Eastern Michigan University students and faculty members gathered in the Student Center for “The Untold Monologues: Diversity” on Thursday, Feb. 5. This panel discussion was held to inform the student body about various resources available to women and to hear different stories and opinions.
The main focus of the discussion was based upon giving women of different races and sexual orientations a voice and a platform to be heard.
The panel first focused on why the faculty members wanted to have more women speak and feeling as if a few days of the Vagina Monologues just isn’t enough time to hear all of the distinctive voices and experiences.
“In 90 minutes we were only able to tell so many stories and hear so many voices,” Ellen Collier, program director of the Women’s Resource Center, said. “So we wanted to hold more events like this to hear more voices from other women.”
The panel also discussed the importance of allowing these women of diverse ethnicities and sexual orientations to be the voice in their own narrative.
“Too many people who aren’t us are telling our stories,” Erica Smith, a panelist and graduate assistant, said.
Collier made statements about women of all races, ethnicities and sexual orientations representing womanhood and how the vision of womanhood has been implicated as being one specific type of woman over the years. She argued that you don’t have to be one particular race or have a certain sexuality to embrace womanhood or to be considered a woman.
“That is why we have these events, to give a diverse standpoint on all women and not one particular race,” she said.
She also said that displaying diversity when speaking about womanhood is important. Having women of different backgrounds shapes The Untold Monologues: Diversity.
“The Untold Monologues: Diversity is a platform to broadcast your experiences,” Darcy King, an EMU student, said. “And to be proud of who you are while telling your story.”
