Meet Helen Robins! She is a sophomore in the Newcomb Scholars program and is interested in working in foreign relations or non-profit management.
Describe yourself and why you wanted to attend the Feminist Camp:
I have considered myself a feminist for several years, but wanted a place to be able to explore how real people incorporate feminism in their normal careers and lives. Additionally, I was excited to meet feminists from other colleges across the country and discuss how their experiences with feminism at their schools were different than mine.
Describe your favorite parts of the conference:
I loved hearing from SURGE, a reproductive justice non-profit, about how reproductive rights and racism/classism/sexism interact. It was a new perspective I hadn’t considered before, and it was extremely impactful to hear from people who were directly affected by these –isms in reproductive rights.
I also loved going to Bungie, and learning more about being a gender minority in a predominantly male field.
Highlight information you learned on reproductive health and reproductive justice:
Reproductive justice has definitely taken on a new meaning for me. Prior to the conference, I thought reproductive rights and reproductive justice were interchangeable. Now I know that reproductive justice started as a movement for women of color, who were disproportionately denied reproductive rights and healthcare. Knowing that, I now see how my use of reproductive justice could have diminished the experiences of these communities, and can work to improve myself as well as better advocate for others in that respect.
Detail what you learned that you hope to never forget:
I hope I never forget the awesome careers and ladies who opened my eyes! I loved hearing from so many different disciplines, and so I hope I remember in all my future jobs that there are ways to incorporate feminism into my work!
Why should other students attend a Feminist Camp:
It was so fun and empowering to be around people with similar values to myself. We had such great, productive conversations and I met so many inspiring people. I also got to see really cool places and get insight into really interesting fields!
Does this sound like something you might be interested in? Tulane undergraduate students can apply to NCI for funding to attend Feminist Camp. Email Betsy Lopez at elopez@tulane.edu for more information.
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.