Women Celebrate Shared History

Women from organizations across campus gathered to commemorate Women's History Month and International Women's Day with a discussion last night in Radcliffe's Lyman Common Room.

The celebration, the first of its kind, featured History of Science Teaching Assistant Abha Sur speaking on International Women's Day, its history and its meaning.

"It has always surprised me how women in the U.S. are unaware of the International Women's Day," Sur said. Twenty thousand working women walked through the streets of Delhi, India in honor of International Women's Day this year, according to Sur, whose family is from Delhi.

"People take a lot of things that the feminist movements has done for granted," Sur said. "It's important to know that history and to reclaim that history."

International Women's Day is normally celebrated March 8. Last night's belated celebration was the result of a remark Sur made to Edidiong N. Ikpe '99, who is president of the Association of Black Radcliffe Women (ABRW). Sur, who is Ikpe's senior thesis advisor, mentioned the holiday to Ikpe, who had never heard of it.

"[Women's History Month] is kind of pushed to the background," Ikpe said. "I'd like to change that."

In addition to Sur's speech, two students read original creative works. Sophia Chang '01, co-chair of Girlspot, read from her work entitled "Yellow Manifesto," which discussed racism. Change is currently writing an anthology of essays and prose pieces entitled "Yellow America."

Janel A. Moore '00 read poetry she wrote during her recent experience studying abroad in South Africa. One of the three poems she read was about Women's Day in South Africa on Aug. 9--coincidentally, the same day as her birthday.

Ikpe spoke briefly about her senior thesis on male and female circumcision and the female response in those countries. The event ended with open discussion, including a question-and-answer session with Sur.