Activism Log 2

Andee Ondina
Jeannina Perez
WST 3015

February 22, 2010

Activism Log 2

• Activism 

     This week was a good week for our group. I feel like we are on our way to hosting a great awareness event.  I have been emailing several possible venues. The  two on top of the list: Urban Flats and Sweets! over in the Waterford area. I emailed Ashton, the manager of Sweets! who seemed interested in possibly hosting the event, and am still waiting to hear back. On Thursday I went to Urban Flats to talk to the marketing director however she was not available and will work on contacting her this week.

      On Sunday, Seabury and I met up at Fleet Peeples dog park in Winter Park. I was there from 11-2pm handing our fliers, accepting donations and raising awareness. One man donated $20, and many other people said they would bring collars and leashes they no longer use next week.

• Refletion

    When handing out fliers at Fleet Peeples dog park, I have realized, with the exception of a few people, how many people are touched by the goal of Animal Safehouse. Many people smile and say thank you for doing what you are doing, some say they have a close friend who is in a situation that Animal Safehouse can help with, others just say they will look into it. No matter what the response, it feels so good to know that you are potentially making a great impact on someones life. 

      A lady at the dog park said to me, "but these women, they choose to stay there, its their fault they are in these situations, don't you think?" I explained to her "Battered Woman Syndrome" as explained by in Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives, "Learned helplessness,  whereby women who are repeatedly battered learn it is impossible to escape. After an episode of violence, they are seduced back by the batterer with declarations of love and promises that he will change"(264). As soon as the two men sitting at the table  heard our conversation they chimed in and spoke their peace about how you can not judge a woman by being in a situation like that. Many people face hardships in their life, many people have problems and to judge people on them would not be right. People battle issues with gambling, drugs and alcoholism on a daily basis, just as people are addicted to these things, one could be addicted to a person. It could be just as hard for them to leave a person as it is to put down the bottle. These men in the 5 minutes they spoke to the women who did not understand why women keep themselves in hurtful situations, made her understand. They were activists and spoke out against Violence against women. It is touching to know that some men care about and feel as passionate about violence against women just as much as women do. "In Canada, the White Ribbon Campaign: Men Working to End Men's Violence Against Women has grown into the largest worldwide effort of men working to end violence" (Seely 201). It is organizations like this, and men like the two at the dog park who are going help pave the way for men to realize they can stand up against violence against women, instead of being blamed for it.

•  Reciprocity

   I feel like I spoke out to a lot of people at the dog park this week. I opened up peoples minds who did not even think about the issue that Animal Safehouse assists in.  It is invigorating to know that with each flier you hand out you could be helping out someones life in a life altering way. The look in peoples eyes when you explain what you are doing is something that can not be replaced by any good feeling. It gives you a sense of community.

Work Cited

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010. Print.

 

Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl: How to be a Fearless Feminist. New York and London: New York University Press, 2007.