From Florida Action for Planned Parenthood

Last week was a good week for women at UCF. Take Back the Night was a success - the biggest NOW has seen yet on campus! More coverage and opinions on Take Back the Night will be on the blog later this week. Voices of Planned Parenthood (VOX) also hosted their sixth annual Let's Talk About Sex benefit at Paradise Club in downtown Orlando, with the usual sex toy giveaways and irreverent ring-toss games. (I haven't heard official numbers yet but it was a success in my opinion.)

Not so great for women (and everyone, really) this week, though, are the anti-choice bills that are floating around. From an email from the Florida Action for Planned Parenthood:

 
"Today and tomorrow, legislators in the House and Senate will be voting on three egregious anti-choice bills, and we need your help to tell members to OPPOSE these bills!

In the Senate, members of the Health Regulation committee will hear SB 1748, legislation that would create obstacles and burdens for abortion providers and deny women access to a legal health procedure. If passed, this bill will result in the closing of abortion clinics in Florida. Senators will also hear SB 1744, legislation that would force a woman to undergo an ultrasound prior to an abortion even when it is not medically appropriate or is against the professional judgment of her physician.

Tell Senators to Oppose SB 1748 an SB 1744.

Members of the House Health and Human Services Quality Subcommittee will hear HB 321 – Nebraska style copy-cat legislation that would ban abortion in Florida after 20 weeks. The decision to obtain an abortion after 20 weeks is often made in rare and extreme circumstances. The proposed legislation would take away the opportunity for women facing medically complex pregnancies to make private, personal medical decisions without government interference.

Tell Representatives to OPPOSE HB 321.

We need your help to tell members in both the House and the Senate to oppose legislation that's dangerous to women's health and does nothing to prevent unintended pregnancy. Legislators need to stop their relentless attack on women. Tell members to OPPOSE HB 321 and SB 1744 and SB 1748."

Take a minute to sign the petitions against these bills- it's quick and easy. It may be a small action to stop these anti-choice bills that are distracting from bigger problems that need addressing, but every bit helps.

Let's live these moments every day - we should have more than one day a year devoted to talking about violence, proper sex education, and reproductive rights.

Bullied in the age of the internet

I have found in most of my circles - social work, gender studies classrooms, feminist relationships with friends and partners, family time, and even in casual work relationships - that when we think we're over something or we've talked it to death, we have really only scratched the surface. Because we are asking the wrong questions.

One of the problems- or advantages?- of working with social media and the internet is that it keeps changing and evolving. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. In the last few weeks while thinking about this piece I found myself thinking that cyber bullying perhaps isn't relevant, or anything that I can say would be repetitive. But the problem persists, so the discourse must also persist. When the act of a young person taking his or her own life becomes fodder for jokes under the guise of anonymity and lack of consequences, we must ask ourselves what this bit of "freedom" costs us. And more importantly, where does this anger and hatefulness come from?

 A quick Google news search of "cyber bullies" or "internet + suicide" yields a depressing number of shocking results. The incidences of self-harm as a result of internet bullying or intimidating are becoming public knowledge, and in many cases, it only seems to incite the ones bullying more. In the case of Natasha MacBryde's tragic death, many of her peers were still posting offensive remarks onto her memorial page. Other family members have been sent pictures of their deceased's bodies. The tales go on and on. The "why" is hotly debated. Is the internet responsible for the lack of empathy young people are showing, or is it just a symptom of something bigger? Is this anti-empathetic mindset something that has existed for generations but is exposed now that there is a virtually consequence-free venue to make these remarks?

I am inclined to think that the internet didn't magically create these monstrous occurrences. In the case of the white male patriarchy of the United States, our past is a bloody and entitled one. This total lack of connection and empathy between peoples in the same communities isn't a new problem (look at the treatment of any marginalized group, anywhere), and it is my opinion that learning to moderate comments on internet discussions and teaching etiquette isn't going to be any sort of long-lasting answer. Finding a more permanent solution, however, could have far-reaching benefits for everyone.

Instead, let's open the discussion. How do we teach empathy? Is it something teachable at all? Perhaps simply education is the answer.

I had been sitting on this piece for a few days when the White House held a conference about bullying, in which the President and First Lady offer some answers but mostly open up the discussion and start the problem-solving process. If nothing they said was groundbreaking, it was still good to see the White House taking some time for the youth of the country when there are so many other hot-button issues being discussed right now.

 Watch here:

Both our President and the First lady speak about engagement with young people, speaking up, and taking action, when it comes to bullying. What pleased me the most, however, was their insistence that adults take responsibility for what is going on. Whether we know why it's happening or we don't, whether it's worse or better than when we were all children, these cases that result in the deaths of young people are not just "kids being kids," and that is a cop out. Good on the our leaders for calling that out. Like they said, we've got a lot of work to do.

Required Reading: 2/27

News

Update on Libya

Black filmmakers discouraged by lack of Oscar-nominated African-American 

Wisconsin protesters are holding strong

Muslim Student Association event meets opposition. February was also Islamic Awareness Month, in case you hadn't heard.

This weekend saw a nationwide protest of the act that has passed the House to strip Planned Parenthood of its funding, called Walk for Choice. You can see pictures of rallies all over the country at the Walk for Choice tumblr.

Good Reads

Womanist Musings: Detonguing the Subaltern – what news coverage and rape culture looks like in India from an ex-Hindu's perspective.

What's love got to do with it? Attacks on Reproductive Justice by the Crunk Feminist Collective 

Required reading 2/14

The last few weeks have seen a huge revolution in Egypt. What an inspiring show of dedication by the people to change their environment! This Valentine's week, celebrate love by being open to all kinds of people, embracing our differences, and fighting for one anothers' rights.

Your weekly reading and upcoming events:

Worldwide:
Social media and social justice have joined powers to defeat evil: here

Florida:
Rick Scott Reveals Budget: "Public schools would see a $700 per-pupil spending cut in classrooms; university research would be cut $217 million; and virtually every social-service program — from aid to the homeless and rape counseling to nursing-home care — would absorb deep reductions."

Orlando's ban on feeding the homeless goes to court

UCF:
"Richard Lapchick, director of the University of Central Florida’s DeVos Sports Business Management Program, was inducted into the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame during the Super Bowl weekend."

Turkish and Armenian Students visit UCF campus

UCF Black History Month is going strong - check here for a list of events

Learn about oppression with the Counseling Center Tunnel of Oppression

a glossary of terms

 

If you are not entirely entrenched in the realms of social justice, diversity, feminism, or the like, it can sometimes sound like those who are are speaking an entirely different language. In this blog we will aim to make the language and content as accessible as possible, however, a basic knowledge of the terms used will certainly help – and not only in regards to this blog.

Social justice – the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society. Generally relates to the idea that everyone deserves the same rights, regardless of age, gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, and socio-economic status.

White Privilege – “a way of conceptualizing racial inequalities that focuses as much on the advantages that white people accrue from society as on the disadvantages that people of color experience.” (Wikipedia). Also see Peggy McIntosh's “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” here.

Restorative justice – a different approach to justice that focuses on the needs of victims and the concept of rehabilitating offenders.

Ally – students and faculty who have completed the ALLIES Advance training in order to be a resource and support on campus for LGBT students. A listing of the allies on campus can be found here http://www.counseling.sdes.ucf.edu/?id=diversity_who.

Domestic violence – violence in a household or between partners, whether physical, sexual, or emotional.

Bullying – an abuse or harassment, generally among peers, designed to shame or harm the victim because of perceived traits, ie homosexuality. Also, cyber bullying – harassment that happens online through social networks and media for the same purpose.

Discrimination – via dictionary.com (surprising how many of these terms or concepts are not as easily found in dictionaries): “treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.”

Accessibility – referring to ease of access of buildings, institutions, etc for disabled persons.

Hostile work/education environment – an environment that is deemed uncomfortable, unsafe, or otherwise unpleasant to particular persons because of their perceived race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and the like.

Cultural competencies – the awareness and knowledge of other cultures and populations, with an ability to navigate through them and understand one's relationship to them in a sensitive way.

Activism – via dictionary.com again: “the doctrine or practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of achieving political or other goals, sometimes by demonstrations, protests, etc.”

Human trafficking – Human slavery; “the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor” (Wikipedia).

Colonialism – Imperialism, or “the policy and practice of a power in extending control over weaker peoples or areas” (Dictionary.com).

Ethnocentrism – the idea that one's own culture is inherently superior to others'

Intersectionality – in short, refers to the intersecting of identities such as race and gender.

Feminism – Not a bad word or a slur; in fact, the idea that all people, regardless of gender, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc, deserve the same rights.

Womanism – Alice Walker coined this term for a sort of feminism for women of color. “Womanism is to feminism as purple is to lavender,” she wrote.

“-isms” - Racism, sexism, ableism, etc; names for those internalized and externalized systems of oppression that keep people divided.

Welcome!

Some diversity trivia: The city of Orlando, Florida ranks as the ninth largest LGBTQ population in the country. The University of Central Florida is the second largest school in the country. Roughly 40% of the university's students are considered racial minorities. Roughly 5%* of the students in the school know what the Office of Diversity Initiatives (ODI) does, and an only slightly bigger number know that it exists.

Welcome to Diversity Initiated, ODI's new blog to educate and connect the masses to the functions and delights of the Office. To begin with, a basic primer so the uninitiated students (and faculty, staff, and community members) may understand what the ODI is:

“The mission of the Office of Diversity Initiatives is to assist the University of Central Florida in reaching its strategic goal to "Become More Inclusive and Diverse" by facilitating diversity processes, programs, and policies that promote social justice, enhance cultural competencies, and develop capacious leaders. Our students, colleagues, and constituents represent diverse peoples and perspectives across multiple generations.” - From diversity.ucf.edu

The ODI is committed to inclusion and community-building; education and training surrounding social justice, the understanding of systems of oppression; and addressing problems that arise in regards to cultural sensitivity (or lack thereof), exclusion, and the like. This blog will help connect you to goings-on in the office, interesting diversity events on campus and in the community, and news from around the community and world in the realms of social justice, diversity, and inclusion. You can expect weekly postings of calendar events, opinion pieces, and Digest versions of reading material to keep you up to date on your diversity news.

Thank you for stopping by and please stay tuned for education, communication, and hydration for your thirsty, inclusion-enthused spirits. Please feel free to leave comments with suggestions with anything in particular you'd like to see, or events/classes/discussions you'd like to promote. We'd also like to leave an open invitation for anyone interested in participating with opinion pieces or anything else you'd like to see posted - the contact info is detailed below.

DISCLAIMER: In the name of transparency and full disclosure, this blog will be primarily authored by Mary Morley, Intern for the Assistant Director, Diversity Education and Student Engagement. She is in her final semester as a Women's Studies student at UCF. Opinions expressed in this blog are not necessarily shared by the University of Central Florida, the Office of Diversity Initiatives, or Assistant Director Michael Freeman. You can reach her at diversityucf@gmail.com or marykmorley@gmail.com.

*- This figure is an educated estimation by the author not backed by any research further than the blank stares she gets when she says where she works. The word “diversity” is a good one, though, so sometimes she gets confused smiles.