“Powerful ladies getting shit done,” “complete equality for all sexes” and “NOT angry women who think they are better than men” were just a few of the diverse definitions students came up with when asked what feminism means to them.
UW-Madison’s chapter of the National Organization for Women kicked off its “Week of Empowerment” Monday by posting a display board on East Campus Mall and inviting students to write down their personal definitions of feminism.
The student organization, which is in its second active semester, was founded by four classmates who wanted to open a dialog for gender equality issues on campus. Co-founder Maddi Conway said the goal of the organization is to debunk the myths that surround the idea of feminism.
“The word ‘feminist’ carries so much weight and a lot of negativity as well,” Conway said. “We want to accomplish bringing awareness to feminism and helping people realize it’s not a negative thing.”
She added the main goal of this week’s events is to highlight distinct perceptions of what feminism is and how people can get involved.
Events are scheduled throughout the week, including a discussion of radical feminism Tuesday and a lecture about a personal history of feminist activism Wednesday, both led by UW-Madison professors.
The week of empowerment will wrap up Thursday night with a showing of “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses. Conway said the movie will be a “perfect” way to end the week of events and the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
