Women of different races and ages shared last night stories of inspiration, struggle and change in an effort to bridge the issues of gender and race differences in America.
The African American Culture Center and the Women’s Center hosted a discussion last night to link Black History Month, which ended yesterday, with Women’s History Month, which begins today.
Four women led the discussion panel — Katrice Albert, interim vice provost of equity and diversity, Becky Ropers-Huilman, associate professor of women’s and gender studies who has authored or edited three books, Maxine Crump, a University alumna who was the first black woman to live in on-campus housing, and Roberta Madden, director of women and health and public policy director at the YWCA.
“This connects two of the most intense months of programming — Black History Month and Women’s History Month,” said Amber Vlasnik, manager of the Women’s Center.
She said the discussion’s aim was to “highlight the accomplishments of women and discuss what needs to be done.”
Madden, the oldest member of the panel, told students about her own entry into the women’s movement. She said in the 1960s, images of women’s roles proliferated everything around her. She said she read “The Second Sex” by Simone de Beauvoir and had an awakening.
“It was a light bulb going off in my head — it doesn’t have to be this way,” she said.
Crump recounted her decision to come to the University. When the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled the University had to admit its first black student, Crump said her father, a local businessman and activist, asked her if she wanted to go to LSU.
“I thought they were going to turn the dogs and water hoses on me, and I was like OK,’” she said.
Crump told students about a University handbook from 1964 that described how women on campus were supposed to dress.
“In ‘65 we were like, ‘What are they going to do if we show up in pants?’ So we did — and there went the rule,” she said.
Albert told students she first began to work in racial diversity when she was a black student at a predominately white school high school and had to literally “cross the tracks.”
She said her first effort at creating diversity was “trying to help my peers learn what was on the other side of the tracks.”
The panelist said the problems in this country and community are “isms” — racism and sexism.
Crump said a change in thinking and consciousness is needed to get rid of these problems.
Madden offered the YWCA motto as a solution for eradicating these problems: “Eliminating racism and empowering women.”
“Once we get there I can retire,” Madden said. “I’m only 68 years old.”
Seth Belgard, a political science freshmen, said he was “in awe” listening to the women tell their stories.
“I learned I can make a difference,” he said. “The battle isn’t halfway over, and we can all make a difference.”