The Cultural and Community Centers of Kennesaw State conducted a showing of a PBS documentary, “The Fight for Women’s Rights,” in the women’s resource center of the Kennesaw campus July 9.
“The WRC chose this film because it showed the commitment and strength of women during the Women’s Rights Movement,” CCC Coordinator Dani Alexander said.
Alexander hoped that by showing films like this and holding conversations about relevant issues like womanhood, students could have the opportunity to identify role models and find inspiration in the stories of others.
The film spotlighted two key members of the U.S. women’s rights movement and the women who inspired them.
The first is Lynn Rippelmeyer, the first woman ever to pilot a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Rippelmeyer started out as an airline stewardess and eventually worked her way into the cockpit of the plane despite male colleagues telling her this was impossible. She accomplished this with the guidance and friendship of fellow woman pilot Emilie Jones in 1980.
Also featured was Zoe Nicholson, a political activist and author. In 1982, she and six other women participated in a political fast in Springfield, Illinois, to support the equal rights amendment, a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee civil rights to women. Among the six women with Nicholson was her teacher, mastermind of the fast and fellow political activist Sonia Johnson.
The film detailed their lives leading up to these accomplishments, and the journeys they embark on later in life as well.
“After committing so fully to her cause, Zoe Nicholson shared that she no longer saw herself as small or unable, but as a leader fully capable of creating change,” Alexander said. “I hope that students can experience a similar shift in self-perception and think of themselves as leaders too.”
The film described just a few of some very difficult obstacles and perceptions that women navigated during the women’s rights movement. From job scarcity, to open harassment in the workplace, the women involved in this movement tolerated more than their fair share of adversity. Some of those obstacles have been broken down by figureheads such as Nicholson, while others still exist. Unequal pay in the workplace is a topic still being debated today.
Alexander recognizes the importance of having conversations about societal issues because instances of bias and sexism still occur. Additionally, Alexander hopes that women at KSU struggling today recognize the significance of the WRC.
“Resources like the WRC exist to help students through whatever hurdles they face,” Alexander said.
No matter what walk of life an individual may be from, the CCC aims for people to pass these stories of courage and leadership along.
Alexander believes that many have dedicated themselves to these causes in the past and continue to do so in the current age. She hopes that people recognize these sacrifices.
“I encourage students to remember that they stand on the shoulders of giants — those women who paved the way for others success today,” Alexander said.
For more on upcoming CCC events as well as how to become a part of these programs, visit https://ccc.kennesaw.edu/. To reach the WRC, visit https://wrc.kennesaw.edu/.
