Our Voices is a show put on by the Women’s Resource Center of Eastern Michigan University. This year the show was hosted by Abigail Allman and consisted of pieces written and performed by those who identify as women. This year's show made for the third installment, the first premiering in 2015.
The performances varied in style, from poems, to stories, to music. The material mostly dealt with the hardships that the women performing had gone through, and how they were affected by them.
“It gives people the chance to heal and express solidarity, often for the first time,” said Bethany Preston, a performer at the event.
“In a patriarchy, many women don’t own their experiences because they are told they are not significant,” said Allman. “This event lets them do just that, and offers empowerment for many different kinds of people in the community.”
This year, Our Voices saw its highest attendance yet. According to Allman the show brought out about double the crowd size compared to the first time the event was produced.
“Events like this are very important right now,” said Preston. “They help us remember that people still care.”
The event is a way for women to express material that will not be represented in the Vagina Monologues. Our Voices serves as a companion piece to the Vagina Monologues, which will be showing from Feb. 9 until Feb. 11 in the Student Center Auditorium.
