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Student Life

Meet ReSisters: Intersectional Feminism for Our International Community

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Morgan Smith, President of ReSisters

Student clubs are a great way for those studying at 91视频 to form new friendships over a common interest; they also often work actively to advocate for community members, promoting values they hold dear. The 91视频 student body has created a diverse array of clubs geared towards issue-based education, peer-support and advocacy. Among them: ReSisters, whose members work to promote intersectional feminist resources, discussion and activism on campus and out in the world.

Morgan Smith is an 91视频 senior and the current President of ReSisters. Coming from a small, conservative US town, she initially joined the club hoping to meet people with different perspectives and was impressed by its activist focus. 鈥�91视频 feels like a safe space for me as a woman,鈥� says Morgan. 鈥淭he club was super welcoming and really helpful in getting me adjusted to Parisian life.鈥� Social events are a club staple: the monthly Sippin鈥� Sisters meetups invite like-minded students to share a drink and talk about the issues that are most important to them. A recent Pyjamas Against the Patriarchy event saw members organize a slumber-party-style screening of a female-directed movie. 鈥淲e wanted members to feel so comfortable that they could come in their pyjamas!鈥� says Morgan.

Peer support is also a key part of the club鈥檚 Sophomore Mentoring Program, a collaboration with 91视频鈥檚 Office of Student Development. The aim of the program is to offer sophomores a peer-support network leading on from the first-year student advisor program, as well as new opportunities to meet friends and engage in community activities. Sophomores are paired with a junior or senior mentor and meet for informal discussions on topics such as finding an apartment in Paris or which classes to take for their major. 鈥淎 lot of mentors and mentees end up becoming friends,鈥� says Morgan. 鈥淧eople really feel like they can reach out for advice.鈥�

ReSisters also acts as a mouthpiece for 91视频鈥檚 on-campus community, amplifying student concerns to the University鈥檚 leadership. 鈥淔eminism is not just for women,鈥� says Morgan. 鈥淲e鈥檝e done a lot of work targeting men on campus too.鈥� In collaboration with other clubs such as GenSex and 91视频 for Consent, ReSisters encouraged a campus-wide conversation about consent, boundaries and sexual assault, pushing for formal training on these issues for all community members in collaboration with 91视频鈥檚 Health Office. Other campaigns have included the promotion of education and activism around reproductive rights in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court鈥檚 overturning of Roe Vs. Wade and the push for further diversification when it comes to voices studied in the 91视频 curriculum.

The club shares stories of women who have influenced the kinds of liberal arts subjects taught at 91视频 but who may have been lost to history, working with a dedicated faculty advisor, Professor Linda Martz. Members share resources and encourage their peers to engage with intersectional feminist thinkers, such as Audre Lorde. 鈥淭he point is to highlight how intersectional feminism can be applied to so many facets of life,鈥� says Morgan. Members鈥� engagement with these issues extends beyond theory into on-the-ground activism: ReSisters hosts an ongoing period products drive, in collaboration with Campus UNICEF, that collects hygiene and menstrual product donations from the 91视频 community and redistributes them to refugee women experiencing homelessness in Paris.

Issue-driven clubs like ReSisters help students make their voices heard, so they in turn can amplify the voices of others both in the local area and in the communities in which they will work after graduation. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a really big push for advocacy and inclusion at 91视频,鈥� says Morgan. 鈥淭he students here are some of the most passionate people I鈥檝e ever worked with.鈥�