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Interns Speak Out!

As young feminists, activists, and radicals, making the transition from college to the “real” working world has been tough. Like many young people, we have been schooled in the writings of bell hooks and Audre Lorde, made campus activism a part of our daily lives, and have expected to enter a world in which we would continue to fight injustice, instigate change, and make our voices heard.

However, as interns at a large mainstream feminist non-profit,  we realized that there were a surprising number of obstacles standing our way. The place we worked at may have lauded itself on being a “feminist” organization mobilizing young people for social justice, but so many things we noticed or experienced on a daily basis as interns contradicted this ideal. We realized that young people were valued as an “image” – a pretty picture to put on a brochure or the organization’s website – but their independent voices, their insights, and their unique experiences were not acknowledged internally. Sometimes colleagues patronized us when we voiced critiques. Sometimes we were told our comments were “inappropriate” when we spoke up. Other times we were escorted out of the building. Supervisors appreciated interns who complicitly and obediently did what was asked of them, and these were the people whose faces would later appear on the website, the faces of the promising next generation. But our voices were ignored and silenced.

Like many people new to the non-profit world, we discovered that what we thought would be working at the forefront ...

On Nose Piercings

So I want to get a nose piercing….big deal, right? Its the quintessential “woman activist” thing to do – stage a revolution, get a nose piercing (not necessarily in that order). Its like any other piercing, or a tattoo, or a streak of pink in my hair —so why can’t I stop thinking about it?

What is it about nose piercings? Originally, nose piercings were practiced in the Middle East amongst nomadic tribes who matched the size of the nose ring to the wealth of the family. The practice was brought to India by the moguls in the 1600’s, the context I associate nose piercings with the most. Fast-forwarding to the 1960s, nose piercings became all the ...

So I want to get a nose piercing….big deal, right? Its the quintessential “woman activist” thing to do – stage a revolution, get a nose piercing (not necessarily in that order). Its like ...

On nose piercings

So I want to get a nose piercing….big deal, right? Its the quintessential “woman activist” thing to do – stage a revolution, get a nose piercing (not necessarily in that order). Its like any other piercing, or a tattoo, or a streak of pink in my hair –so why can’t I stop thinking about it?

What is it about nose piercings? Originally, nose piercings were practiced in the Middle East amongst nomadic tribes who matched the size of the nose ring to the wealth of the family. The practice was brought to India by the moguls in the 1600’s, the context I associate nose piercings with the most with. Fast-forwarding to the 1960’s, nose piercings became all the rage in the ...

So I want to get a nose piercing….big deal, right? Its the quintessential “woman activist” thing to do – stage a revolution, get a nose piercing (not necessarily in that order). Its like any other piercing, or ...

On Feminism

“Feminist” is a label I choose to wear not simply because it reflects many of my core values and politics, but also because by wearing that label I hope I am also playing a role in redefining it. I wrote this piece out of frustration for being caught in a perpetual dilemma–of calling myself a feminist but having a lot of problems with feminism. But, I think self-definition is powerful, and here is my attempt to redefine feminism for myself and for others. 

ON FEMINISM

My feminism will listen

My feminism will recognize its history of exclusion and inclusion

My feminism will know that immigration and poverty are just as much “feminist issues” as sexual assault and reproductive justice

My feminism will fight for reproductive justice, ...

“Feminist” is a label I choose to wear not simply because it reflects many of my core values and politics, but also because by wearing that label I hope I am also playing a role in redefining ...