One of my earliest experiences of learning about feminism took place while volunteering at the Vagina Monologues at the University of Oregon. Never before had I heard throngs of women yelling the word vagina in a public sphere (and I can't say I heard it much in the private, either). Viewing the V-Monologues as well as reading the novel really helped me to define what feminism is in my life, and it also gave me a better idea of how sexual and domestic violence affect women throughout the world.
Thanks to an advocate at a sister agency, I read
this letter written by the fantastic Eve Ensler online last night. Eve gears up for V-Day to the 10th which will be held in the New Orleans SuperDome, which many know as a place where sexual assaults happened at an alarming rate during the chaos of Hurricane Katrina. This year will be the 10th anniversary celebration of a call to action against violence that Eve started years ago by conducting private interviews with women about their relationships to their vaginas. For me, and I'm sure many other folks, the Vagina Monologues hold a special place in my heart.
After reading the above letter I looked further into the V-day in New Orleans in April. Loads of celebrities from Oprah to Glenn Close will be in attendance at the SuperDome. For me, it seems amazing that so many people in the public eye will be attending this event. So, thank you to that lovely advocate who brought Eve's letter to my attention. I hope everyone will take a few minutes out of their day to read it, and I hope you all attend a local showing of the Vagina Monologues to celebrate 10 years of activism around violence against women.
Damn, Eve Ensler helps me be proud to be a woman.
