This past week we had the opportunity to meet with Class of 2017’s very own, Penelope Ramirez. Penelope, or as most call her, “P,” is a resilient and radiant young woman thriving here at DePauw University.
HC: Hey P! Why don’t we start off with a brief introduction of who you are and some things you are involved with here at DePauw?
PR: I’m Penelope Ramirez. I’m involved in Feminista!, I work at the Compton center, I’m a part of Omega Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, I’m a student advocate at the women’s center and I’m a part of L.A.C.E.
HC: How has being in these programs affected you, and what initially sparked your interest in them?
PR: The first organization that I joined on campus was Feminista. So, I come from New York, and in high school I was and still am involved with this program for women of color in New York City called Sadie Nash Leadership Project. The purpose of the program is to teach young women how they’re leaders in relations to social justice. So, we learned about feminism, the different ways of feminism, how women of color have had to create womanism, how black women have created Black feminism and how you have Chicana studies. We learned about all these different forms of feminism, and as women of color, we had to create all these other spaces. So, through this, I learned how to organize and think critically on these issues. In Feminista, we rebuilt the organization to what it’s supposed to be and what it is now, which is to build sisterhood and be raw with each other. We’ve done protests and rallies and have gotten backlash from it, but we continue to do them because it’s our reality.
HC: Being that it’s domestic violence awareness month, the programs that you’re involved in have held several workshops and events shining light on this issue. How has that process been?
PR: Yes, I’m a part of Omega Phi Beta Sorority and our philanthropy is raising awareness about violence against women. So, this past weekend we had a conference that was focused on intimate partner violence that has occurred on college campus. Aside from that we had our week of illumination called The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, which was about how media perpetuates violence and negative stereotypes about marginalized bodies. Then, this upcoming November we are having our tenth annual domestic violence awareness conference.
HC: That’s awesome! I look forward to attending these events and more. I believe they’re very empowering and educating for women, and they provide the platform to have those difficult conversations. So, thank you so much.