Fall 2011

[October 1, 2011]

Slutwalk 2011

We held two open discussions before and after Slutwalk NYC to encourage conversation about the meaning of Slutwalk; we also provided transportation to over 30 Purchase students who participated in the march. Slutwalk NYC is part of a worldwide grassroots movement challenging rape culture, victim-blaming and slut-shaming, and working to end sexual and domestic violence.

[October 1, 2011]

NOW New York State Annual Convention

FORTH arranged for Purchase College to host the 2011 New York State Annual Convention for the National Organization for Women. Activists and movement leaders including Terry O’Neill, Liz Abzug, Zenaida Mendez, and Emily May of Hollaback spoke on current feminist issues and strategies.

[October 17, 2011]

Anita Hill Conference & OWS Solidarity

We helped bring students to the Sex, Power, and Speaking Truth: Anita Hill, 20 Years Later conference at Hunter College, which featured 20 of the nation’s leading legal experts, scholars, journalists, activists, and artists speaking on present day realities in law, politics and the confluence of race, class, and gender. We also held a meeting to discuss solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement and the role of women’s rights and feminist activism within the movement.

[November 9, 2011]

SAFER Teach-In

In continuation from the SAFER workshop held in Spring 2011, Students Active For Ending Rape led a teach-in to educate students on constructing and enforcing the school’s sexual assault policy. FORTH will continue to assemble students interested in writing Purchase’s sexual assault policy and hopes to draft a complete and inclusive policy by the end of the Spring 2012 semester.

[November 14, 2011]

NARAL CPCs and Repro Rights workshop

We invited a representative from NARAL: Pro-Choice New York to lead a workshop on Crisis Pregnancy Centers and discuss the history and current state of reproductive rights laws and bills in New York State.

Spring 2011

[March 22, 2011]

Purchase Music Scene & Gender-Talk Out: 

Led open discussion on the issues of gender within the music scene at Purchase. Topics included :how to book a show, what leadership positions you can apply or run for, how to facilitate change, the ways to build safe space, gender disparity, inclusion vs. exclusion within structures and institutions and how they relate to music here on campus. We formulated a number of to build a more productive methods to lead to better access and inclusion for less represented performers.

[March 10, 2011]

Beautiful Daughters-Screening with Q&A: 

In collaboration with Trans-Action and V-DAY of SUNY Purchase we presented,Beautiful Daughters a breakthrough film which follows the historic stage production, and the 30 extraordinary women who made the first-ever all transgender performance of “The Vagina Monologues”. The film uses a series of evocative readings about the experiences of womanhood, and about the reclaiming of self through love and respect. We utilized the film to discuss the varied experiences of women and to confront Transphobia.

[March 2, 2011]

Feminist Coming Out Day-PHOTO SHOOT:

We partnered up with Harvard University’s queer student group and feminist club to participate in the first national Feminist Coming Out Day. Inspired by National Coming Out Day, a holiday which encourages awareness of issues affecting the queer community, The event brought an opportunity for alliance, collaboration, bridge-building, and inclusion. We displayed our photos on the Women’s History Wall with a sign reading “The Future of Women’s History”.  We worked with photographers David Grimaldi, Zoe Browne, & Zack Brady. 

National Feminist Leadership Conference-INFO SESSION:

We organized a field trip to the 7th Annual National Young Feminist Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. This two day weekend trip to George Washington University was filled with workshops, training and forums sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation. Topics included how to work with issues of reproductive justice, the environment, campus activism, violence against women, ballot measures, communities of color, and global women’s rights and health.

[February 24, 2011]

General Interest Meeting:

Our First public meeting brought out nearly 70 supporters of our mission. We discussed our hopes to form a dedicated coalition aimed at addressing patriarchy, privilege and community action on our campus.