The new house manager of the Women’s and Gender Resource Center (WGRC) announced Monday, Sept. 16, that they plan to get the center more involved in campus activism and education. 

Senior Cheyenne Vanlandingham oversees creating and putting on events which have to do with the house theme: women’s and gender issues.

“The Women’s and Gender Resource Center is a place where people can come and feel welcome,” Vanlandingham said. 

This year’s house members are especially dedicated to intersectional feminism. 

“My housemates and I were talking about the previous years and how it was really focused on white feminism,” Vanlandingham said. “We want to get away from that and start focusing on different issues that people of color, women of color, may have. It is really important to us to get that diversity in there this year.” 

Intersectionality is a term originating from civil rights activist and University of California, Los Angeles law professor Kimberlé W. Crenshaw.

The goal of intersectional feminism is to address the historic lack of support for women of color, and the movements and notable figures—such as Susan B. Anthony—which primarily benefited white women. 

According to Simpson’s external website, The Kate Shelley House, where the WGRC is based, “provides resources about women and opportunities to recognize the unique and powerful role of women in modern society. It organizes programming on campus related to women’s and gender issues and collaborates with other campus groups to promote gender justice.”

By promoting intersectional feminism, Vanlandingham’s goal is to ensure all women are recognized. 

The first event of the year hosted by the WGRC was a night spotlighting sexual orientation and gender identity. 

“While there is a Pride club on campus, we wanted to see if we could reach out to different people who may not partake in the pride club,” Vanlandingham said. “Just to educate people—that is our main goal: to educate people—and to provide fun while doing it.” 

There are plans to host future events at the WGRC.

“We plan to host things called ‘Woke Wednesdays.’ It’s once every month, and each Wednesday has a different theme,” Vanlandingham said. “So, we will be partnering with the interfaith fellows to do an interfaith night, and we’re hoping to partner with the Multicultural Student Alliance to do a ‘Voices of Color’ night.”

Vanlandingham and the other members of WGRC plan to have women centric events, as well, especially with Women’s History Month coming up in March.

“We will be having a ‘Women of Marvel’ movie marathon,” she said. “And we will be having a ‘March Menstrual Madness’ which explores the different menstruation products out there and the pink tax.” 

For Vanlandingham’s part, feminism and activism come from a place of passion.

“I am a women and gender studies minor, so it is very close to my heart,” she said. “I am also a Sexual Assault Response Advocate and a Mentors in Violence Prevention trainer. Issues of women’s health and safety are very much at the top of my personal goals. I plan to go into victim advocacy post college, so I felt that this house was really going to fit well with what I want to do.”