The Crier

This Week in Student Groups: The F-Word

The only feminist group on campus plans blends poetry, yoga, and international activism

Barb Chaterjee · Spotlight · Feb 19, 2007

The F-word is an organization dedicated to creating a feminist movement at the University of Michigan that applies to all sexes, races and social backgrounds. Our organization does not subscribe to a particular ideology, but instead focuses on open dialogues about gender, race, class, and sexuality. Our activities include campus campaigns, international activism, and social events.

We’re currently in the middle of a “Michigan Against Violence” campaign. We recognize that in order to eradicate all forms of violence against women, we need expansive cooperation between people of all colors, cultures and genders. This includes sexual harassment, sexual violence, and rape.

According to official statistics, 1 in 5 girls will be raped in college. But this doesn’t include all unreported cases and cases that were never officially recognized. This shouldn’t happen at Michigan. As part of our campaign, we are passing out white ribbons, business cards with information on free rides home and resources for reproductive health on campus.

The F-word has been supporting the efforts of Sarvodaya. Sarvodaya is Sri lanka’s largest NGO, and their programs on family planning and reproductive health rights have been particularly effective. Sri Lanka’s unexpected success in family planning in the face of poverty and civil war merits international attention. It gives hope for the future of reproductive health rights.

According to official statistics, 1 in 5 girls will be raped in college.

As part of our awareness campaign, we are sponsoring yoga classes taught by a certified teacher. Because Sarvodaya incorporates Buddhist and Hindu philosophy in their programs, we thought it appropriate to use yoga as a means of understanding. There are optional donations, and all proceeds are transferred to Sarvodaya.

The F-word has scheduled our second annual poetry event for March 16 in the Michigan League Ball Room. Entitled “ Jack and Jill: The other side of the Hill,” the event will create an intimate and open forum to discuss gender issues through poetry. We will have both scheduled poets as well as an open mic.

Our meetings are at 8:00 p.m on Mondays. If you are interested in participating in a discussion, being an active volunteer, or a core member please email thef-word@umich.edu.

We’d love to hear from you

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