A sampling of “what’s next” from UMBC community members, curated by Jess Myers, Women’s Center Director 

Last week, I shared some of my hopes and desired outcomes from the Women’s March on Washington. While I was looking forward to marching and being in relationship with other women and people at the march, I was (and am) more invested in the what’s next. In my blog, I wrote, “I want the momentum and energy to continue after the march, especially for those who are new to the movement, new to activism, new to seeing things that are unfair and unjust. I want us to stay loud. To stay critical. To stay visible and demand what is right, what is necessary. I want you to volunteer. I want you to keep learning and growing. I want you to find your activism (if you haven’t already) and make a difference. I want all those things for myself as well. 

On Saturday night and Sunday morning, my entire Facebook timeline was filled with amazing photos of the March (and also really important critiques of the march which you should also take some time to read). What was even more exciting than the photos, was the plans people were committing to in their post-march glow. So many people are fired up!

In my last post, I also reflected on the mission of the Women’s Center and our commitment to advocating for and advancing the rights of women and marginalized people. While the Women’s Center is a space and the people who work in it are committed to putting in the work, YOU, our community, are a huge part of that mission. We need you to help us live and be our mission. So with that in mind, I put a call out to some Women’s Center friends and former staff and asked them to share what their post-plans march are so I could share them as inspiration and motivation to our larger community. What I share below isn’t necessarily the full list each person shared with me but I love the breadth of ideas and action items.

So, I’ll go first…

After the march, I began the divestment process from my bank that financially supports the Dakota Access Pipeline as one way to be in solidarity with the Sioux Tribe and particularly native women (knowing construction of oil pipelines can contribute to an increased risk of sexual assault for Native women). I also am committed to investing more of my time and energy in local politics and activism.

Yoo-Jin Kang, UMBC Class of 2015 & former Women’s Center staff member

“Post-march I’d like to commit to speaking up, leaning into discomfort, and having the tough conversations with people who are willing to engage and listen. I want to commit to intersectionality because my feminism is privileged and one-sided without it. I want to continue to support local calls to action– whether that’s calling local politicians, supporting POC-owned businesses, rallying people in my community, or looking up trainings and materials to help guide my understanding of complex issues.”

Dr. Kate Drabinski, GWST Faculty 

“I’m going to keep doing what I do, where I am, and I commit to continue learning, doing, and acting. Oh, and calling my reps–local, state, and national–over and over again while staying open to new strategies and tactics as they arise.”

Lexx Mills, UMBC Class of 2013 & former Women’s Center staff intern
“I had to call out sick from the march and be there in spirit. I am committing to regularly calling Congress and getting family and friends involved.”

Emily Frias, UMBC Class of 2016
“In my current position I’m already heavily involved in local politics, but going to the march helped me further understand the context of the work I’m doing. While protecting reproductive rights is certainly important, black rights, immigrant rights, trans rights and disabled rights cannot be sacrificed in the name of unity. I felt like I was taking in the state of modern feminism, and seeing exactly how important it is to insist on intersectionality. Going forward, I’ll continue to keep these ideas at heart in the work I do!”

Mariana De Matos Medeiros, UMBC Class of 2016 & former Women’s Center staff intern

“After attending the march I am going to be attending training to become an abortion doula and am hoping to continue to researching and learning more in hopes to have brave conversations with the people in my life.”

Jake Leizear, UMBC Class of 2016
“More dialouging (and learning how to make it a less anxiety-inducing experience), and more lobbying. I want my elected officials to know me and be sick of me.”

Dr. Dawn Biehler, GES Faculty 

Dawn with the Day-Biehler crew – Brigid, Alice, and Nathan.

“I’ve been calling members of Congress, though I don’t know how much they listen to me since I don’t have a Senator or full Congressperson as a DC resident… We have started attending services at a very progressive church, All Souls Unitarian, which has a long history of social justice activism.”

Megan Tagle Adams, Women’s Center Assistant Director

“I’m still figuring out my post-march plans and priorities, but to begin with I’ve started donating money more frequently to important organizations and causes. I plan to learn more about third party politics and ways to get involved locally. I’m also committed to recentering the truth by combating the spread of fake news and challenging the uncritical use of harmful euphemisms like “alt-right.””

What are you plans? What’s next for you?

For more ideas or ways to keep the momentum going:

Women’s March on Washington 10 Actions/100 Days 

Countable – an app that makes it quick and easy to understand the laws Congress is considering

Attend upcoming Women’s Center events – check out our spring calendar

A reflection from Jess Myers, Women’s Center director 

Last weekend, I finally decided I would go to the Women’s March on Washington.

I’ve been to marches in the past. I drove 18 hours from Baltimore to Ft. Benning, Georgia in my early 20s for the School of Americas protest with a van load of Mercy nuns and my best friend. Attending college in Washington, D.C. during the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and the start of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars had me popping on the Metro often enough to join an anti-war rally. My favorite Pride parades have been the ones I’ve walked in rather than watched from the sidelines. In Baltimore, I’ve marched for justice, for Trayvon Martin and Freddie Gray, for Black Lives.

But, never have I marched for and with women for a platform dedicated to women’s rights.

A few weeks ago, I was in a room with several UMBC faculty members as they recalled their memories of past women’s marches. As they shared their experiences, it was evident that being in a space with thousands of other women advocating for women’s rights was a powerful moment for them. While each of the individuals who shared their stories have committed their lives to activism and feminism, those marches still held a unique and powerful place in their hearts. In fact, what was particularly striking was how they spoke about their experiences in relationship to those who were with them – their mothers, their daughters, their friends.

I want to be in relationship with other women and I’ve decided that going to this Saturday’s march is just one way I can do that. I recognize that it’s a privilege to put aside my reservations about going (really, for anyone going to the march, please read this important blog by Brittany Oliver and the other resources she’s provided at the end of her post) and I will continue to sift through the messiness and be in conversations with others about what I can do to always do better by paying attention to and learning from others.

Just as importantly, I want the momentum and energy to continue after the march, especially for those who are new to the movement, new to activism, new to seeing things that are unfair and unjust. I want us to stay loud. To stay critical. To stay visible and demand what is right, what is necessary. I want you to volunteer. I want you to keep learning and growing. I want you to find your activism (if you haven’t already) and make a difference. I want all those things for myself as well.

I want to be on a journey with others who are dedicated to ending gender inequality and living the values of social justice. The march will be a moment in time and I’m so glad I have a space like the Women’s Center to welcome others to join me once Saturday is over.

Three years ago this month, the Women’s Center unveiled a new logo – the Wye Oak Tree. This logo was intended to better represent our mission, values, and priorities, which are similar to that of the vision and principles of the Women’s March on Washington. In sharing our mission, I hope it serves as a reminder to you that the Women’s Center at UMBC works daily to advocate for and advance the rights of women and marginalized people. You are invited to join us in our work today and every day.

The Women’s Center at UMBC advances gender equity from an intersectional feminist perspective through co-curricular programming, support services, and advocacy for marginalized individuals and communities. We prioritize critical social justice as our community value, with a deliberate focus on women, gender, anti-racism, and feminism.

All are welcome as long as they respect women. Their experiences. Their stories. Their potential.

Whether you march or not, on this day and every day, in and through the work the Women’s Center does, we support you, we believe you, we see you.

Our Guiding Principles

• We will encourage authentic dialogues among students, faculty, and staff to facilitate consciousness-raising, transformative learning, and self-determination.
• We will embody our commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and social justice in our operation, staffing, and programming.
• We will operate from a holistic and non-hierarchical anti-violence framework.
• We will challenge the barriers that reinforce inequity and oppression impacting our university and broader communities.
• We will cultivate women’s empowerment, involvement, and leadership in all aspects of university life.

And don’t forget:
If you’re going to the march, be sure to register!
Check out these recent podcasts from Stuff Mom Never Told You and Call Your Girlfriend for more on the history of women’s marches and details about this Saturday’s march organizers.
Stop by the Women’s Center this Friday from 11am-2pm to rally together and be in community and conversation with others – plus make a rally sign (while supplies last).

 Updated January 18 with more positions and some more detail on existing ads. . .

Several state delegates and senators have recently contacted me to advertise internships for this current legislative session, which runs until mid-April. Most offices need the intern to start immediately and to work for 2 days per week. Typical state legislative intern duties include substantial legislative research work, constituent correspondence, some clerical work, and attendance at various meetings, events, and legislative proceedings with or on behalf of the legislator. UMBC students have consistently reported positive experiences with this program, and for several of them, the experience later led to a legislative staff job.

Most of the legislators who have contacted me pay their interns a modest stipend, which is set this session at $850 for 16 hours per week and $1250 for 24 hours per week. Free parking is also included.

Interns receiving the stipend are considered participants in the Maryland General Assembly’s official internship program and thus are required to be sponsored by a professor and to receive academic credit for the experience – although, as noted below, some legislators hire outside this program and may still pay. The Department of Political Science offers qualifying students 7 graded credits for a combination of the internship and required supplemental academic work. These come from POLI 448, a writing-intensive hybrid class required of all interns, and POLI 401. On those weeks when POLI 448 meets face-to-face, alternative arrangements are available for students whose internship schedules conflict with class time. Traditionally, eligibility has been limited to juniors and seniors with GPAs of 3.0 and higher, but exceptions for high-GPA sophomores or for upperclassmen with GPAs below 3.0 may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

As of Wednesday, January 18, the following legislators have contacted me about internships in their Annapolis offices. Party affiliation and county are provided for your information, but interns are not necessarily required to share these with the legislator. If you are interested, please send your resume to the contact person while contacting me to apply for academic credit. ~Dr. Hussey (lhussey@umbc.edu)

·         Del. Vanessa Atterbeary (D – Howard County) (see details in earlier post)

·         Del. Ric Metzgar (R – Baltimore County) (Contact: Diamond J. Aranda, Chief of Staff, 410-841-3332)

·         Del. Edith Patterson (D – Charles County) (Tu/Th availability needed. Contact: Melinda M. Hamilton, Chief of Staff, Edith.Patterson@house.state.md.us or 410-841-3247.)

·         Del. Marc Korman (D – Montgomery County) (MWF availability preferred, but TuTh OK. Contact: Sean Emerson, Legislative Aide, Marc.Korman@house.state.md.us or 410-841-3649)

·         Sen. Victor Ramirez (D – Prince George’s County) (Spanish speakers especially desired. Needs TuWeTh availability. May still hire and pay stipend even if not meeting 3.0 GPA or requirement for professor sponsorship and academic credit. Contact: Wanika Fisher, Esq., Policy and Constituent Director, WFisher@senate.state.md.us or 410-841-3745)

·         Del. Karen Lewis Young (D – Frederick County) (Contact: Manley Paul Calhoun III, Legislative Director, Karen.Young@house.state.md.us or 410-841-3436)

·         Speaker Pro Tem Del. Adrienne Jones (D – Baltimore County). (Position is unpaid, but promises extensive exposure to the delegate’s meetings and legislative work. Does not involve clerical work. Contact Dr. Hussey for details.)

·         Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D – Prince George’s County) (TuTh availability preferred, W okay. Contact: Keontae Wells, Executive Assistant: KKells@senate.state.md.us)

·         Delegate-elect (just appointed to fill a vacancy) Jheanelle Wilkins (D – Montgomery County) (Send email of interest and resume to Dr. Hussey to forward directly to Del.-Elect Wilkins)

Delegate Vanessa E. Atterbeary who represents the 13th legislative district which
    includes Columbia, Clarksville, Dayton, Fulton, North Laurel, River Hill, and
    Savage, is looking for interns for the 2017 Legislative Session. Our relatively
    small staff requires team members that are willing to do administrative work while
    taking on more critical responsibilities to support daily operations. To apply, send
    your resume to Michelle García, Chief of Staff, at
    vanessa.atterbeary@house.state.md.us<mailto:vanessa.atterbeary@house.state.md.us>.
    
    Responsibilities may include but are not limited to:
    
    - Administrative duties (phones, emails, scheduling, etc.)
    - Attend committee hearings
    - Legislative research
    - Draft official communications
    - Providing support to delegation staff
    
    Requirements:
    
    - Available January through April at a minimum of 16 hours per week
    - Currently enrolled in a college or university
    - Must possess strong command of English language (bilingual applicants encouraged)
    - Proficient writing ability
    - Excellent communication skills
    - Ability to work and function in a creative and flexible environment
    - Reliable transportation

Recently, I’ve been buoying myself in this onslaught of political shitstorming by listening to a self-care playlist. The playlist is chock full of all of the songs that help me get by when it’s hard to navigate the world and ones that I can sing very loudly.

One song that I gravitate towards lately is the Talking Heads’s “This Must Be The Place.”

Click here for text version of This Must Be The Place lyrics.

This song has a lot of meaning for me. It’s the song that my dad serenaded my mother with at their wedding. “This Must Be The Place” is the crucible of my parents’ love, so it’s sort of the thing that formed me. It’s a song I sing to myself when I want to cry and when I want to smile and when I want to scream. I sang it with my dad through a vocal harmonizer as we welcomed 2017 (and threw 2016 into the fire pit). I think my mom cried a bit, but I couldn’t see because I was crying.

Coming back to work at the Women’s Center, I am, yet again, thinking about this song’s resonance and its meaning and its magic.

The Women’s Center is home for me. It is a beacon when trauma strikes and when justice is sought. The Women’s Center simultaneously grounds us and lifts us up—like any good home does. It is a place of love, warmth, truth, and hope. A place so rare and crucial right now.

It would be an understatement to say I am happy to be back at UMBC and at the Women’s Center. I am elated, I am at peace, I am confident. This space, this place—the Women’s Center—fulfills the promises of feminist, queer, radical social justice theories by providing a home for me and all the other community members who occupy its world.

As the Special Projects Coordinator (a title Jess lovingly made for me), I am diving back into the constantly evolving environment of the Women’s Center. Over the semester I will be collaborating alongside staff and interns to enhance programming, expand social media outreach efforts, and design marketing initiatives. In short, doing everything I love to do for an organization I love.

I am so thankful to be back home at the Women’s Center and at UMBC. I am beyond ecstatic to join a team that inspires me everyday, and that I care about so deeply. I am enlivened by the opportunity to continue working with a mission centered on intersectional feminism and critical social justice.

Home, is where I want to be

But I guess I’m already there

I come home, she lifted up her wings

I guess that this must be the place.

The Women's Center is excited to announce that the Returning Women Students Scholarships Application for 2017-2018 is now available. The deadline for submission is Friday, March 31, 2017.

This common application enables eligible students to apply for more than one of the Returning Women Students Scholarships using the same application. The four available scholarships are:

• Charlotte W. Newcombe Scholarship & The UMBC Scholarship for Mature Students
• AEGON Scholarship
• The Richard & Roselyn Bryson Neville Memorial Fund for Returning Women Scholarship
• The Rosalie Tydings Business and Professional Women’s Scholarship

All undergraduate students over the age of 25 and with at least 60 credits may be eligible. You must be completing your first undergraduate degree. Each scholarship has additional eligibility requirements which can be found on the common application instructions. 

The application is attached to this announcement. Please be sure to read over the eligibility requirements before applying. 

If you have any questions concerning the application process or the scholars program requirements, please contact the Women's Center director, Jess Myers, at womens.center@umbc.edu. 

We will also be hosting 2 information sessions related to the application process and scholars program requirements. The information sessions will be held in the Women's Center on Wednesday, February 22nd from 12-12:45pm OR Thursday, March 16th from 4-4:45pm. Each year, applicants submit applications with errors that often impact their consideration for a scholarship. We highly encourage all applicants to attend an info session before submitting their application. 

Applications are due Friday, March 31, 2017

 An end-of-year reflection from staff member Daniel

I am far from the first and will certainly not be the last person to say this year has been… quite a time. In the last 362 and counting days, bad things have been happening all around the world . And like, bad things have always and will always happen and sometimes we create the illusion that more bad things are happening than normal by highlighting and paying more attention to the bad things, but to be perfectly honest there is something hellishly special about the year Two Thousand And Sixteen. There’s been a lot of personal stuff too. Most of the people I know– and me– have all been going through significant change in our lives, our social circles, our beliefs, and our goals. We’ve had some pretty big losses and intense life experiences. Everything is so strange lately, like we’ve clipped into an alternate universe where everything is exactly the same except that it’s… not.

My friend recently texted our group chat with the revelation that the 16th card in the major arcana of a traditional tarot deck is The Tower. Next year, 2017, is The Star and 2018 is The Moon. If you know much about tarot I don’t really need to say anything else but I will anyway. If you don’t know much about tarot that’s awesome because at least what I’m saying will be new to someone.

Let me tell you a little about The Tower.

The Tower is typically depicted as a tall cylindrical fortress with a few small (or no) windows built on a crop of jagged rocks. Flames burst from the tower as a storm of fire and lightning rages around it. Atop the tower is a crown being struck by lightning as the structure cracks and crumbles. Often, kings and court royalty are pictured tumbling down from the wreckage. It’s a lot to take in. A lot of people will read The Tower as death and destruction, chaos, disaster. When you interpret it this way, The Tower feels much like an omen if it comes up in a reading. But, here’s the thing. The Tower is ruled by Mars and when you read it through the lens of Mars, the meaning takes a whole new shape.

Here’s what my favorite site for all things astrology has to say about Mars: “Mars represents the energy and drive of a person, their courage, determination, the freedom of spontaneous impulse. It also describes the readiness for action, the way one goes about doing things as well as simple aggression.” Mars is the warrior. Mars is about fighting, action, and personal conviction. So what does this say about the tower? It symbolizes the crumbling of an empire. An era. Upheaval, social change, karmic consequences doled out to those who benefit from the exploitation. It’s not senseless chaos. It is action taken and the consequences which follow.

“The Tower signifies darkness and destruction on a physical scale, as opposed to a spiritual scale. The Tower itself represents ambitions built on false premises. The lightning bolt breaks down existing forms in order to make room for new ones. It represents a sudden, momentary glimpse of truth, a flash of inspiration that breaks down structures of ignorance and false reasoning.” –BiddyTarot

The Tower card from the Rider Waite deck, a trusted classic version of the deck

“It means great change forced by those who have been made to feel powerless.” TAROT.com

The tower itself represents the structures we’ve built to protect ourselves and block out the outside world. They can be as personal as your own emotional barriers and your social circle and support network but they can also be the social structures built to protect the ruling class and protect social stratification. The lightning represents truth and the fire represents consequence. The Tower reminds us that there are some things that cannot protect us from the consequences of our actions and that truth will prevail. The changes brought on by The Tower are sudden and great. Foundations are being destroyed and order is being overturned.

Some versions of The Tower. Featured center is from the Collective Tarot

Okay so back to the year 2016. So much has happened I can’t even remember what events belong to this year. I know that Donald Trump was elected president of the US along with a majority Republican Congress, an administration which will appoint at least one and up to three supreme court justices, signaling the end (or beginning) of an era. The tower of liberalism and “progressive” politics some of us have built for ourselves is being destroyed by the truth that white supremacy is alive and well and just as insidious as ever. Meanwhile, the tower we built out of privilege is struck by the cumulative weight of the actual human cost of struggles and wrongdoings we’ve chosen to ignore. As everything falls away we are finally able to see it all laid out before us.

A revelation: the way we’ve been doing things isn’t working. The way we’ve been doing things is causing harm.

That’s not news to a lot of people and we seek to create awareness and education about in the Women’s Center on a regular basis. For those who have been living outside the tower, these are the truths of their daily lives. Before #NODAPL Native Americans were fighting for their lands, their livelihoods, their cultures, and the basic rights of their people. Before Black Lives Matter, the Black Panthers and other groups of Black Americans organized against police brutality and white supremacy. Before Brexit and the US election, fascists and Nazis and the KKK have thrived and held active roles in upholding and advancing white supremacy. The difference is now that the tower is gone, there’s nowhere left to hide. It’s all right here. Now it’s up to us to dig through the wreckage and begin to rebuild or be left behind to lament to no one about the way things used to be.

Where The Tower was the upheaval and the change and the revelations, The Star in 2017 is healing and transformation. We’re left with something totally different from everything we thought we knew. We’ve endured so much but we’ve learned (or are in the process of learning) how to take care of ourselves and each other. Amidst this “massive garbage fire” of a year, we’ve built networks of resilience. It’s really hard to know what our future looks like right now and I don’t know what happens next but I do know that we are resilient. I know that we will be okay because we will take care of one another. We will build resistance and do more than just imagine a different world. Our survival depends on our commitment to change on a much larger scale because–GUESS WHAT–it’s happening whether we like it or not. Plus, we’re not the only ones gearing up for big change and a new era. When the tower comes down, it’s anyone’s game– and resisting change or being passive observers means handing our new malleable world over to white supremacy and fascism.

(Can I just take a second to point out that I’m telling you all to watch out for Nazis? Like, actual legit real life Nazis. How we got to this point is a whole other blog post, but I just wanted to make sure we’re all clear on the severity of the situation.)

I know this may seem like a lot to put on a deck of cards and some numbers but I think as humans we need to find some order in the world, something to explain the entropic chaos of the universe. I love astrology and tarot because it helps me interpret, understand, and come to terms with what I already know and I’ve connected with people in unique ways because of it. It’s one of the ways I build resilience and community just like some people do with religion or political organizing.

So, here’s my advice for the year 2017: don’t resist change. Don’t just let change happen to you either. Be an active agent in change— in your personal life and in the world. Build coalitions, build resistance. Resolve your beefs and learn to love with your whole body. Find what helps you understand the world and put your whole heart into it. We’re gonna be okay.

A blog reflection by Women’s Center intern Mariana de Matos Medeiros 

I’ve been working on a draft for this blog post for over 6 weeks. It’s been intimidating and scary to be vulnerable in such a public space.

I was hoping to describe how I self-silence and how I struggle to find words that match my thoughts and feelings. I often try to polish them, make them perfect and pristine. Drafting and editing about a million times and still feeling like what I’ve written is not quite right. Sometimes I feel that folks are all too willing to accept that femme women often struggle with expressing their unique voices.

Further, my ideas and how I express them through writing—in other words my voice—have often been devalued. Whether through my experience with academic writing or the constant rhetoric that lived experience is less valuable than ‘objective’ facts found through scientific research. Often, lived experience is closely associated with emotion and thus femininity. It feels invalidating and that my thoughts are only valuable if I can back them up with an outside source.

Recently, while scrolling through my various social media pages, I noticed that I share poetry quite often. In fact, out of 20 posts on my Facebook about 12 of them were poetry by Rupi Kaur.

Some of them include:

Sharing these images and words is how I communicate with my friends via social media. Often, the poetry I share is a reflection of my thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

Which sounds like the definition of ‘my voice’ that I described earlier.

Perhaps, it’s fine that I can’t find my own perfect words to convey my voice. I’m finding that self-expression does not have to fit into a box of what other people expect. Also, that there is value in empathizing and sharing other people’s words in addition to creating my own.

It is self-expression anyway and if I feel accurately represented by the words and images that others have created, then so be it.

Poetry has played an immense role in my healing from sexual violence. The words of others have also served as a reminder that I am not alone. My experience did not happen in isolation. The personal is political. I have a community and that realization has changed everything for me.

This journey to finding my voice belongs deeply to me and I can make it my own.

A reflection of what self-care really looks like for each of us, especially during finals, by Women’s Center student staff member Prachi Kochar.

It’s a common refrain that we’ve all heard, especially around this time of year. “Don’t forget to take care of yourself during finals week!”, “Remember that self-care is important!”, and so on. But what does taking care of yourself look like? Does it look like buying yourself your favorite drink at Starbucks? Does it look like going to the gym for a hard session on the treadmill? Does it look like sleeping in an extra hour? Does it look like going to the movies with your friends? Simply put, there is no easy “yes” or “no” answer to these questions. Self-care looks like what is right for you at this point in time. And self-care does not always fit into a neat little box of “Do this and you’ll feel great!” Self-care can be an ongoing process, a process that is sometimes painful and sometimes exhilarating. And it is something that everyone has their own interpretation of, which can be incredibly overwhelming – googling “what does self-care look like” yields over 29 million results!

Besides these yummy cupcakes, what does treating yourself look like?

For me, self-care can take the form of sleeping in a few hours and giving my body and mind the time to rest and recover from stresses. It can also take the form of waking up early and going to the gym for a 7 AM yoga class or going for a run. Sometimes self-care means showing up for all of my commitments, even when I am tired, and sometimes it means saying “no” or “I can’t do it.” Sometimes self-care means pushing myself to finish all of my assignments when I am not feeling my best so that I will not be thrown into crisis mode later when all of my commitments pile up. What is most important is that I take stock of how I am feeling, mentally and physically, and do not become upset at myself for not being able to do everything, but also recognize that sometimes it is necessary for me to push myself to take care of myself. In other words, self-care sometimes involves doing the hard things and showing up for yourself.

More wise words from Parks and Recreation!

As you might be guessing, self-care involves a large amount of self-reflection – taking stock of your feelings, needs, and wants. This can be difficult for many of us, especially in our fast-paced world where we are praised for chugging caffeine and pushing past our human limits. However, it is necessary to know yourself in order to take care of yourself.

Ask yourself:

What stresses you out? When do you feel most stressed out? Is it those papers that you always seem to leave to the last minute? Is it the way that the dishes pile up in the sink during a busy week?

What can you do to reduce these stresses?

This may consist of creating a detailed schedule or setting aside a specific block of time for completing particular tasks. It may also consist of doing little things to reduce your stress during periods of time that you know will be particularly stressful for you. Remember some of the self-care methods I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post? Doing something like eating your favorite food, getting a workout in, or putting on a facemask with some cucumber slices can be great ways to reduce stress during these periods of time, but no one can tell you exactly what works for you.

And finally, show up for yourself! But don’t be afraid to ask for support from those around you – and don’t be afraid to reach out to others. If you notice that a friend is stressed or going through a rough time, you can reach out to them.

Taking care of yourself is an ongoing process that is not always easy, but you can do it. As we head into finals week, good luck, and don’t forget to take the time to take care of yourself, whatever that looks like!

Resources

• What Nobody Tells You About Self-Care
• The Self-Care Revolution
• An Interactive Self-Care Guide
• “Twice As Good”: On Being a Woman of Color and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism
• Treat Your Body Lovingly: A Twelve-Step Program
• Self-Care for Thanksgiving

A weekly round-up curated by Women’s Center staff member, Michael Jalloh Jamboria

In the spirit of my friend, who gave us the glorious name ‘Slaying on the Weekly’, every week I will be bringing you some interesting, funny or thought-provoking content from the internet! Be sure to join us next week for more and continue to slay!

Things you should know:

The Bell Foundry, a queer/POC dominated art space, was condemned on Monday December 5th, displacing dozens of artists and performers in the process. There are efforts to find temporary homes and long term spaces for those people, including a benefit relief fund event.

Article of the Week:

Time Magazine has a pretty good list of tips for exam week. Take care of yourself, get some sleep, you’ll do fine.

The holidays are coming up, meaning family. We understand family can be difficult to navigate and be around. Check out Feministing’s guide for navigating the holidays.

UMBC Happenings:

Self-Care Day is December 12th from 12pm to 1pm. Join us during free hour for arts/crafts, tea/coffee and a stress-free zone.

During Exam week and Winter break, the Women’s Center will be reducing the hours of operation.

Song of the Week:

I’ve been listening to really great music recently, and I want to share that with all of you! This week’s song is a youtube playlist for studying. Enjoy some jazzy goodness and get some work done!

You are great! You can pass all of your exams! Enjoy winter break!

The panelists and facilitators (from left to right: Shira Devorah, Dr. Kate Drabinski, Dr. Mejdulene Shomali, Dan Wiley, and me, Mike Jalloh-Jamboria) from the Fatness in Focus Roundtable. Keep an eye out for the roundup!