Last week, I was rushing from class to class with a rumbling stomach. You know the drill: ten minutes in between back-to-back classes – and of course you waste half of that precious time waiting in line for the bathroom – so really, you only have a measly five minutes to book-it across campus. Needless to say, I was rushed, hungry and desperate to silence my growling stomach.
I quickly went up to a food service worker and asked for the first thing I saw, which happened to be a cup of mac ’n cheese. While they filled my cup with cheesy goodness, I made a joke about “not needing it.” Instead of laughing in agreement, she said, “What do you mean? You need food to power your brain and keep you going.” It was such a simple response, but it took me aback for a second because it was not the response I have grown to expect. I immediately felt a little embarrassed to have made such a joke and had a mini epiphany in the middle of Food.com.
I realized that if we were to respond like this every time we heard women make a joke or remark that self-shames, we might stop putting ourselves down. This in turn might make us stop thinking in such a negative way. Empowering each other is actually so much easier and simpler than we make it out to be. We don’t need to be streaking across the capitol lawn or protesting in large groups. All we have to do is shed light on – and refuse to support – negative talk.
With that being said, if you want to take women empowerment to the next level, I just recently learned about an amazing organization called Unleashed. In their own words, “Unleashed is a social justice program that empowers adolescent girls to recognize their power, learn to embrace it, and to use it effectively by taking a stand against an injustice they are passionate about, and advocating for animal rights and welfare in the process.” Dr. Stacey Radin established Unleashed in New York City after writing a novel titled Brave Girls, which is geared toward college-aged women and discusses women empowerment in detail. This after-school program is twelve weeks long and has been implemented in Manhattan schools. Girls gain social activism experience by aiding the adoption and fostering of puppies.
How can you get involved? Syracuse University will be participating in puppy petting during finals week. Students will be given the opportunity to donate and learn more about the empowerment of young women and how it can affect the welfare of animals. I don’t know about you, but getting to play with puppies while supporting female youth seems like a no-brainer to me. Such a no-brainer, in fact, that you can make the decisioin in your sleep- just like this little guy.