence.” The letter illustrates multiple examples of Title IX requirements as they relate to sexual violence, and makes clear that, should an institution fail to fulfill its responsibilities under Title IX, the Department of Education can impose a fine and potentially deny further institutional access to federal funds.

Civil rights organizations maintain that "when students suffer sexual assault and harassment, they are deprived of equal and free access to an education." Sexual violence is a crime and should be dealt with accordingly.

So, the key question here is, what is our beloved institution- Colgate, doing to adhere to these laws?

During this brown bag, we had a panel of resourceful campus staff- Val Brogan, Meika Loe, Nancy Ries, Lynn Rugg and Kim Taylor that discussed the different levels of sexual misconduct simply to shed more light on the different kinds of assault creating more awareness and understanding of this issue. Any sexual activity in the absence of consent is harassment and should be reported immediately. This group of people are here to help us all. Sexual assault happens on this campus and should you be a victim or a friend of a victim please speak out. The school has various resources on how to get help in case you have been abused, or how to help a friend that has been abused. You can even fill out an anonymous tip form if you do not want to disclose your identity. Make sure to check out Colgate University sexual assault resources for useful information on how to deal with sexual assault at Colgate.

Finally and most importantly, we as individuals need to know what consent really means. If we all understood what it was then sexual violence would be a problem in the past. Making sure that an individual clearly and voluntarily agrees to participate in a sexual activity makes consent valid. So if you receive but’s, maybe’s, sorta, kinda type of responses from the other party that means no and therefore do not proceed to try and have sex with them. You can be hopeful and try again another time but really, no means no. It can wait. Silence does not give consent.

Gloria Kebirungi '15

10 Reasons Why I Love Being a Feminist

10) Free Lunch Every Tuesday at the WMST Brown Bags. Free food, free knowledge, good people… What’s not to like?

9) I can read @feministtswift and think it’s absolutely hilarious. “I don’t know about you / But I’m feeling 22 / cents underpaid on the dollar” (C’mon, that is creative.)

8) I can feel justified in shamelessly procrastinating on Jezebel. Sometimes I’ll come across great feminist articles and sometimes I’ll find things like this gem. All completely worth it.

7) I get to talk about sex. Let’s be honest. We all love to talk about sex. Whether taking the Yes Means Yes Seminar, sharing a bottle of wine among friends, or watching awkward sexual encounters on sit coms, we are fascinated by sex. Not that I necessarily divulge my own experiences (or lack thereof) when I talk about sex, but having people around willing to talk about sex and sexuality in a constructive and free way is pretty nice.

6) I feel justified speaking up in class. For a long time I didn’t think it was a problem that I never participated in class. I was completely content sitting in the back of the classroom and listening to what everyone else had to say. But, I came to realize that I kept on hearing the same voices, perspectives, and opinions. Finally I started raising my hand, asking the difficult questions, and voicing different opinions. Not that I always have something worthwhile to say, but expressing a different viewpoint is actually important, especially when it’s a feminist viewpoint. So, speak up! You may not always be right, but at least you put yourself out there. You actually learn the most when you have to defend something you believe.

5) I have one more reason to stop critiquing my own body. I’m not the first person to admit that I have problems with the way I think my body looks. Some days I feel fat. Other days I feel beautiful. What being a feminist has done for me is realize that there are different ideals of beauty (as corny as that sounds, it’s true). While I’m still working on accepting my body for what it is, feminism is one more voice in my head on the team “love you for who you are.”

4) There is a sense of solidarity among feminists. “Oh wait, you’re a feminist?! Me too!” Ok, this may be a little contrived, but the idea is there. Sharing a common belief and value is at least a conversation starter. And although feminists don’t always agree on all issues or perspectives, at least we can all agree that we value human rights and equality for all. It’s a starting point and a great thing to have in common with feminists all around the world.

3) I get to meet amazing people. You know how college is supposed to be the best four years of your life? I think this is true for me not because I can go out and drink like a fish whenever I want (not that I enjoy that much anyways), but because of all the amazing people I interact with on a daily basis. Specifically, the people in the Center for Women’s Studies are awesome. I have learned so much from people with different life stories and perspectives that have pushed me to become a better person and feminist.

2) I have a goal in life. Pick up any self-help book and the first step is to create a list of goals. While coming up with some and adhering to them can sometimes be a painful process, they are also incredibly effective. Goals are helpful because they help you become someone you actually want to be. I want to be someone who advocates for human rights and equality. Having my feminist lens and working through feminist theory (both in an academic setting and in my actual life) gives me a sense of purpose in my life. And, while currently in the midst of figuring out what I want to do when I graduate (eek!) at least I have some direction of what I’m interested in and would like to pursue.

1) I have the satisfaction of knowing I’m right. But seriously though. I dare you to come up with a good reason why people should be treated differently and have different opportunities available to them based on their gender, sex, socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, age, ability, sexual orientation, religion, etc. It’s hard to justify the violation of human rights.

To sum things up: being a feminist is awesome. I dare you to try it. 

- Michelle Van Veen '14