Call to Action Day/Women's Week Reflection

Even though I was not able to participate for Call to Action Day, I did participate in Women's Week.

I attended the Women and Work Panel and the topic was "Having it all: The Grace and the Chaos of Balancing Parenting, Career, and Possibilities". All of the speakers are working moms but they all have experienced some type of challenge of being a working mom. One theme that was mentioned was creating your own definition of "having it all". Another theme was finding out what works best for your situation and personal, familial, and career needs. Also, learning to adapt to whatever circumstances comes your way will help you get to your goals. Learning how to balance all your responsibilities is another vital tool towards having it all. One thing that all the speakers mentioned was having a good support system to help and guide you. Lastly, communication is key. Communicating with you support system will help a ton. Lisa had mentioned that it is possible to have it all but not at the same time. At some point all the speakers mentioned that their definition of "having it all" has changed thought out their lives. It's also important for men to talk about this issue because this also affects their lives. 

The panel was interesting and inspiring. It was cool to hear about their journey and see that there were some overlapping challenges and advice from all these women. One thing that I got out of this panel is to expect the unexpected but learn how to adapt to any changes and challenges that may come up, because everything is a learning experience. Also, having a support system is very important. Learning to communicate with you support system and workplace is key towards living a balanced life and having it all. 

I also attended (and helped set up the reception and chapel) Jezebel Delilah X's monologue. Her performance was powerful and energetic. She took on the personas of Jezebel the princess of Israel and Lena Baker. She also mentioned the tragic experiences of women who have endured sexual violence and social media blackmail. Vanessa also talked about reclaiming womanhood to reflect all types of women defined from a woman's point of view. It was cool to get to know her at the reception. Her energy was magnetic and genuine. She truly wanted to make a connection with everyone in the room, which made a lot of sense after hearing her monologue. 

The reception before Vanessa's performance was unexpectedly moving. There were women from Saint Vincent de Paul's Catherine Center (Menlo Park), which is a transitional home for women who have been incarcerated. It's a 12-month program that helps women develop their strengths to become independent, successful women. This program helps these heal from their past and guides them to be empowered women. I didn't expect that the reception would be extremely moving; it was amazing to hear the brief introductions from the women of the Catherine Center. It was cool that it became an impromptu dialogue and refreshing to hear that the women in Catherine Center are given a second chance and learning how to find their path in life on their own terms. It's true that sharing a meal with someone opens up a dialogue and creates a human connection that otherwise would not have happened. 

The events that I attended were amazing, inspiring, and empowering. It was a privilege to have been able to hear these extraordinary women talk about their journeys’. In some ways it reminded me of the pro-women atmosphere at my high school. It also cool to reconnect with Jim McGarry, who was my ethics and world religions teacher from high school.

Both events mentioned that the lack of access to programs, such as childcare, career development, support groups, that are geared towards women, would be beneficial for women to get the help and skills they need so they can reach their goals. The women from both events are all striving to improve their lives for themselves and all are learning how to create a support system that are on board with them, which was cool to hear about. Even though these are two different groups of women, working women and women from the Catherine Center, they all want to create a better life for themselves to help the people around them.