UMBC Women Who Rock is a blog series I’m working on throughout the 2014-15 academic year. In my role as Women’s Center director, I have some of the best opportunities to become acquainted with some of UMBC’s best and brightest women on campus. I admire the ways they live authentic lives unapologetically that challenge the stereotypes and assumptions that are often assigned to women. By debunking these stereotypes and forcing us to check our assumptions, they allow us to expand our notion of what a woman is and can be.

-Jess

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UMBC Women Who Rock! A Reflection on Encouragement and Accountability

With only three posts in this series, it might seem a little too early to spice things up, but the spirit of this series is really that of personal reflection (in addition to of course, celebrating other women) and I have some reflections to share. So for this post, I’m expanding the concept of the series to not just write about a particular UMBC woman but the experience of working with other UMBC women.  In this case, it’s the experience of writing a chapter for a women in leadership book series called Advancing Women and Leadership: Moving the Needle through Applied Theory Building with Virginia Byrne of Student Life and Crystal Diaz-Espinoza of CWIT. Our chapter called “The Non-Traditional Patchwork of College Women Student Leaders: A Multidisciplinary Reflection on Theory” focuses on ways in which we seek to build bridges at UMBC between marginalized groups of women leaders and the larger campus community in an effort to encourage transformational leadership development. We specifically focus on the experiences of UMBC women adult learners and women students majoring in information technology and engineering.

Now that the first hurdle of submitting our draft is behind us, I’ve had time to reflect on the experience. It was hard! I knew what I wanted to write and had all the confidence in the world until I sat in front of my computer trying to put my thoughts into words. It was like teaching someone to tie their shoe or ride a bike. I’ve been doing the action for so long that taking a step back and breaking it down part-by-part proved to be more difficult than I thought. On top of the challenge of actually writing, we were doing so with a week left before the spring semester begun. I felt behind on my work in the Women’s Center and some of our biggest programming and events were coming up in just a few short weeks. And it was cold and winter is the worst. Long story short, I was a grouchy baby.

I look back over the past week of writing sessions and writing and recognize they weren’t some of my proudest moments. I kept looking for ways to convince myself that I wasn’t smart enough to write this paper and that I possibly didn’t have anything worth including in a real-life book. I kept hoping that maybe Crystal or Virginia felt the same way and we could quit this whole thing.

Shine Theory fail.

Through my love of podcasts, I’ve recently been exposed to this concept of Shine Theory. Explained by Ann Friedman in her article over at The Cut, she explores the idea that powerful women make the best of friends. She writes, “Surrounding yourself with the best people doesn’t make you look worse by comparison. It makes you better.” I can get on board with that, but what I really take away from Shine Theory is how Anne’s best friend, Amina, sums it up:  “I don’t shine if you don’t shine.”

Thank goodness Virginia and Crystal were willing and able to share their shine with me. As Friedman continues in her article, “True confidence is infectious.” While I know we all had our doubts, my writing partners wouldn’t let me quit. Time and time again, they’d share accolades and encouragement with me and with each other. This is great. You’ve got this. Yes, keep going. We’re going to finish this.

And, you know what? The more I heard it, the more I believed it. As our paper came together, I gained more confidence. The words came out easier and I was able to be a better teammate in the process.  I also think our chapter is pretty darn awesome and I’m really glad I didn’t give up. Thank you Virginia and Crystal!

When I hear people talk about Shine Theory, I hear it presented from the perspective of “you, good person… go find other great people to help you shine,” which I think is important and enriching for one’s personal and professional lives. We all need people to learn from and share encouragement. But, I want to hold myself accountable as well. I want to be a person that just isn’t doing the taking of the shine but is giving of the shine. This experience reminds how easy it can be to make something just about you. I wasn’t the only one who was busy and working through other deadlines or feeling challenged by the task at hand. Where could I have provided more support and encouragement to my writing partners? What steps do I need to take next time to get my shine on earlier? These are questions I’m going to keep in mind as I move into a busy spring semester and will be confronted with opportunities to shine for others and be motivated by the shine of UMBC Women Who Rock.

Shine on UMBC…. Shine on.

Who are the UMBC women in your life that inspire you to think outside your expectations and assumptions? What are the counter narrative stories they’re sharing with us allowing UMBC and our greater community to be more of exactly who we want to be? Comment below and maybe you’ll just find them featured in a future UMBC Women Who Rock post.

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Check out other UMBC Women Who Rock:

Amanda Knapp (featured August 2014)
Susan Dumont (featured October 2014)
Jahia Knobloch (featured January 2015)

Howard County's HopeWorks is looking for hospital advocates!

Hospital Advocates (on-call volunteer):  
Seeking compassionate, supportive Hospital Advocates to provide immediate crisis intervention, emotional support, and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Advocates are responsible for responding to Howard County General Hospital within 30 minutes of receiving a call. Candidates must complete a volunteer application, pass a background check and medical clearance, and attend extensive training. Hospital Advocate must be at least 21 years of age. This is an on-call volunteer position.
For more information: http://www.wearehopeworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/HW-Hospital-Advocate-Description.pdf
 

For more information about becoming a Hospital Advocate please email Saman Akhtar atsakhtar@wearehopeworks.org or call 410-997-0304.  

Deadline Extended until Sunday, Feb 8th! 

Critical Social Justice 2015 is quickly approaching and we’re looking for art submissions to add to the CSJ 2015 Art Gallery! This year’s CSJ theme is Creating Brave Spaces and we’re asking for art submissions that explore and/or address what it means to create brave spaces.

Last year’s CSJ art gallery located on the Mezzanine of The Commons.

CSJ invites different types of activists — students, teachers, artists, musicians, doctors, and more — to talk critically about social justice and how they are creating change in their own unique ways. In addition to our discussions, keynotes, and reflections, the CSJ Art Gallery is intended to give another kind of voice and experience to the conversations we’re having on campus about social justice.

All UMBC community members are invited to submit their work by Wednesday, February 4th at 4pm. Artists are asked to complete this form and email a jpg image of their artwork to womens.center@umbc.edu. 

Accepted artwork must be dropped off to the Women’s Center no later than Wednesday, February 11th at 5pm to ensure timely installation. Additional information will be provided once your artwork has been submitted and confirmed for inclusion in the gallery.

The Critical Social Justice 2015 Art Gallery will be on display from February 16th-20th in The Commons Mezzanine Gallery. For more on last year’s art gallery, check out former student staff member Kelly Martin Broderick’s reflection about art and activism.

For additional questions, contact the Women’s Center staff at womens.center@umbc.edu or 410-455-2714.

We are excited to announce the 2015 Critical Social Justice Calendar of Events!

February 16th | Monday

CSJ 101: Introduction to Brave Spaces – 12PM to 1:30PM in Commons 329 – A fishbowl conversation on defining, navigating, and creating brave spaces. Event sponsored by: Women’s Center and Mosaic Center. Facebook, myUMBC

February 17th | Tuesday

Activism: What Works and What Doesn’t – 4PM to 5PM in Public Policy 208 – A presentation and discussion on how to organize and strategize for social movements. Event sponsored by: Amnesty International. myUMBC

February 18th | Wednesday

Women’s Center Occupies Main Street – 11AM to 2PM on Main Street in the Commons – Celebrating the multi-pronged mission of the Women’s Center as both a space for community building and comfort, as well as a space of social justice activism and brave space dialogues, the Center will be taking over Main Street with activities, crafts, campaigns, and refreshments. Event sponsored by: Women’s Center. Facebook, myUMBC

A Socio-Cultural Dialogue: The Immigrant’s Tale – 12PM to 1PM in the Mosaic Center – Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. invites students, staff, and faculty to discuss their experiences with immigration to the United States. Because immigration is not often discussed openly, we would like to create a safe and brave space where people can do just that and where people can also learn more about immigration. Event sponsored by: Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.

Social Justice Pedagogy: Tensions, Triggers, & Teachable Moments – 3PM to 4PM in Sherman 220A – An interdisciplinary faculty panel discussion on pedagogical approaches to cultivating safe and/or brave spaces for learning and social justice engagement. Panelists include: Dr. Kate Drabinski, Gender and Women’s Studies; Dr. April Householder, Gender and Women’s Studies and McNair Scholars Program; Dr. Jodi Kelber-Kaye, Honors College; Dr. Donald E. Knight, Psychology; and Dr. Dena T. Smith, Sociology and Anthropology. Event sponsored by: Women’s Center. myUMBC

Let’s Talk About It: The Health Crisis Affecting the African American Community – 5PM to 7PM in Lower Flat Tuesdays – Lecture and discussion with Dr. Shawn Bediako (Psychology) and Dr. Erica Taylor (Africana Studies). Light refreshments provided. Event sponsored by: Flat Tuesdays, University Health Services, National Society of Black Engineers, and Student Life’s Mosaic Center. myUMBC

Creating Brave Stages – 5PM to 7:30PM in UC 310 – Workshop and discussion with Jasmine Blanks of Everyman Theater on integrating social justice and theater. Event sponsored by: Critical Social Justice Student Alliance, Women’s Center, Women of Color Coalition. myUMBC Facebook

Franchesca Ramsey: Your Powerful Online Voice: Social Media For Social Change – 7:30PM to 10PM in the UC Ballroom – Franchesca Ramsey’s keynote lecture for CSJ 2015 will be about using the the internet as a platform for social justice activism. A Q&A session and reception will also follow the lecture. Doors open at 7pm. Free and open to the public. Event sponsored by: Women’s Center and Mosaic Center. Facebook, myUMBC

February 19th | Thursday

Invisible Privilege (Made Visible) – 1PM to 3PM on Main Street in the Commons – The Mosaic Center hosts an exercise and discussion about recognizing the privileges that you hold–whether you are aware of them or not. Event sponsored by: Mosaic Center.

CSJ Reflection – 3PM to 4PM in the Mosaic Center – Come discuss what you learned from CSJ 2015 and tell us what you want to see next year. Event sponsored by: Women’s Center and Mosaic Center

Making Queer Spaces Brave Spaces – 7:30PM to 9PM in the Women’s Center –  Although there has been significant progress made in expanding the safe(r) spaces available for queer-identified people, there has also been a pervasive and troubling misconception that queer space is necessarily safe space. This fallacy often obscures the unfortunate reality that queer spaces are not always safe for certain people/groups/identities, and queer communities are not exempt from perpetuating oppression. This roundtable discussion will address some of the problems and barriers preventing many queer communities from being truly safe and inclusive spaces. The program will also focus on how attendees can make changes in their own lives and advocate an intersectional approach to social justice in queer communities. Event sponsored by: Student Life’s Mosaic: Culture & Diversity Center and The Women’s Center at UMBC​. myUMBC Facebook.

February 20th | Friday

The Aftermath: Supporting Students of Color in Times of Crisis – 4PM to 5PM in the Mosaic Center – UMBC staff and faculty are invited to join this conversation about how we as a University and Division can show adequate support for students of color when it comes to racial issues on and off campus and in the media. During this conversation we will use Ferguson, Eric Garner, and the protests held on campus to highlight and share anything we did for our students in those moments or wish we would have done differently. There will also be a brainstorming session for things we would like to do moving forward to support ALL of our students including black, brown, white allies, and otherwise during high tension times of civil unrest in our country. Event sponsored by: Student Affairs: Staff Development Committee

Ask Big Questions Shabbat Dinner: “When are you brave?” –  6:15PM to 7:30PM on Main Street in the Commons – Students, faculty, and staff are invited to come together and share their experiences and a meal. The big question for tonight’s dinner is “When are you brave?” All are welcome to attend this event. Event sponsored by: UMBC Hillel

All Week

CSJ Art Gallery – Commons Mezzanine Gallery
(artist statements available here)

Critical Social Justice organizers Jess Myers, Zach Kosinski, and Jasmine Malhotra share a few of their thoughts on activism, their personal and professional experiences as activists, and social media’s role in activism.

JASMINE: I think about the feelings of social justice activism as being something that infuses within all parts of your life. Social justice activism involves how you interact with others, being able to actively listen and respect other options while sharing your knowledge and experience. It is about making any space into a brave space so individuals can be okay in having uncomfortable conversations in an effort to really understand each other’s opinion. Social activism can be expressed by people asking for change, protesting, or informing others. Social media can be one of the outlooks they use but there are many other ways they can practice their activism to cultivate change and make a true difference.

JESS: I agree with you, Jasmine, about the importance of both-and in activism.  Through my  research related to better understanding the strategies employed by activists involved in the movement to address sexual violence prevention and response on college campuses, I am learning that these activists are truly using the both-and approach. These local and national activists have repeated time and time again that social media is not their activism but that social media is a TOOL for their activism. They described using social media as a means to connect with other activists, as a tool for reducing power dynamics present in other spaces, and to increase awareness with populations who may not otherwise be reached. Consequently, I’ve become more critical with the discourse around “slacktivism.” Who gets to define what activism is and isn’t? Dynamics of power and privilege related to social identities influence who gets to “be” an activist and define themselves as activists. This year’s Critical Social Justice theme of Creating Brave Spaces resonates with me in so many ways but specifically because creating brave spaces online (and off-line) helps build counter-spaces and tells counter-narratives.

ZACH: Over the past year, I’ve also experienced a shift in how I view my role as an activist and agent for social change. For years, I felt that engaging in social justice work required an “all in at all times” approach. Being more of a homebody outside of work and school, though, attending protests and rallies has never come naturally to me. For so long, I beat myself up for finding reasons not to march with my peers. Over the past few months, I’ve seen countless UMBC students I connect with on campus take a stand on social justice issues important to them. In discussions about their activism, time and time again, students have referenced articles I shared, speakers I helped bring to campus, and critical conversations we had that helped inform the activism they’re presently engaged in. Experiencing these students’ activism, I’ve seen how playing the roles of encourager, connector, resource, and supporter is not only meaningful but necessary to critical activist work. I may not be taking to the streets or expounding from the proverbial soapbox, but helping cultivate the student activists who will is just as essential.

JESS: Yes, Zach! As someone who identifies as an introvert, I sometimes feel conflicted about how to show up in social justice work and conversations. Over the past few years and through a lot of challenge by choice, I’ve learned what kind of activism allows me to challenge oppression and address social justice concerns in a way that authentic to me and my being. We all have an important role to play using our own strengths and passions. If I try to be someone I’m not in doing this work, I’ll most likely fail.

For more reflections from Critical Social Justice organizers, check out this blog post on self-care and social justice.

A reflection from Women’s Center Director, Jess Myers

Last week, the Women’s Center staff completed spring training. As with all of our training days, we took the opportunity to explore our social identities in the spirit of self-exploration, team building, and a commitment to critical social justice. It’s something I look forward to each training knowing I always learn more about my fellow team members and myself.

This semester we did the Power of Assumptions activity which I’ve facilitated several times before at UMBC. It can be a great low-risk activity to get students considering their personal identities and those of others for the first time. It prompts students to consider how their identities have impacted their life experiences while also calling them to face assumptions and stereotypes they might have of others. With a student staff well versed in social justice 101, though, I wanted to take this activity to a new level, and conveniently the finding of bags full of yarn as we’ve been cleaning out the Women’s Center put me in the creative mood to do just that. Now, students would be asked to take a ball of yarn with them and leave a marker on each identity they visited throughout the exercise. As we were promoted with statements such as “This identity brings me the most joy,” This part of my identity is the most invisible,” “This part of my identity I have to defend the most,” and so forth, we moved around the Women’s Center leaving behind a paths of yarn that quickly took the shape of interesting tangled webs.

Our intersecting identities creating a web in the Women’s Center lounge

As I moved about the room, I quickly realized what a challenge it was to get to my next location as I walked over or under the yarn of my staff members. Suddenly, the yarn wasn’t just yarn but also the lived experiences and lives of the five others sharing the space with me. I wanted to be gentle in my steps. I wanted to take extra care in moving the yarn up or down as I weaved in and out across the room. Half way through the activity, I almost contemplated staying at the identity I already was because the thought of crossing back across the room through the web of those meaningful identities and stories and my staff members seemed really complicated and messy.

And, then I paused as my mind flashed back to the first time I did this activity as a participant when I was in grad school. I was just beginning the journey of coming out and navigating what being a queer women felt like and meant for me. I was doing this in space that didn’t always feel safe for me and during a time when my cohort didn’t always trust each other. I remember the panic of having to pick which identities I would move to after each prompt. What did that mean for me? What would my classmates think? I rarely moved from sexual orientation throughout that activity. It was such a salient identity for me at the time. It took all of my brain power and heart beats and waking hours for me to understand what being queer meant. I didn’t have the space or capacity to consider my other identities and how they intersected with this new understanding of what sexual orientation meant and would be for me. How different and freeing it was to be able to move around the room again some six years later!

With this in mind, I began thinking in new ways about the activity we were doing and what it now meant for me. My yarn trail began to form into new analogies for me. It continued to stay a web that represented my intersecting identities but it also took the shape a trail a plane leaves in the sky as it flies to its destination. Sometimes as the sun is setting, I think how pretty the wispy streaks of white clouds look in the pink sky until I remember they’re just left over fumes of pollution (womp womp). Carbon foot prints. What did all this yarn I was tracing throughout the room, in and out, and over and under, others trails of yarn mean in terms of the space I take up and the impact I leave with others in the wake of all my intersecting identities? While it was freeing to move around the room, what does this movement call me to consider in regards to my privilege? In what ways can I be gentler with myself and others to reduce the negative impact of oppression?

Of course we think a lot about gender in the Women’s Center!

As we debriefed the activity as a staff, one of the first comments to what the experience felt like was “messy.” As we continued to debrief, though, it became apparent that the others didn’t have the same first-time experience I had. They shared feeling safe in being vulnerable with each other even during some of the more challenging parts of the activity for them. The idea of feeling safe even while taking the risk to be vulnerable calls to the importance of creating brave spaces which is a practice we first learned about in the reflection discussion at last year’s Critical Social Justice (CSJ). It comes from a chapter written by Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens called From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: A New Way to Frame Dialogue Around Diversity and Social Justice and it resonated with us so much, it became the inspiration for this year’s CSJ. So all year long our staff has been exploring what creating brave spaces means for us in theory and practice. How can we foster learning environments that support the challenging work of authentic engagement when we’re talking about issues related to identity, oppression, power, and privilege? How do we meet individuals where they are at, take care to be gentle, and still push to go deeper? How can taking a risk feel both safe and brave at the same time? Aroa and Clemens lay out a great set of guidelines in their chapter that have helped us explore these questions and more. We also put together our own set of brave space guidelines we’re introducing to our Women’s Center community and groups this spring. We plan on also using them as a road map for our events, roundtables, and discussions in hopes to call attention to all of our intersecting webs and “carbon footprints” whether we can visibly see them or not.

Women’s Center staff members weaving in and out of our identities. See how “messy” it can get?!

So yes, social justice can be messy. But that’s okay! The mess is part of the growing, exploring, and striving to cultivate change. Where do you need brave spaces in your life? How will you create brave spaces for yourself and others?

Learn more by participating in the full week of CSJ events from February 16-20th.

A Post from Women’s Center staff member, Dan. 

It’s a new semester and I gotta say– I’m torn. Sure, it’s nice to be forced to exit my cave, shower, and see everyone again, but that requires pants. And if you know me, you know exactly how I feel about pants. I spent the entire winter break being the absolute laziest person ever. I dropped my class and NBC’s Friends came on Netflix. It was great.

But now it’s Monday and I’m on my third cup of coffee and, regrettably, wearing those dreaded pants so I guess it’s time to start being a productive student again. Wah.

Now, we all know how fun it is to hang out in the Women’s Center between class, see friends, eat lunch…and get absolutely no work done. I’m certainly guilty of sitting with my laptop and completely ignoring the six tabs of readings I have open for the entire duration of my stay in the center so I’m pretty excited about our new set-up. I’m the kind of person who needs to be around people but not distracted by them when I work and our new quiet study space is perfect for me. I can see what’s happening in the lounge with the added bonus that (hopefully) nobody will talk to me. It’s a win-win.

I’m also super stoked for our new Brave Space Guidelines. I find myself applying the guidelines to my life outside the center, especially in my personal relationships. Learning to be vulnerable and speak thoughtfully is a difficult but worthwhile endeavor no matter what you’re doing with your life. My conversations are richer and I learn more from everyone I meet because I seek to understand as many perspectives as I can. I’m not perfect at it and my new skills still need some practice, but I think I’m on my way. Now, if only there was a way to discretely send the guidelines to some of my Facebook friends…

Critical Social Justice 2015 is quickly approaching and we’re looking for art submissions to add to the CSJ 2015 Art Gallery! This year’s CSJ theme is Creating Brave Spaces and we’re asking for art submissions that explore and/or address what it means to create brave spaces.

Last year’s CSJ art gallery located on the Mezzanine of The Commons.

CSJ invites different types of activists — students, teachers, artists, musicians, doctors, and more — to talk critically about social justice and how they are creating change in their own unique ways. In addition to our discussions, keynotes, and reflections, the CSJ Art Gallery is intended to give another kind of voice and experience to the conversations we’re having on campus about social justice.

All UMBC community members are invited to submit their work by Wednesday, February 4th at 4pm Sunday, February 8th. Artists are asked to complete this form and email a jpg image of their artwork to womens.center@umbc.edu. 

Deadline extended until Sunday, February 8th!!!

Accepted artwork must be dropped off to the Women’s Center no later than Wednesday, February 11th at 5pm to ensure timely installation. Additional information will be provided once your artwork has been submitted and confirmed for inclusion in the gallery.

The Critical Social Justice 2015 Art Gallery will be on display from February 16th-20th in The Commons Mezzanine Gallery. For more on last year’s art gallery, check out former student staff member Kelly Martin Broderick’s reflection about art and activism.

For additional questions, contact the Women’s Center staff at womens.center@umbc.edu or 410-455-2714.