Meet Cara Oritz, Co-President of Feminists in Action (FIA) at Emory! Cara is a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major and a History minor. On campus, she is the Senior Representative on Student Government association and the Co-Produce of this year’s production of the Vagina Monologues!
Her Campus Emory (HCE): What is the goal of FIA?
Cara Oritz (CO): The goal of FIA is to foster a dialogue around feminism and gender issues on Emory’s campus. FIA meets weekly to discuss topics ranging from Beyonce to Eco-feminism to the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, so we really try to cover all of the bases. I think it’s important to have an informal and specifically feminist space at Emory where students can work through these issues together, and I think FIA has done a great job of carving out that space within Emory. Another foundational goal of the organization is sustainable, feminist community outreach both at Emory and in Atlanta.
HCE: How did you become passionate about FIA?
CO: I became passionate about feminism after taking my first Women’s Studies class with Dr. Lynne Huffer. Women’s Studies 100 is sort of a crash course in feminist history and theory and after taking it, I truly realized that the patriarchy, that is, the oppression of women, is everywhere.
HCE: How can students get involved with FIA?
CO: Students can get involved with FIA by coming to our weekly meetings every Wednesday at 5:30 in the Center for Women. Through those meetings, students can also learn about volunteer opportunities through our community outreach initiatives.