#neb64

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The UK explained sexual consent in the most British way possible. The video is being used by Thames Valley Police courtesy of...

Consent is as simple as tea...if you’re not offered it, then don’t drink it. 

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"What if Bears Killed One in Five People?" - Guys, this angry, hungry bear in our house is a big problem. You wouldn't put up with that. So don't put...

The incredibly ‘funny’ thing is the “what if” people actually took the idea of ‘rape’ as seriously as a ‘bear attack’. Would people still ignore that rape actually occurs?

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Alice Walker

Alice Walker on living through poverty and racism; giving her ancestors a voice in The Color Purple; and the magic of art and life.

I once had the pleasure of hearing Alice Walker speak and her words then, as well as, now is extremely moving. Just the image of how she paints this time and the way she views the world. Even in the way she describes her mother and her family heritage: “My mother was no where in the literature, and she was all over my heart, so why shouldn’t she be in literature?” She shines a light on a history that many refuse to acknowledge, giving a voice to the voiceless and the stories that she tells are nothing short of inspiring.

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Racial Caucus Group

When it was announced the class was going to split into two groups to form caucus groups, you could say I was uncomfortable...scratch that I was uncomfortable. Growing up in an area that was so racially diverse and held so many cultures it wasn’t so weird being all together. I guess you could say I was always happy being one of the crowd, going unnoticed and going about my own merry way. Having one group physically standing and moving to another room while everyone else sitting stares at you...it was eerie. The whole concept of separating based on color of skin or ethnicity kind of rubs you the wrong way. Although, it was unpleasant, the activity itself wasn’t all that bad. The questions make you view simple things through a different lens and make you evaluate concepts/certain ideals that you would never have thought of like: “When did you first notice you were part of a different racial identity?” It was strange how so many noticed that they were different when they first were elementary school. Overall, it was a good experience to experience, because it makes you think past your own horizons. 

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Plenary #2: Wendy Cai-Lee

While I also was not as thrilled/excited about this plenary as I was the first, I do believe Wendy Cai-Lee gave us useful information that will prepare us (as women) of what we have to look forward to in the future. One of the best things I liked about her lecture was the fact she didn’t talk at us, but told a story about how she got to where she is today and of her experiences in male dominated field. Honestly I thought she was hilarious; especially, in the little anecdotes about her interactions with her father. Although, at times I thought her processes/ thought patterns were a little disjointed at times, Ms. Cai-Lee was eventually able to pull her whole story together at the end. I guess what I took away from her talk is that I have to “be your own champion”; if I work hard, take a risk, and do what makes me happy then there’s no telling where I could go or what I can achieve in this world.

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When I was first told to try and embrace (”try on”) another gender expression, than one we identify with…I’ve got to admit I was a little apprehensive. Not apprehensive in the way of embracing a new gender role, but in the way of viewing myself. In my mind I’m still trying to find myself and explaining how this gender performance would make me view myself is daunting.

In a typical day, what friends and family would see as tomboyish, I would view as comfort. So I dawned the makeup and knee-length dress, to feminize myself, and made myself ready to leave the house for the train. (This is where the story turns). At this point my mom returns home from her work shift and sees my “new apparel”, her response is for me to change before I go anywhere. She didn’t believe my knee-length dress was appropriate attire for the train.

I didn’t feel like arguing with her so I told her that I would change and before I left; she told me to bring a sweatshirt with me. She then told me not to show too much skin and to put on my sweatshirt as soon as I reached the train: “to keep away unwanted attention from me”. At first she kept saying that I needed a pull over, then she decided that as long as the sweatshirt was zipped all the way up the front it was okay. The last thing she said to me was, ‘I know you think you’re alright but, this world is not what it should be’. Why is it that showing a little skin, like my arms, is a considered a invitation? Why are these considerations for how I should dress myself or view myself…even if I’m feminine, tomboyish, or just a plain woman?

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Plenary #1: Lauren Rankin

Our first plenary speaker Lauren Rankin, in my own opinion, I thought was nothing short of amazing. In my house growing up in a family with an extremely old-fashioned way viewing the world, we didn’t speak of these things or even when my oldest sister became an “un-wedded” mother it was just something to be looked over and not discussed. So to hear someone speak about topics such as these was refreshing and liberating, in the way I have been to try to express within my own little bubble of the world for so long.

Many people just reflect a word/phrase that will suit their opinions for a time. So many putting so much emphasis on a word or phrase causing their meaning to grow to enormous proportions….when sometimes a word is sometimes is just a word. However, she was able to discuss topics that people don’t normally discuss so openly, with such knowledge and conviction in what she had to say; it was sort of awing. With many of the topics that she had discusses I found myself nodding along in the rightness and the sincerity in which she had spoke. Especially in her reference to the word ‘ABORTION’, the way it was used just made it seem normal. I didn’t realize how much or how often she used it, until it was pointed out.