Pick one of the following events to attend during the Ladyfest activities and submit a 3 paragraph blog entry with your reflection, grounded in course content.
FRIDAY 4/15 1:00 pm – Screening of PBS’s In The Life episode featuring KIN4LIFE, followed by Q&A with Nor & IQ of KIN4LIFE – ten Hoor 125
SATURDAY 4/16 10:00AM – Old School Consciousness Raising Session led by Melanie DeMaeyer (one of the author's we read this semester) – Chloe’s Cup - 2117 University Blvd
SUNDAY 4/17 Noon-6pm – Attend one of the workshops at Alabama Art Kitchen – 2626 University Blvd
Noon – Ladyfest Zine Workshop – Learn about the history and importance of zines and help make a zine for Ladyfest Deep South 2011.
3:30PM – Vagina Monologue Workshop – If you’ve ever heard of the Vagina Monologues, then this is the arts and crafts version of that. Come create your own!
4:30PM – Herbs Health for Women – This class is a very broad, general, and beginner friendly exploration of plant-based medicines for women. Local, Abby Hall Luca, will cover several herbs and herbal formulas/ preparations for young through post-menopausal women. No knowledge of herbs required!
SUNDAY 4/17 Noon-6pm – Attend one of the workshops at Alabama Art Kitchen – 2626 University Blvd
Noon – Ladyfest Zine Workshop – Learn about the history and importance of zines and help make a zine for Ladyfest Deep South 2011.
3:30PM – Vagina Monologue Workshop – If you’ve ever heard of the Vagina Monologues, then this is the arts and crafts version of that. Come create your own!
4:30PM – Herbs Health for Women – This class is a very broad, general, and beginner friendly exploration of plant-based medicines for women. Local, Abby Hall Luca, will cover several herbs and herbal formulas/ preparations for young through post-menopausal women. No knowledge of herbs required!
I attended the event on Friday at Ten Hoor with Kin4Life. There was not a huge turnout, but I am very glad that I attended. The two members of Kin4Life, both lesbians, were so open and so willing to share their story that I couldn't help but be inspired. The video alone was very intriguing, but when the women got up to speak on a personal level, the mood in the room shifted and became much more interesting.
ReplyDeleteKin4Life's story was just like a story right out of our Reading Women's Lives book, but it was much more effective because we got hear their experiences directly and without the help of an editor-it was so personal. The women were willing to answer any questions whether they be about the roles of their sexuality in their career or just their career highlights in general. I really appreciated the openness that they had, and it made the entire LadyFest experience seem much more interesting to me. Kin4Life portrayed a day in the life of lesbian, black, female rappers, and although it was not an easy road, they shared relentlessly.
The women of Kin4Life are so brave and so persistent that I, although I am straight, couldn't help but be inspired. Seeing the struggles that they have had to face and yet they still overcome, I know that I am fully capable of conquering anything in my life. They have been faced with numerous interlocking oppressions, but they came out on top with great success.
I attended the screening of PBS’s In the Life episode featuring KIN4LIFE. I found that the video was very interesting. It was neat to hear their stories. Both girls came out when they were 14 and 15 years old. One of the girls was accepted by her family from the beginning. However, the other girl had to deal with her mother not being very accepting of her being a lesbian. She had to overcome many obstacles with her mother in order to be accepted. Both girls today are supported by their families.
ReplyDeleteA story was shared about them getting recognized by record label companies. They said that one major group in particular would not offer them a record deal because he didn’t want to have sex with them (another word was use, but I felt it was inappropriate to blog). I relate this back to talking about how women are portrayed in music videos. Because these girls didn’t have the sex appeal, they basically weren’t good enough. It was a slap in the face to these women. They felt like they had to go out and be someone they weren’t. They stood their ground and stayed true to who they are.
Listening to this group was very fascinating. To hear how they have overcome adversity to make a name for themselves is awesome. They were telling about how they have set the bar for other female artists (black, white, and homosexual). It’s great that people are open-minded to their music and aren’t so close minded when they find out they are homosexual, like most of society does. After they were announced as being homosexual to the public, they lost a lot of support at first, especially other recording labels. However, many doors were opened afterwards and their career took off. I think KIN4LIFE has done a phenomenal job encouraging other homosexuals, as well as being activists for what they believe in.
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ReplyDeleteI went to the Friday screening of PBS’s In The Life episode featuring KIN4LIFE. I never knew that there was a group that went around and spoke on homosexuals and gay and lesbians and how they live their life. I thought it very interesting that these people are normal people and strive for what they believe in. The video was awesome in that it followed true people who like the same sex. They told their stories on what they have to go through every day and told how they came out to the public. Looking back at past lectures and the discussion on gay and lesbians, I liked how this group was honest and open in their experiences. Hearing from them I got the feeling that all these people want is to get people to understand that they are like anyone else and do not need to be treated any differently.
ReplyDeleteI also learned from this screening that there was actually a day of silence for gay/lesbian people. On this specific day those that are true followers of this culture than they cannot speak to anyone that day. My thought to this was I thought it to be a bit strange, but until I got an explanation from someone there I thought otherwise. The screening gave a great overall painting of how this specific culture lives and how happy these people are even though they are always being put down in society.
Before this class I had mixed feelings about this culture and way of life. But between listening to lectures in this class and now this screening in the life of those people, I got a clear sense that these are happy people who strive for acceptance just like those who are heterosexuals. Even though there was not a very big turnout at this screening, I am glad that I went and gained a clear understanding of how these people are and what they are all about.
I attended the Ladyfest Zine workshp at the Alabama Art Kitchen. There were only a few people there participating. Upon attending I did not know what a zine was. After participating I still do not know the significance of making zines. It was not boring but it was also not interesting for me.
ReplyDeleteWe were instructed to make a zine about anything that caught our interest from this particular course. I chose to make a zine about the Dont Ask Dont Tell policy. I really don't know if I actually did it right. I would have rather gone to another event instead of this one, but this was the only one I was able to attend. If the event was more imformative then maybe I would have a better perspective on what I was doing and would be able to provide more information.
I do not have anything negative to say about the Zine workshop. It was not my cup of tea, but you have to do what you have to do to get credit for an assignment. Maybe someone who is more of a feminist would enjoy something like this. I'm glad I particated but really wish I could have learned more. I would recommend that others try to attend this event when it happens again. If this was not a requirement for an assignment I probably would not have attended any of the events.
i attended the event on friday in Ten Hoor featuring kin4life. im going to be honest, i didnt really learn anything from this event except that its harder for homosexuals to make it in the rap industry. i think its great that they go around and promote their life style and encourage others to just push through it all. I think it was really nice to hear that both of their families supported them.
ReplyDeleteA few things that i really didnt agree on is that their first relationship was so heartbreaking, any relationship for anyone no matter what your sexual preference is going to be a hard break up. listening to them talk i got the impression that they were saying it was more difficult being a homosexual. and for some people telling their parents they want to have sex can be just as hard as telling your parents you are gay. While yes homosexuals have a harder time in society, who's to say their private life is so much different than that of a heterosexual?
it was really neat to see that there was an actual day of silence for LGBT and people even actually had little notepads. it was cool to see that everyone respected it and during Q&A time these people were able to still get their questions answered. Although, what i got from that is they are silent because thats how society oppresses them. But i don't see how being silent for a day will help their cause to have the equal rights that heterosexuals do.maybe this should have been explained a little more and Kin4Life could have elaborated on it to tell us why some people were being silent, i feel like i would have gotten a lot more from attending.
The event I went to was on Friday with Kin4life. I had a good experience and am really glad I had the chance to go to this event. Both member stories were really interesting. They both came out at a pretty young age. I really enjoyed the video; I thought it was pretty inspiring. I thought their personal stories were really interesting too because of my experience having a lesbian mother. When I hear lesbian or any gay persons story it always make me feel like our world will one day be more accepting to homosexuals. I got teary when they both told their stories, especially when they talked about being accepted.
ReplyDeleteI thought the stories were really effective because of how they presented them. It was a very open and safe environment and made me feel very comfortable, especially when they answered people’s questions. I really think it is cool how they are black, lesbian, rappers. You could tell when listening to them that they, like most homosexuals, have not had it easy but they have come a long way.
Kin4Life really touched me. I think it touched me in a special way because I have had to deal with the acceptance of my own mother. I have seen the struggles and have also dealt with people’s constant opinions about my family. I am truly so happy we had the chance to go to LadyFest Deep South.