Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) staff, two congresswomen, and over a hundred DC interns came together yesterday for FMF’s Intern Student/Activist briefing in Dirksen Senate building to discuss how to put a women’s rights agenda into action.
Over plates of donuts and cups coffee, participants listened to a succession of engaging and passionate speeches from congressional and feminist leaders: Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA), Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and FMF President Eleanor Smeal. Each of the speakers focused on the need for an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the US Constitution, stressing how an ERA remains relevant and important in the light of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby – that prioritized corporations over women’s health and rights – as well as the continuing scourge of violence against women and the severity of the gender wage gap.
The all-star feminist lineup also addressed the crowd with their own experiences in the feminist movement and passions that keep them fighting for gender equality. “I was you once,” said Rep. Speier, as she encouraged the audience to take this briefing as an opportunity to become involved, and become activists for equality. Eleanor Smeal reiterated this point, discussing how the current generation is the one that will have to continue their legacy, and although “we fight to get something passed, and then we spend the next decade or so to try and keep it on the books,” equality is always goal worth fighting for, no matter how many generations it takes. Congresswoman Maloney, too, said that the students and interns sitting in the room are the next generation of feminists and activists.
Practically unprecedented in hill briefings, FMF’s own interns were the primary facilitators of the event, as they spearheaded an informative and empowering panel on several modern issues facing women. Campus leadership and government relations intern Yemisi Miller-Tonnet echoed the congresswomen and Smeal in calling for action on the ERA, saying “It’s up to us now to pass the ERA.”
Jennifer Lee, FMF government relations and education equity intern, followed Yemisi, discussing campus sexual assault. Campus sexual assault is a hot button issue for many college students across America, and Lee reiterated how important campus activism around this issue is, saying “The time is now, and everyone here has the right to demand more from their college or university.”
Intern Paige McKinsey, who is on the education equity, government relations, and global health and rights teams at FMF, gave a passionate speech about international family planning. Mckinsey gave many devastating statistics, several from her own summer research, saying that fully funding international family planning would only cost 1% of our current defense budget. “I think we can spare the change,” she added, pushing for increased investments in the well-being of women around the world.
The final panelist, government relations and global health and rights intern Kathleen Wilson, discussed CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which has yet to be ratified by the United States. She reiterated how “it’s important not just to our women, but to women all over the globe.”
The FMF interns on the panel eloquently and succinctly addressed the topics they had been researching all summer, in the hopes that the crowd would be inspired by one (or all) the topics enough to adopt it as something they could be advocates for, and bring back into discussions with their representatives, on their campuses, and in their offices. Judging by the crowd response and the questions following the panel, the briefing had inspired more than a few people; questions were asked on how to engage others in the feminist discussion, and participants asked panelists for advice on how to do so, as well as ways to start feminist groups in their communities.
Take Action! Get more involved through the FMF’s Choices Feminist Campus Leadership Project or by signing up for FMF action alerts. You can also support the continued work of the FMF by donating today.
