The Center for Women and Gender Equity’s Sexism+ Series returned for its second of four seminars last Wednesday, Oct. 18. The second seminar entitled “A Face of Oppression: How Sex(ism) and Race(ism) Intersects” was co-sponsored by The Office of Wellness Promotion and LGBTQA Services and welcomed guest speaker Danitra Sherman, an advocate that works for Planned Parenthood.
The Office of Wellness Promotion co-sponsored this installment to promote their resources beyond just nutrition. Sherry Mendez, the director of the office states, “We provide education, support and resources beyond physical health, whether that be issues of sexual identity or being a confidential resource for survivors of sexual violence.”
Mendez also stressed the importance of everyone on campus understanding every resource their office offers in order to promote both mental and physical wellness.
The seminar began with establishing some community agreements for the space in order for it to become a safe and productive environment to engage in conversation.
Danitra Sherman works as an advocate for Planned Parenthood and stresses that they are so much more than reproductive resources. Sherman states, “We need to sometimes step out of our reproductive health box in order to properly help those who rely on us.”
She hosts many of these types of seminars regarding race and gender bias in order to promote education surrounding these types of issues.
Similar to the previous Sexism+ seminar, Sherman focused on other factors that intersect with issues surrounding sexism and gender bias, this time focusing on ways in which race plays into it. Sherman also focuses on this term “intersectionality” that plays a role in conversations regarding oppression. In order to understand intersectionality, it is important to understand the role of oppression in our society.
Sherman defines oppression as, “the system that maintains advantage and disadvantage based on social group membership.”
Intersectionality is the way in which multiple social group membership affects the oppression that certain individuals experience. “We all have our own privilege based on our identities,” said Sherman.
Sherman spoke extensively on the way in which the intersectionality between race and gender affects women of color, specifically regarding police brutality.
She brings women of color to the forefront of the conversation in regards to police brutality because they so often are not included in the national discourse.
Although she spoke specifically about women of color, she stressed that in any marginalized group, “there is always a piece of the conversation that is missing.”
Her call to action is that we must understand the responsibility that we hold through our privilege and use it to bring silenced groups to the forefront of national conversation.
The Office of Women and Gender Equity has two more seminars planned for the fall semester to continue these types of conversations. Alicia Hunt Murphy, a director at the Office of Women and Gender Equity stresses that these seminars are another resource of their office to “educate, advocate and offer resources” for our campus community. More information regarding dates and times of these seminars can be found on their website.
Rachel Spurlock is a second-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at RS874954@wcupa.edu.