Women's
lives: different but equal
Danielle
Sawyer
Rhythms
for Womyn
When
I think of feminism now, I become a little
flustered. Although knowledgeable on many
topics concerning feminism, I am still unsure
of the word and the energy it carries. Feminism
is constantly challenging and exciting but
it can be very complex due to the different
rivers that pour into its mouth. Being a
woman can mean so many different things
to so many different people. For me, being
a woman goes hand-in-hand with being an
advocate for feminism. One definition of
feminism for me is advocating an "authenticity"
for living life as a woman. Trying to hold
hands with other women who desire the same
is another story. I am a white-race woman
who is perceived as lacking color but personally
believes to be a woman who wears a "colorful"
cloak of experiences. I am not trying to
take any color or voice away from women
of color but I am trying to convey that
I am a woman of white color who is eager
to learn through the reading of and the
listening to other women's experiences that
are different than my own. We have been
in deep discussion in one of my women's
studies classes regarding color and race
within feminism.
I
sometimes become saddened to think women
can be so divided against each other by
their experiences of difference. Differences,
although many, should be welcomed by any
woman who advocates "woman-ness."
Sharing of differences can be enlightening
yet at the same time uncomfortable, but
still should always be welcomed. In trying
to understand what being women really means
I have just begun to realize that it is
our unconditional linkage of "colorfulness"
that can allow for more bridges to be formed
in which we can rely on for strength in
our numbers. I am prepared for anger. I
am prepared for tears. I am prepared for
discomfort. I am here to listen, not to
speak words that say, "I know how you
feel as a woman of color" but to listen
and respond with words that say, "I
am hear to try and understand as a woman."
I
do often speak up in my classes with experiences
from my own life and knowledge, sometimes
without thinking it out all the way through.
But I often try and speak up about this
"enthusiasm" that I want my fellow
peers and all women that I come in contact
with to feel and to know that I am trying
to listen and learn about the experiences
of all colorful women in order to extend
my back as a bridge of safety for all women
to count on for love and strength. Hopefully
more women will try and create the opportunities
to listen unconditionally as well as share
personally to create more safe and empowering
communities that most women long for in
order to "celebrate" their life.
I am ready to lead by example, these hopes
in which I describe, so that I can be a
part of the dance.
Danielle
Sawyer is a women's studies major at Cal
State Long Beach.
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