College Feminists Connect!

Tonight in Class: The Political Economy of Gender and Sexuality

Tonight was the first session of a new course at Macalester College: The Political Economy of Gender and Sexuality.  Taught by visiting Professor Ryan Murphy, this Women's, Gender, and Sexuality studies course (which the Economics Department refused to cross-list) is seeking to delve into the relationship between the market and the state, through a less traditional economic lens of feminist scholarship.  Let me start by saying that this class is already blowing my mind after a single, three-hour session.  

As an introduction to some subjects we will be covering through the semester, we watched a fascinating documentary about the failures of public housing in America.  The Pruitt-Igoe Myth (2011) reveals the history of the infamous housing project in St. Louis, that opened in 1952 and was completely and dramatically demolished in 1972.  The film attempts to humanize the experience of the tenants who lived in the housing project, by sharing their stories of hope, desire, intimacy, loss, and fear via interviews.  I think that it was successful in highlighting the humanity that is often overlooked in discussions of poverty, and the government's role in finding solutions to social problems.  It also draws attention to how state power is used as a technology of race, class, and gender to oppress people, especially during the mid-twentieth century with such projects.  The Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project is often used as a moralistic lesson to criminalize the tenants themselves, the welfare state, big government, poor communities, and Black communities.  However, this film begins to shed light on the reality of the situation; the failure of the project had to do with poor city-planning and a lack of anticipation of "white flight" to the suburbs, lack of funding from the government to keep up maintenance of the project, the changing landscape of St. Louis as more poor migrants from the rural south flocked to the city center, and ultimately the government's intentional use of public housing as a segregation tool.  

Students Speak Out Against Tenure Decision at Macalester College

Last month, Professor Lara Nielsen was denied tenure at Macalester College.  When Lara announced the news to our Performing Feminisms course in the last class session of the semester, everyone was in disbelief.  Her news made us question what we know about decision-making processes on campus, like tenure review, and started a conversation about where Macalester-as-an-institution's values lie.  Initial anger and tears turned to an overwhelming need to act, and ignited a community movement both on campus and in the alumni-diaspora to repeal this decision; to speak truth to power; to fight for a professor who has deeply impacted so many student lives. 

As a student of Lara's, I could wax on about how wonderful a professor she is; how her curriculum alone rekindled my interest in making art, how her courses inspired me to declare my Critical Theory Concentration, and how she introduced me to the vibrant theatre community that thrives in the Twin Cities.  

But, if I engage the eternal optimist that lives at the center of my feminist beliefs, what I have found empowering about this devastating news that she might leave (be fired from) our school, is the surge of student involvement and passion that followed.  This is the first time that I have participated in a movement to repeal a decision that the college has made, and it has opened up a space for community that was not previously accessible to me.  I am touched and inspired by my peers, who have already mobilized to support Professor Lara Nielsen at all costs. I know that at the very least, she must be proud, because she is the one who instilled in us the feminist values of collaboration, voice, shared experience, and live art movements that seek social change.

Storytelling Event in Minneapolis, Curated by Macalester College alumni!

Event Info:

Story City presents: My First Time

Thursday, Jan. 24th from 7-9pm

The Loft Literary Center ( 1011 Washington Avenue South, Open Book, Suite 200 - Minneapolis, MN)

Free (donations welcomed)

Macalester College alumni Jemma Brown '11 and Lara Avery '10 started their nomadic story-telling experience, Story City MN, last year. According to their Facebook page, "the goal of Story City is to provide a platform for artists, performers, writers and everyone in between to come together once a month and share stories with members of their Twin Cities community." Past events have been hosted at a garden on East Hennepin Avenue, Boneshaker Books, The Nomad Bar, a plot at Stone's Throw Urban Farm, and Honey.  

As an audience member and friend, I think of Story City MN as a feminist endeavor.  Their utilization of a variety of spaces and places in the Twin Cities fosters a warm sense of community.  By occupying different locations, these events highlight how stories exist everywhere, especially in a vibrant city like Minneapolis. It allows us to bear witness to other peoples' lived experiences, and encourages sharing, collaboration, and hope.  Everyone is encouraged to submit and tell stories; at the last Story City I attended, they included a segment where they picked a guest's name out of a hat and invited them on stage.  The spontaneity emphasized how many feminist belief systems empower individuals to create and act on their theoretical learnings.  

Hey New Feminist Friends!

I'm Kelsey Woida - your new campus liaison from Macalester College in Saint Paul.  I will be an intern at CFC this spring semester, and I'm pumped to start sharing some of feminist insights, questions, and hopes with people who care.  Here are some things you may like to know about me:

-I'm a junior studying Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a concentration in Critical Theory

-I have a tattoo of a human pelvis on my left arm - a visual ode to my commitment to feminisms, sexuality, hips, and the different ways people sit in their bodies/how this informs their experience of the world

-I have a cat named Roger who hangs out with me while I manically write poetry late into the night

-My current obsessions include: learning electric guitar, breakfast foods, Patti Smith, and growing out my hair yet again

Feel free and encouraged to comment on my posts, let's share some stories!

Kelsey