Women's History Month 2017 Calendar of Events

February 26, 2:00-3:30, February 27 and 28, 7:00-8:30. Bonnie Auditorium, Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. Directed by Dr. David Beach


March 1-31, Cyberspace, Her-Story 2017. Erin Webster-Garrett


March 1, 12:00-1:00, Heth 157 (CDI), Dine on Diversity Panel: The Women’s March


March 1, 2:00-3:30, Heth 14, Writing Virginia Women Back Into History. Mary Ferrari, Angela Scott, and Virginia Secretary of Administration, Nancy Rodrigues


March 1, 3:30-4:30, Heth 43, Women’s History Month Opening Reception


March 1, 5:00-6:30, Peters, Young 302, What Does Betsy DeVos’ Confirmation as Education Secretary Mean? Kristan Morrison


March 1, 7:30-9:00, Peters B112, Paradigm Shift: An Evening of Women’s Work 10th Anniversary Performance. Radford University Department of Dance


March 2, 2:00-3:30, Heth 22, Reasons to Leverage Your ACE Virginia Women’s Network. Laura Turk, Theresa Burriss, Erin Webster-Garrett, Melissa Grim, Pat Shoemaker, Stephanie Ballein


March 2, 6:00-7:30, Heth 43, How to Get Out of Your Own Way: Creating Success on Your Own Terms. RU Career Center


March 13, 10:00-10:50am, Heth 16, Women’s Empowerment: Through the Eyes of China. Morgan Burchett and Alicia Harris


March 14, 11:00-11:50am, Covington Performance Hall, unCONVENTional: 17th Century Italian Music written by Women. Meredith Bowen and the Women of Radford Singers


March 15, 1:00-1:50, The Bonnie 249/250, Circle of Life Intergenerational Dialogue: Women 50+. Sarah Hastings.


March 15, 3:00-3:50, McConnell Library ILC A, Sexism and Search Engines: Exploring Dr. Safiya Noble’s Work on Algorithms of Oppression.” Alyssa Archer and Liz Bellamy


March 15, 7:00-9:30, 13th (documentary film) Screening and Discussion, The Bonnie Auditorium. Sponsored by Showing Up for Racial Justice, New River Valley Chapter.


March 16, 5:30-7:00, Heth 14, Reflecting on a Princess and a General: Carrie Fisher and the History of Women and the Moving Image. Michael J. Meindl, James Collier, Twange Kasoma, Molly Hood, Sean Kotz, Jodie McKaughan


March 16, 7:00-8:30, Bonnie Auditorium, No I Am Not A Terrorist. Zohra Sarwari. Sponsored by R-Space.


March 17, 12:00-12:50, Kyle 137. Autumn’s Story: Surviving and Thriving Following Intimate Partner Violence. Corey Cassidy


March 18, 9:00-4:30, Lower Level Heth, Diversity Conference: Social Justice and Leadership In Action. Center for

Diversity and Inclusion. Register at https://tinyurl.com/diversity25


March 20, 6:30-7:30, Young 221, The Chronicles of Contraception. Jordan McCann


March 21, 3:30-4:30, Heth 22, You Can Have it All! Balancing a Teaching Career and Family. Sharon Jones, Nadine Hartig, Lauren Ermann


March 21, 6:00-7:00, Heth 14, The F-Word: Feminism with DAP


March 22, 1:00-1:50, The Bonnie 249/250, Circle of Life Intergenerational Dialogue: 30s/40s. Sarah Hastings.


March 22, 6:30-8:30, Center for the Sciences M73, Exploring Issues Impacting the Success of Women in Science. Sara O’Brien


March 23, 1:00-5:00, McConnell Library. Women’s History Month Symposium. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Barbara Perry, Carter Glass Professor of Government, University of Virginia Miller Center.

• 1:00-1:50. Resisting Change and Progress: A History of Backlash. Justine Jackson and Courtney Simpkins
• 2:00-3:30. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor: Pioneers on the Supreme Court. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Barbara Perry. Book signing to follow. 
• 4:00-5:00. Lucy Sprague Mitchell: Early American Educator for Early Childhood Education. Katie Bubenhoffer, D’Andra Hughes, Savannah Latimer, Carole-Marie McNeive, and Boyoung Park

March 23, 5:00-6:30, Heth 22, Women in the CIA. RU Career Center


March 23, 7:00-9:00, Bonnie Dining Area Stage, Spoken Word Poetry Event: Ashlee Haze. Sponsored by R-Space.


March 24, 10:00-3:30, McConnell Library. Women’s History Month Symposium, day 2.

• 10:00-10:50 Looking Back and Moving Forward: Women’s Leadership in Social Work. Diane M. Hodge
• 11:00-11:50  The ConceptualWoman. Regan Brown, Allie Amick, Catherine Baker, Leslie Pineda-Manzano, and Professor Roann Barris. 
• 12:00-12:50 Women in Politics. Political Science Society.
• 1:00-1:50 Women of Black Lives Matter. Lindsey Bulita, Destiny Goodwyn, Nasyah Price, Hannah Snyder
• 2:00-2:50 The Women’s March & The RU Archives. Bud Bennett 
• 3:00-3:50 A Case Study of Isabella Stewart Gardner: of the Modern Gothic. Regan Chancellor

March 27, 3:00-5:00, Heth 22, Safe Zone Training. Sharon Jones, Caitlyn Parker and Michele Ren


March 28, 3:30-4:45, Heth 14, No Holds Bard: Shakespeare’s Dynamite Women. David Beach, Robyn Berg, Molly Hood and Amanda Kellogg

March 28, 5:00-7:00, Kyle Hall 320, She Started It: A Documentary on Women Tech Founders. Sponsored by The COBE Center for Innovation and Analytics.

March 29, 1:00-1:50, The Bonnie 249/250, Circle of Life Intergenerational Dialogue: teens and twenties. Sarah Hastings.


March 29, 4:00-5:15,McGuffey 203, Fangirls Unite: Depictions of Women in 'Geek Culture' and Issues Facing Women in the Fanbase. Scott McDarmont, Dixie Seitz, Laurie Cubbison, Matt Smith, Jazz Jackson, Jodie McKaughan


March 29, 6:00-9:00, Women’s History Month Film and Discussion. A League of Their Own Special 25th anniversary showing. Sponsored by R-Space.


March 30, 7:00-8:30, Bonnie Dining Area Stage, Tinder Live! With Comedian Lane Moore. Sponsored by R-Space.


March 31, 3:00-4:00, CHBS 3rd floor Atrium, Women’s History Month Closing Reception with Dr. Marisela Rosas Hemphill

VDay RU 2017: The Vagina Monologues

The Radford University Scholar-Citizen Initiative, Women's & Gender Studies Program, and the Women's Studies Club present The 8th Annual Vagina Monologues.


Back after a 1 year hiatus, Eve Ensler’s powerful play calling for an end to violence against women and girls will be directed by Dr. David Beach (English). The Women’s Studies Club has raised thousands of dollars for the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley in conjunction with these performances and the VDay movement.



This year's cast members are Madailein Adams, Robyn Berg, Caitlyn Busser, KiSha Donaldson, Sadie Friend, Robin McGrath, and Ciera Rawlings.

Performances are scheduled for Sunday, February 26, 2:00-3:30 and on Monday & Tuesday, February 27 & 28, 7:00-8:30. All are in the Hurlburt Student Center ("The Bonnie") Auditorium.

The event is free and open to the public, though we do encourage donations to our beneficiary, The Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley. You may order your tickets at VDayRU2017.eventbrite.com 

RU audiences LOVE The Vagina Monologues! 

Women's & Gender Studies Statement of Support to RU Students Who are Hurting

There are several communities on our campus and in our communities who are feeling less than welcome right now, and it’s important for those of us who are not being targeted to stand up for those who are.

If any of you is feeling bullied or triggered because of race, gender, religion, or sexuality, please do not hesitate to contact one of the signatories in the comments below. We will do our best to both help and support you.  

For those who are not sure what it means to be an ally to marginalized groups and/or individuals, but would also like to be there for others, here is a brief explanation:

Women's and Gender Studies Courses Spring 2017

Culture and Sexualities: Introduction to LBGTQ Studies - 20466 - ENGL 414 - 01
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm TR Floyd Hall B01 Lecture Moira P Baker (P)

Diversity in Communication - 20571 - COMS 457 - 01
TBA Online Lecture Lisa E Baker (P)

Seminar: Current Issues in Appalachian Studies - 21342 - APST 460 - 01
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm W TBA Seminar Theresa L. Burriss (P)

Diversity Issues in the Criminal Justice System - 20745 - CRJU 365 - 01
2:00 pm - 3:15 pm TR CHBS Building 3008 Lecture Bakhitah Brenda Abdul-Ra'uf (P)
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm TR CHBS Building 3008 Lecture Bakhitah Brenda Abdul-Ra'uf (P)

Human Sexuality - 20974 - HLTH 453 - 01
11:00 am - 12:15 pm TR Peters Hall Lecture Pamela Y. Frasier (P)
12:30 pm - 1:45 pm TR Peters Hall C142 Lecture Pamela Y. Frasier (P)


Scholar-Citizen: Human Grwth & Dev Brth-Adol - 22074 - HUMD 300 - 01
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm W TBA Lecture Wendy L Eckenrod-Green (P)
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm M TBA Lecture Wendy L Eckenrod-Green (P)

Human Growth and Development: Birth through Adolescence - 22076 - HUMD 300 - 03
9:30 am - 10:45 am TR TBA Lecture Tracey Seymour Nielsen (P)
11:00 am - 12:15 pm TR TBA Lecture Matthew Wayne Grimes (P)

Nursing of Childbearing Family - 21080 - NURS 366 - 01
8:00 am - 10:50 am T Cook Hall 107 Lecture/Lab TBA
8:00 am - 10:50 am T TBA Lecture/Lab TBA
8:00 am - 10:50 am T TBA Lecture/Lab TBA
8:00 am - 10:50 am T TBA Lecture/Lab TBA
8:00 am - 10:50 am T TBA Lecture/Lab TBA
8:00 am - 10:50 am T TBA Lecture/Lab TBA
8:00 am - 10:50 am T TBA Lecture/Lab TBA
8:00 am - 10:50 am T TBA Lecture/Lab TBA

Lifespan Developmental Psychology - 20085 - PSYC 230 - 01
11:00 am - 11:50 am MWF TBA Lecture Amanda Marie Lessard (P)
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm MWF TBA Lecture Amanda Marie Lessard (P)
5:00 pm - 6:15 pm TR TBA Lecture Jeremiah Wade Burkhart (P)
8:00 am - 9:15 am TR TBA Lecture Jordan Rae Joyner (P)

Psychology of Diversity - 20075 - PSYC 250 - 01
4:00 pm - 5:15 pm MW TBA Lecture Pei-Chun Tsai (P)

Social Psychology (SS Core) - 20093 - PSYC 343 - 01
11:00 am - 11:50 am MWF TBA Lecture Amy J Kelly (P)
2:00 pm - 2:50 pm MWF TBA Lecture Amy J Kelly (P)
3:00 pm - 3:50 pm MWF TBA Lecture Amy J Kelly (P)
9:00 am - 9:50 am MWF TBA Lecture Jonathan David Renz (P)

Psychology of Human Sexuality - 20125 - PSYC 393 - 01
5:00 pm - 6:15 pm TR TBA Lecture Elizabeth Marie Cottrell (P)

Social Inequality - 20279 - SOCY 250 - 01
2:00 pm - 3:15 pm TR TBA Lecture Amy Michele Sorensen (P)
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm TR TBA Lecture Amy Michele Sorensen (P)

Men and Women in Society - 20275 - SOCY 326 - 01
9:30 am - 10:45 am TR TBA Lecture Amy Michele Sorensen (P)

Race and Ethnic Relations - 20471 - SOCY 331 - 01
9:00 am - 9:50 am MWF Young Hall 305 Lecture Steven M McGlamery (P)

Race and Ethnic Relations - 20570 - SOCY 331 - 02
Roanoke Higher Ed Center, Roan Campus
6:00 pm - 8:45 pm T CHBS Building 3024 Lecture Kathryn K Everard-Van Patten (P)

Human Behavior and the Social Environment I - 21902 - SOWK 300 - 01
9:00 am - 11:50 am F Waldron College Hall 227 Lecture Christie D Norris-Bowling (P)
9:00 am - 11:50 am M TBA Lecture Etty Vandsburger (P)
9:00 am - 11:50 am M TBA Lecture Diane M Hodge (P)

Scholar-Citizen: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies - 21039 - WGST 200 - 01
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm MWF TBA Lecture Michele D Ren (P)

Women in the World: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies - 21041 - WGST 200 - 02
8:00 am - 9:15 am TR TBA Lecture Sarah L Hastings (P)
9:30 am - 10:45 am TR TBA Lecture Dana S Cochran (P)
11:00 am - 12:15 pm TR TBA Lecture Dana S Cochran (P)
2:00 pm - 3:15 pm TR TBA Lecture Dana S Cochran (P)

Senior Portfolio in Women’s and Gender Studies - 21040 - WGST 400 - 01
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm M TBA Directed Study Moira P Baker (P)

How to help a friend who has been sexually assaulted

Adapted from Georgetown. 

If your friend was sexually assaulted, they may experience the following:

●      Shock

●      Disbelief

●      Anger

●      Mood swings

●      Irritability

●      Disturbances in eating and sleeping habits

●      Denial

●      Fear

●      Helplessness

●      Embarrassment

●      Depression

●      Inability to concentrate or relax

●      Resurfacing memories of past abuse

For some, the emotional impact of sexual assault can be immediate and short term. For others the effects can be long lasting. Your friend may find it helpful to talk to a counselor trained to understand and assist survivors of sexual assault. What you can do:

Believe unconditionally.  People rarely lie about being sexually assaulted. Be sure your friend knows how much you support her or him.

Let the survivor control the situation.  Let your friend determine the pace of healing. Help your friend understand the options available, and encourage your friend to keep her or his options open. Most importantly, allow your friend to make her or his own decisions.

Assure your friend that it was not her or his fault.  No one asks to be sexually assaulted. Avoid blaming questions and judgmental phrases such as, "Why didn't you scream?" or "If I ever get my hands on the creep..." or "I would have done this..." Avoid searching for things your friends should have done.

Show you want to listen.  A friend may confide in you ten minutes or ten years after the assault. At that time, it doesn't matter so much what you say but how well you listen. Remember that your friend's sense of trust has been violated, so one of the most important things you can do is respect her or his need for confidentiality.

Encourage your friend to get medical attention as soon as possible. Your friend can receive medical attention from a private doctor, clinic or hospital emergency room.

Don't be afraid to ask for outside help.  In addition to medical attention, your friend may need counseling. Offer to help your friend access outside services.

Campus Police
Allen Building, East Main and University Drive
540-831-5500 police@radford.edu

Student Counseling Services
Tyler Hall, Lower Level
540-831-5226

Student Health Center, Moffett Hall
540-831-5111

Substance Abuse & Violence Education Support
Heth Hall Room 215
540-831-5709 saves@radford.edu


Women's Resource Center of the NRV  
1217 Grove Ave, Radford, VA 24141
540-639-9592

How to Take Care of Yourself

Understand your own feelings. You may also feel confused, hurt, angry, or frightened. Such feelings are normal.

Don't be afraid to ask for outside help. Find someone other than the survivor to talk with about your feelings. Talking with someone else may help you understand your own emotions and give you a clearer perspective on the situation. Many of the services available for your friend are also available for you.

Know and respect your own limits. There is only so much you can do to help your friend. You can provide support, compassion, and companionship when your friend wants it, but try not to make commitments that you can't fulfill.

Keep the rest of your life on track. Don't forget to take care of yourself. Allowing other aspects of your life to slip through the cracks will only increase your emotional stress.

Remember that it was not your fault. You may feel guilty, thinking that somehow you could have prevented your friend's sexual assault. Don't forget that sexual assault is a violent crime and you are not to blame.

Realize that coping with sexual assault is a long-term process. The Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Liaison also provides information on other forms of violence and abuse, including resources for survivors of child sexual abuse, relationship violence, stalking, and same-sex violence.

Guest Post: Locker Room Talk by Nasyah Price

“It’s locker room talk”, “All men say that”, “Let men be men”, “It’s no big deal”, “Women should be flattered”, “It’s not like we are actually raping them”. With the recent events of the Trump “P***y Gate” debacle, and an event that I recently attended on campus I thought the topic of rape jokes and the trivialization of rape and the harm it does to not only women but also men will be the topic of my rant. When we joke about rape and sexual assault, we not only make it harder for victims to come forward out of fear of being judged and the victims are not taken seriously in most cases, but it also contributes to the societal view that when a woman is victimized by a man, the man is just doing what nature dictates and therefore cannot and should not be punished.

I recently went to an event on campus that did a viewing of a documentary “Killing Me Softly” that was about how the media portrays women as sexual props to appeal to men. At the very beginning of the event the moderators explicitly announced that they recognize that 10% of rape victims are men (http://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem)[1] and that the audience is well aware that all men do not assault and/or rape women. There was an open forum afterwards with survey questions that could be texted in anonymously for the moderator to discuss. 

At first the audience of about 60 people texted or responded with legitimate and respectful answers, however that changed when the answers that were texted in became “funny”. Some of the answers at first were “R.I.P Harambe” or “Hillary was responsible for 9/11” but then the answers got incredible crass and even threatening, “Women disgust me with their whining”, “I wish rape WAS legal” the phrase “This is stupid/dumb/pointless” as a top answer. Men were laughing at women who expressed their fears to go out at night...the men acted indignant towards the women of the room who did not want to be repeatedly catcalled just walking around campus. Calling themselves “Representatives for men” they said men do not act or think the way they thought the discussion was trying to portray them. The rape culture was being exaggerated even though they were shooting themselves in the foot with the results of the survey answers (shown on the projector screen)...which displayed degrading slurs and disrespectful comments about the women through the cell phone survey for all to see. 

Not being able to stand the mockery that was directed toward women in the audience I stood up. With my boiling rage, I made known that [a] man ... raped me when I was sixteen and ... I was sexually assaulted by [another man] at work. The comments people were sending in for the survey believed they were funny and the energy of the people in the room proved why we need to have discussions about sexual assault. The psychological trauma every woman has gone through including myself was just another matter to kid around about. Some people clapped with respect and others scoffed. There was no more laughter or ridicule of people trying to talk about actions to prevent sexual assault. There was one last comment sent in that will forever be ingrained in my mind and already tattered soul; “third times a charm” [sic].

In Emily Buchwald's book “Transforming a Rape Culture”[2] she talks about how when a society normalizes sexualized violence, we are essentially accepting and creating rape culture. One the national average 1 in 6 women will be sexually assaulted and that number is even higher on a college campus with 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted[3]. Only 10% of is rape is reported and it is the most unreported crime in the world. When society blames the victims, the actually victims of sexual assault believe they deserved or brought about being attacked. When I was being questioned by the police, I was asked what was I wearing, was I under the influence, did I give any indication that I was being flirtatious. I was the reason for my rape and sexual assault, not my attacker. How can we rationalize that rape is funny or when it’s a conversation casually being talked about, it is perfectly normal? 

In a patriarchal society rape isn’t seen as a crime that someone should be put in prison for life even though the women and men affected will never have a sense of security every again walking home at night. They will always have feelings of distrust in their heart if the survivor wants to share a romantic relationship. Survivors of rape and sexual assault do not find rape jokes funny, we are appalled and it’s harder for us to move forward towards healing and to feel safe. This is not fair to the anyone because men who respect women will still be looked upon with wariness and suspicion for a crime they have not committed. When we see and hear rape jokes and excuse given that it’s normal, we believe it’s normal, that men really do talk about women as sexual props and that they can do whatever they please, when in reality it is not. If you don’t want to be seen or viewed as a rapist don’t make rape jokes, it’s that simple.

[1] (Scope of the Problem: Statistics, 2016)

[2] Buchwald, Emilie, Pamela R. Fletcher, and Martha Roth. “Accepting Rape Culture.” Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 1993. N. pag. Print.

[3] Violence Resource, National. “Facts about Sexual Violence.” PsycEXTRA Dataset (n.d.): n. pag. Statistics about Sexual Violence. National Sexual Violence Resource, 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.

by Nasyah Price  this post originally appeared on Medium.

Guest Post: A Day in the Life ... by Maeve Devlin and Alexandria Spakes

Women's and Gender Studies 200 students Maeve Devlin and Alexandria Spakes reflect on the lives of women in the 1970s and 1980s.

**************

Throughout the week I have read and understood what it really was like for women back in the “glory days” of the 1970’s and 80’s. I always associated the latter half of the 1900’s to be a time in which society improved and life was easy, although all I really have seen about this era is through movies like Grease and Sixteen Candles. However, it is not only me glorifying the 70’s and 80’s, if you ask anyone what era they would live in or go back to, I bet a good majority would say that “The 80’s was where it was at”, but was it really? From my reading and discussions, I can safely assume that the 70’s and 80’s were actually not where “it was at”, not for women anyway.



A fantastic article called “A Day Without Feminism” written by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards really brought forward the trials and tribulations women had to face on a daily basis in 1970, the start of a decade that would change women and their rights for forever. In this article it gave facts like if a girl in high school “got herself pregnant”, as if it doesn’t take two, she would get kicked out of the National Honor Society and expelled from school. The rule about getting kicked out of the National Honor Society was only changed within the turn of the century.



In this era women were contradictory beings, in many professions deemed appropriate for women sex appeal was a requirement, however if they got pregnant or even married they would be fired or demoted. For example, if a female teacher was pregnant she would be fired due to the notion that “children were not to know that women had sex”. Yet, they were the objects of sexual allure and appeal. A man in power at the woman’s place of work could demand a blowjob and call her pet names and the woman would either have to quit or comply to their sexual demands, because back then sexual harassment did not exist.


Much like in the introduction of the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Sandra explicitly says that she listens to the men in authority because they are like her father, men who believe that she should stay at home and wait to be married than to go on and further her career. Her father always asked her “Why are you doing this?” after all, he did work hard to give her a house with a proper heating system to live in until another man claimed her. Even in the 1980’s after the feminists protests that made the news and are now in history books, women are still treated as property, like Edna Pontellier from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the human woman is nothing more than a piece of property to a man, and not even his most valuable one. The introduction of this novel makes one thing clear, women like Sandra’s mother lived in regret and in the shadows of their husbands. Many women are like Sandra’s mother and never finished high school because they often had a man to provide for them and school for women was seen as a past time until they were passed from father to husband.


Although the 1970’s and 80’s produced fantastic films, music, and art that has shaped our culture, people seem to forget what really happened back then, what the life was really like. Life in the 1980’s was nothing like Risky Business or Animal House for women in this decade. To spend a day in the life of the women that helped uplift and support women in my generation and generations to come would be hard and far different than we think. For that we have a lot to thank them for.

- by Maeve Devlin. This post originally appeared on Medium. 

*********************************************************************

Growing up, I always told my family that I should have been born in a different year, and I don’t think I realized how different I would have it had I been born in the 1970’s or 1980’s. We see how fun their clothes were, how big their hair was, and how bright their makeup was, and that is why we want to live in that decade, we don’t pay as much attention to what … it was like for women living in the 1970’s.



A Day without Feminism written by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards taught me about what it was like being a woman in the workforce during the 1970’s. Having want ads segregated into “Help Wanted Male” and “Help Wanted Female” being a female and having a job such as a lawyer, females would have to look under “Help Wanted Male.”

Also, if a boss demanded sex, refers to his female employee exclusively as “baby”, or says he won’t pay her unless she gives him a blowjob, she either has to quit or succumb.

There was no such thing as sexual harassment back then, and I hear a lot of females who say “nothing like that would ever happen to me” or “I would not let someone do or talk like that to me.” I had that mindset growing up, “nothing bad will happen to me” although I never had my bosses act sexual towards me, I have had a coworker who could have been around my parents age (45–50), he would tell me that I was “sexy” and how “if he was my boyfriend, he would do this and that” and would write his number down and tell me “not to tell anyone about it.” I felt uncomfortable, when I told someone what happened I got “You probably started it by flirting with him.” I can’t even imagine having to do something with someone because I am a female and that’s what has to be done in order to keep my job or to be paid.

I find it fascinating that depending on how you were raised and the generation you were raised in changes how things are looked at. In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros’ father wanted her to live at home until she was married. In my family, my parents were always telling me, “You will be moved out when you are eighteen.” Her father wonders “why he worked so hard to buy a house with a furnace so she could go back and live like that.” He wants her to be on television as a weather girl or to marry and have babies.



I also think that some people do not understand how hard women fought for us to be able to have the rights that we have today, some women are afraid to not do what their husbands tell them to do, like Sandra’s mother. Her mother told her “good lucky you went to school” she is proud that her daughter is doing what she wants to do.

- by Alexandria Spakes. A longer version of this post originally appeared on Medium.