Women’s Center News & Events
"Hand in Hand, we brew and forge a revolution", Gloria Anzaldua in "El Mundo Zurdo"
Letter from the Director
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As I’m sure many of you know, March is internationally recognized as Women’s History Month, and March 8th marks the 113th celebration of International Women’s Day. In preparation for the Center’s March programming and the many fantastic community events that will be held this month I have found myself meditating on the meaning of International Women’s Day, its origins, and what we can learn from both as we continue in the fight for global gender equity. The most central lesson that I believe we can take from International Women’s Day lies in its connection to movements against labor exploitation as well as patriarchal violence, a connection that is, unfortunately, often overlooked.
Originally titled “International Working Women’s Day” the holiday was established in the United States in the early 20th century. Its creation was a direct response to strikes by female textile and garment workers in New York. Galvanized by atrocities like the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire these women organized to gain shorter hours, better pay, suffrage, an end to child labor, and to shed light on often horrific working conditions. The garment workers in question were primarily of Italian, Irish, and Jewish decent, but their movement drew on an already long history of women in labor organizing. This history included events such as the 1881 Atlanta Washerwomens’ Strike in which thousands of Black launderesses mobilized for higher wages, and individuals such as Lucy Parsons, a formerly enslaved woman who became a renowned writer, labor activist, and co-founder of the International Workers of the World[1]. These women faced seemingly insurmountable violence at home, in the public sphere, as well as in the workplace, their movements and our expanded rights coming at great personal and collective cost.
We can see from this history that International Women’s Day was born out of a need to honor women’s labor and protect their quality of life, specifically those vulnerable to multiple systems of exploitation and oppression. In 2023 these goals remain just as vital to recognize and realize. It is now common knowledge that one in three women and girls globally have experienced sexual or intimate partner violence at least once in their lives.[2] Since the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, we have witnessed factory collapses in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Latvia whose victims number in the thousands, the majority of them women and girls. Labor trafficking is one of the largest, fastest growing, and most lucrative illegal economies world-wide, overwhelmingly targeting migrant women and children. In the United States the pay gap continues, most drastically impacting Black and Native women[3].
I hope that on this International Women’s Day we can all take heart and honor the example set by those who came before us. Multiple studies have shown that advancing gender equity and women’s rights is concurrent with a rise in happiness and satisfaction across gender identities[4][5]. In other words: We all have a stake in this movement.
I would like to conclude with a quote by one of my personal feminist heroes, Maya Angelou, who wrote that, “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” We have come a long way and there is still much to be done, but many great souls came before us and I believe that by partaking in this shared cause we can all realize the same greatness within ourselves.
With warmth and appreciation,
Sutapa Basu
[1] Hunter, Tera W. To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors After the Civil War. Harvard Press, 1997; Greenfeld, Carl. The Identity of Black Women in the Post-Bellum Period, 1865-1885. Binghamton Journal of History, Spring 1999
[2] World Health Organization. Devastatingly pervasive: 1 in 3 women globally experience violence. 2021. https://www.who.int/news/item/09-03-2021-devastatingly-pervasive-1-in-3-women-globally-experience-violence
[3] Donaldson, Tara. “On Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, Essence and LeanIn.Org Share the Facts.” WWD: Women’s Wear Daily, Sept. 2022, p. 23. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=159295954&site=ehost-live.
[4] Audette, A.P., Lam, S., O’Connor, H. et al. (E)Quality of Life: A Cross-National Analysis of the Effect of Gender Equality on Life Satisfaction. J Happiness Stud 20, 2173–2188 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0042-8
[5] Qian, Ge. “The Effect of Gender Equality on Happiness: Statistical Modeling and Analysis.” Health Care for Women International, vol. 38, no. 2, 2017, pp. 75–90, https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2016.1198353.
Women’s Center Staff Highlight
We are pleased to introduce you to our new Assistant Director of Returning and Non-Traditional Student Program and Special Projects, Safi Karmy-Jones! We took a stroll with Safi (she/her) and asked some questions. Get to know Safi below:
What is your professional background and what do you do at the Women’s Center?
I am a dissertating PhD student in the English Department with an emphasis in disability, cultural studies, and horror. Prior to working at the Center I taught a variety of courses at UW, Seattle University, and the Freedom and Education Project Puget Sound (FEPPS) and tutored through the Upward Bound program and the Odegaard Writing and Research Lab (OWRC).
My official title at the Center is “Assistant Director of Returning/Non-Traditional Student Program and Special Projects”. I know, it’s a mouthful. Basically, what it means is that my time at the Center is split between:
Providing resources and career/academic advising to non-traditional and returning students and supporting the Center’s other programming as needed.
Working with Dr. Basu on the Center’s ongoing oral history project.
Who is a nontraditional and returning student?
A student is typically considered “returning” or “nontraditional” if they are over the age of 25 and returning to college to complete their degrees, earn degrees for the first time, or earn graduate degrees for career advancement.
I also think it’s important to name who the unspoken “traditional” college student is when defining the “non-traditional” student. “College” has historically been a space dominated by whiteness, physical and cognitive normativity, masculinity, and wealth. To be very cultural studies about it, the vast majority of “college kids” we see in media and literature represent only a small subsection of students who are often ages 18-23, move through spaces in the University with relative ease, and are in a space where college can be at the center of their lives.
In contrast, my approach to teaching, tutoring, and now advising is built around the goal of helping students who are first generation, have children, work multiple jobs, are formerly or currently incarcerated, and/or have access needs, navigate a structure that was not built with them in mind. So, if you are reading this and are returning to school from any amount of time away, are struggling to balance work, family, and your studies, or are feeling generally disconnected from resources and community, please make an appointment to come see me! I’d love to offer my support.
my approach to teaching, tutoring, and now advising is built around the goal of helping students who are first generation, have children, work multiple jobs, are formerly or currently incarcerated, and/or have access needs
In contrast, my approach to teaching, tutoring, and now advising is built around the goal of helping students who are first generation, have children, work multiple jobs, are formerly or currently incarcerated, and/or have access needs, navigate a structure that was not built with them in mind. So, if you are reading this and are returning to school from any amount of time away, are struggling to balance work, family, and your studies, or are feeling generally disconnected from resources and community, please make an appointment to come see me! I’d love to help.
What’s your favorite horror movie?
I get asked this question a lot by colleagues and students because I’ve taught several courses on social difference and horror movies. A large part of my dissertation is also about this topic, specifically 1980s slashers and their connections to disability and race.
I honestly can’t narrow it down to just one, and it changes by the month, but my most consistent top 3 are:
Freaks (1932)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1973)
Friday the 13th (1980)
All three have many problems, but they also (intentionally and unintentionally) represent some really transgressive narratives around disability. Freaks, for example, is almost 100 years old, and it’s still the only movie I’ve ever seen to show two disabled actors, playing disabled characters, happy and having a baby onscreen. It is such a sweet scene too, I cry every time I watch it.
Programs
You’re invited to UW’S 20th annual Women of Color Celebration!
When: Wednesday March 15, 2023 from 12 - 1:30pm
Where: HUB Room 145
UW’s 20th annual Women of Color Celebration (WoCC) is taking place in solidarity with International Women’s Day (which is March 8). At this joyful and community-centered celebration, we will shine light on the pride, leadership, diversity, and power of women of color in our communities. Through a critical lens of gender, identity, and social movements, we invite the UW community to Club Classroom hosted by MFA Dance student, Abdiel, and UW Alum and Dance Department Teaching Instructor, Tracey Wong. In Club Classroom we will enjoy music, dance, nourishments, and meet and mingle with our diverse community. Thank you to our WoCC committee (hailing from UW Women’s Center, Ethnic Cultural Center, Burke Museum, and the Departments of Astronomy, English, and Anthropology) for supporting our efforts to uplift the women of color across our campus!
Leadership Academy: Mother Earth and Indigenous Lands
When: Saturday, April 15th, 2023 from 11:30am - 2:30pm
Where: Women’s Center, Cunningham Hall, UW Seattle campus
A workshop featuring Jade Sierra, WA State Legislative Assistant to Senator Claudia Kauffman and UW Alum, in discussion with indigenous community leaders. Learn from indigenous and native leaders about their work and how leadership skills have been developed and applied to reclaiming and recultivating indigenous lands.
Read more for the full line-up of our upcoming monthly brunch, networking, and learning events through June 2023. Participants who attend all events will receive an JIDEAS for Women Leaders Certificate (JIDEAS = justice, inclusivity, diversity, equity, accessibility, and sustainability).
For more information or learn how to get involved, contact newlead@uw.edu
Making Connections
Our Making Connections students have successfully kicked off this year with our new hybrid program, receiving tutoring online and in-person. Seniors are waiting in anticipation or deciding between acceptances where they will be going to college next year. In the meantime, students have been experiencing Career Exploration Opportunity events this past month. In collaboration with the UW Astronomy department, students learned about the pathways to a life and career in astronomy and how that involves: manipulating large amounts of data, technological innovations, and intersections with biology, aerospace engineering and more. Students also participated in the first of three interactive workshops with the UW College of Built Environments to imagine futures in architecture, environmental justice, construction management, and other fields that shape our living spaces. In the coming months, students can look forward to exploring possibilities through more collaborations with the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Oceanic and Environmental Studies, the UW Speech and Hearing Sciences, the UW Dept of Digital Arts and Experimental Media, and a lab visit with module workshops organized by graduate students in Bioengineering. Thank you to each of these departments for their generous time!
Currently, we are recruiting for our next cohort of Seattle-based Making Connections scholars for our Summer Bridge Program. This increases our need for more volunteers to help tutor, mentor, and guide our students into higher education and successful STEAM careers Please help us spread the word for volunteers to apply to become a mentor and/or tutor! Feel free to contact mcmentor@uw.edu if you have any questions.
Showcasing a Mover and Shaker
At the UW Moris Women’s Center, we believe in the importance of connecting communities and uplifting those who have benefited our diverse and dynamic communities. Here, we highlight an individual, who actively uplifts and contributes to communities’ needs.
Senator Claudia Kauffman is the Washington State Senator of the 47th Legislative District. She is the caucus’s Leadership Liaison to the Tribal Nations, vice chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, and a member of the Transportation and Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs committees. Kauffman also serves as the co-vice chair of the Senate Democrats’ Members of Color Caucus. Kauffman is a fierce advocate for legislation and policy to protect children, address equity, and improve public education in Washington. Her recent bills hearings include accelerating stability for people with a work-limiting disability or incapacity (SB5480), implementing the Family Connections Program (SB 5426), and concerning child-specific foster care licenses for placement of Indian children (SB 5683). Learn more about Senator Kauffman’s work here.
Sponsorships & Donations
The Women’s Center programs are always looking for sustainable and expansive support. Donations and financial contributions go a long way no matter the amount. Please feel free to donate at the link below!