Feminist Collective Takes Back the Week

Posted by Charli Renken in collectives

President Maria Siino helps plan Take Back the Week event. Photo by Jason Stilgebouer.

The Feminist Collective has been hard at work for the past month planning its Take Back the Week event. Starting April 18 and culminating with a Take Back the Night event on April 22, Take Back the Week is a week long extravaganza of educational events, feminist films at The Screen, and awareness-spreading art.

Monday kicks off with an art show in the library that will be hung the previous Sunday and remain in the facility throughout the week. While the official deadline for the art show is April 24, Parsons will be hanging any art she gets before Monday for the Collective event. The art show was originally going to feature work from only minority clubs, the Collective has “opened it up to everyone,” says Feminist Collective Staff Advisor Sierra Parson. The art show is still looking for submissions that fit the theme “intersectional identities.” All mediums are welcome including visual art, creative writing, performance art and film. Submissions should be sent to sierra.parson@santafeuniversity.edu. Also on Monday the Screen will be showing the critically acclaimed documentary The Hunting Ground, which explores about sexual assault on college campuses.

Darcy Strayer
Photo by Rebeca Gonzalez

Tuesday will include the collective’s sexual health awareness events. Starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Southwest Annex, the sex shop Self Serve will be hosting a workshop on sexual health and sex toys. At 8 p.m., Planned Parenthood representative Darcy Strayer will take over the Southwest Annex to host a sexual health Trivia Night including prizes. “Working with Strayer and Planned Parenthood has been amazing,” says Vice President Maria Siino. She is excited for Strayer’s event as it will not only spread awareness about sexual health, but will also be a lot of fun. The Screen will also be showing Heathers at 10 pm.

Wednesday kicks off with a Resource Fair held both on the Quad and in the Library. Throughout the day, there will an information booth, feminist books to check out and a station for the Feminist Collective’s letter writing campaign that they plan to send to administration. Event goers will be able to sign their names and add comments to a form letter written by collective member Marilyn Marquis. The letter details a need for change when it comes to campus security, sexual assault cases and campus discrimination “The climate on campus is conducive to some political change,” Siino says. “BSU and Collexion have gained a lot of attention recently and I’m grateful for everything they’re doing. The effects of their actions are creating an environment on campus that I think is ripe for change,” Siino adds.

Haley Porter
Photo by Rebeca Gonzalez

Vice President Haley Joy Porter is most excited about the “Smash the Patriarchy” pinata event on Wednesday in which participants can take turns hitting a pinata with the word “patriarchy” printed on it at noon. “I really want to smash the patriarchy,” she says.

Thursday has several other exciting events including a community arts and crafts event in the library. Attendees will be able to make patches, T-shirts and other crafts to either keep or sell as part of a fundraiser for Tewa, an organization that helps Nepali women living in rural areas. The Screen will be showing Frida at 10 p.m.

The biggest day of the week is Friday, which is the official “Take Back the Night” event. Take Back the Night is a national foundation that “serves to create safe communities and respectful relationship through awareness events and initiatives,” as said on its website. The Take Back the Night Foundation seeks to “end sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse and all other forms of sexual violence.” The Feminist Collective is hosting their own event with an information booth, speakers starting at 3 p.m. both on the Quad and a candlelight vigil in the Soundgarden starting at sunset. There will also be a wage gap bake sale. All treats will sell for $1 for white, cisgender men and 75 cents for everyone else. In addition, The Screen will be showing the film Alien that night at 10 p.m.

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The Feminist Collective meets bi-monthly in the Miniver Room of the Fogelson Library. Those interested in helping with the Take Back the Week event and/or other collective events should join the SFUAD Feminist Collective Facebook page, subscribe to the Collective’s tumblr or send the collective an email at sfuadfemcollective@gmail.com.