Iron Jawed Angels Motivation

I was awakened by my alarm clock at 8 AM. I was glad I put my alarm on because I probably would have overslept. So I got up, took a shower, and headed off to the Ratty to go eat breakfast. Guadalupe was still in her room, so I walked with her to the Ratty. It took me a while to completely wake up, but as soon as I ate my cereal I got energetic.

After I was done eating, I walked back to class. Kisa broke us up into groups of 3 in where we talked about our interviews. I was with Cara and Chelsea. We noticed that all of our interviewees said that woman have come a long way, but that we still need to strive to get more.

After about 15 minutes of discussing our interviews, Kisa chose Irene to be the facilitator for the whole class. It was a good discussion in where I found out that many of the women interviewed didn't consider themselves feminists. Some women didn't really know what feminism is. Others believed that it meant that women were trying to be too independent and say that men aren't needed. I completely disagree with that belief, but it showed me that everyone has their own definition of feminism.

Then Kisa asked us to discuss the reading. This time I decided to be the facilitator in my group. We all liked the women timeline because it was a good way to see what has happened over the years. One thing that I did not like from the reading was a quote that Nixon said that women should not be allowed in government because we are more sentimental than men. This made me upset because it reminded me of some sensitive men that I know. My nephew is a really sensitive boy. He gets so emotional when watching sad movies that he cries. I don't find anything wrong in that, but it upsets me when other family members try to make him stop crying by telling him that boys aren't allowed to cry. It also made me angry that Nixon assumed that just because women are sentimental it means that we shouldn't be in politics. However, this was to show how far women have come along and have changed society's views. It brought up some good discussion points during class.

After we were done sharing our ideas as a large group, we went to the CIT building to get time to use the computers and do research. I managed to finish my Amazing Woman monologue and start on my action plan. However, I'm still not typing all of my Action Plan today since I will meet with My and talk more about it.

Then the clock turned to noon. I had not noticed that it was actually raining outside until Selene told me it was. I was just really happy that I had carried my umbrella in my backpack, so I wouldn't get wet. Oddly, I decided to wear tennis shoes today and it turned out to be a wise decision. However, I learned that I need to check the weather news more often. In the morning it looked sunny. Even though it was raining, it was still really humid. I liked that. 

During lunch, Irene, Selene, Chelsea, Lydia, and I went to the Ratty to eat. We had fun talking and eating ice cream. Then we went back to the CIT building to continue doing research.

In the afternoon, I had some time to talk with Kisa about my Action Plan. She helped me narrow it down. I plan on doing it on increasing college awareness beyond just the UC system. I want to talk to motivated students about smaller colleges, Liberal colleges, and other colleges. I am aware that many students at my school get discouraged about private colleges because they know they are more expensive. However, I want to inform them that a private college can actually cost less than a UC because there is more financial aid available. My told me that when she was in high school she did a similar project so she is able to help me.

After class was over, we all walked back to our dorms to leave our stuff. Then Lina, Ritika, Trina, Tierra, and the other girls and I walked over to Starbucks. Once again, I bought an iced green tea. Then we all headed back to our room to do our work.

All the Women and Leadership students met outside of Harkness at 6:20 PM. We went to go see a mandatory movie named "Iron Jawed Angels". This was actually my second time seeing it, but I still find it to be an amazing movie. Alice Paul and the women during that era really fought for women rights. This makes me appreciate what I have even more because it reminds me that women struggled so much to get to where we are today. It is a really great and inspirational movie.