This week’s campus celebrity is Emma Wakeman (pictured in the middle of the above photo), a sophomore Women’s Studies major from Atlanta. Emma is a former member of UGA’s club volleyball team and a current member of the intramural volleyball team. She is also the co-founder and activism chair for the Progressive Student Coalition, a club that aims to revive progressive student activism on UGA’s campus. After Emma receives her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend graduate school for Women’s Studies.
Recently, Emma helped organize a protest against non-consensual sex after she heard the personal story of one of her close friends who was date raped. She came together with the victim and one other passionate student and created a Facebook group about the victim’s story. The Facebook group led to a full on march and protest that started in front of Memorial Hall and ended at the Arch.
Emma says that she was inspired by the many cases of date rape she has heard at UGA and recent events, such as the protests against rape at Columbia University. She said her goal for this protest was to bring immediate attention to the effects of date rape and to get more students involved. In order to do this, she reached out to members of other organizations on campus, such as SHAG (Sexual Health Advocacy Group) and WSSO (Women’s Studies Student Organization).
Emma hopes that through this protest and her involvement in activist groups, such as PSC, that she will be able to make a true difference during her time at UGA. She leaves us with these parting words, “Go Dawgs!”