Women’s Week male panel event

A letter about Women’s  Week panel discussion

 

After women’s week was over I received a disturbing email from someone who was highly against the discussion event that took place with an all-male panel. This person stated “what the hell do men know about being feminists.” Since the person who wrote this email didn’t actually attend the event and didn’t hear what the panelists had to say I decided write this letter in response to their comment.

The men’s discussion panel event “This is what a Feminist looks like” took place on Monday night, 6 pm. In McDaniel Hall, room 101 as part of women’s week. The panel consisted of Dr. Benjamin Waddell, Dr. Jeff Elison, Dr. Nick Saenz, Dr. Matt Nehring, and ASU Student Evan Gibson. Dr. Stephanie Hilwig was in charge of this particular Women’s Week event. Dr. Hilwig chose this event to showcase they ways in which men can be and are feminists, as well as the reasons behind their feminist activities. Her reasons behind this event were motivated by personal experiences that many women face on a daily basis that harm women.

On a daily basis some men engage in active harm by creating policies that hurt or limit women. They also consciously or unconsciously engage in everyday sexism that harms women. On a daily basis men also engage in passive harm against women, by not standing up for women when they see an injustice. The panelists discussed the powerful impact of their relationships with their mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, female friends, and colleagues. It is these relationships that motived them toward active facilitation to help raise the status of women. I would like to emphasized that these men were not doing things for women, not being the knight in shining armor coming to the rescue, but standing next to women, working with women to make the world a better place for women. They did this out of a genuine care for women, because of the women in their own lives.

It is my opinion that we can’t change the planet for more than half of the world’s population without involving the other half in the conversation. This event did a good job of addressing that issue. We want men to stop the passive and active harm against women. We want men to move beyond passive facilitation to active facilitation, like this panel of men have done. This is why the panel event was part of women’s week.

ASU Women’s Blog (during women’s week)

Today we are featuring some articles that have been written about ASU women’s week.

 

Student writes about link to domestic violence in 5o shades of Grey for ASU Women’s Week

ASU to celebrate its second annual ASU Women’s Week

Dr. Mari Centeno to speak about women leaders around the world for ASU Women’s Week

Brenda Romero speaks about female voices in music for ASU Women’s Week

Musical theater to feature “Tres Vidas” performance as first event for ASU Women’s Week

 Women’s Voices in Art show as part of ASU Women’s Week

 

2015 Women’s Week schedule

2015 Women’s Week will be held March 6th – 14th

womens week banner 2015

  • THEME: “We Have A Voice,” celebrating the diverse voices of women because each voice is important and powerful
  • BANNER CONTEST: We had a contest during the fall semester, for the best design to be used as our second annual Women’s Week banner. We received 17 entries. A big “thank you” to everyone who entered; it was not easy to choose a winner. The criteria was that the banner design had to portray this year’s theme of “We Have A Voice.” A scholarship of $300 for ASU’s spring semester will be awarded to the winner, Tessie Pikula.
    • Week-Long Events
      • Week-long book display of feminist books in Nielsen Library
      • Week-long clothesline project (create a t-shirt expressing your experiences with–and views on–sexual and domestic violence). T-shirts and art supplies will be available in the conference room at C.A.S.A. or in the SUB Mall Court
      • Week-long art show, “Women’s Voices in Art,” at the Hatfield Gallery
    • Tres Vidaas performance
      • Date: Friday March 6th
      • Location: Richardson Hall
      • Time: 6:30 pm
      • Event is free but donations are appreciated
      • The performance is based on the lives of three legendary Latin American women: renowned Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, Salvadoran peasant-activist Rufina Amaya and poet Alfonsina Storni of Argentina.
    • International Women’s Day Event
      • Date: Saturday March 7th
      • Location: Porter Hall
      • Time: A day-long event
        • Music and dancers
        • Comedians
        • Student presentations
        • And much more!
      • Engage the Rage: Poetry Reading Followed By a Poetry Slam
        • Date: Sunday March 8th
        • Location: The ROAST (Alamosa, main street)
        • Time: 6 pm
          • $50 prize for poetry reading winner (best poem, original work)
          • $50 prize for poetry slam winner (best performance, does not have to be original work)
          • Come express your rage about women’s issues and let your voice be heard
        • Panel Discussion
          • Date: Monday March 9th
          • Locaton: MCD 101
          • Time: 6 pm
          • Panelists: Dr. Benjamin Waddell, Dr. Jeff Elison, Dr. Nick Saenz, Dr. Matt Nehring, and ASU Student Evan Gibson
          • Topic: “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like”
        • Movie Night
          • Date: Tuesday March 10th
          • Location: MCD 101
          • Time: 6 pm
          • Movie: The Wonder Woman Documentary
          • $25 Walmart gift card for best Wonder Woman Costume
        • Kindred Spirits Luncheon
          • Date: Wednesday March 11th
          • Location: SUB Banquet rooms
          • Time: noon
          • Topic: “Everyday Sexism”
        • Faculty Lecture
          • Date: Wednesday March 11th
          • Location: Porter Hall room 130
          • Time: 7 pm
          • Lecturer: Dr. Mari Centeno
          • Topic: “Current Women Leaders Throughout the World”
        • Guest Lecture
          • Date: Thursday March 12th
          • Location: MCD 101
          • Time: 6 pm
          • Guest Lecturer: Dr. Brenda Romero
          • Topic: “Hispanic Women’s Voices in Music”
        • C.A.S.A Luncheon
          • Date: Friday March 13th
          • Location: C.A.S.A. (North west corner of the Nielson Library parking lot)
          • Time: noon
          • The men on campus will be cooking for the women on campus. Come enjoy free food, conversation, and get a women’s week bracelet.
        • Take Back the Night
          • Date: Friday March 13th
          • Location: Student Union Building (SUB) Mall Court
          • Time: 6 pm for talk/forum on sexual and domestic violence. Share your stories, experiences, poetry, and advice, and listen to others.
          • Time: 7 pm take back the night walk through Alamosa and ASU Campus
        • STEM Saturday “Girls Only” Science Event
          • Date: Saturday March 14th
          • Location Porter Hall
          • Time: 9 am – noon
          • Topic: So you think you can’t math, Raquel Barata, visiting assistant professor of mathematics, grades 6-8; enrollment cap is 16