By ERIN RECCA

Scripps Howard News Service

An assembly of women and men gathered around the UMC fountain last week for the second annual Gender Speakout sponsored by the Women's Resource Center. The theme of this year's Speakout was women in activism.

Andee Coco, one of the event's organizers, introduced the Speakout, saying, "Today we will hear voices from the margins, voices from the center looking at the margins and voices from many intersecting identities."

Intersecting identities are sometimes ignored in activism work. However it isimportant to recognize these intersections because many diversity issues are intertwined.Looking into the crowd and listening to the speakers who stood at the microphone, thoseintersecting identities slowly came to the surface. The women who spoke about the roleof women in activism all had their own complex web of multiple identities and addressedmany issues. "I have the heart of a Chicana," proclaimed Cleo Estrada. In her poem,Amie Ha stated, "I am an Asian-American woman. I am the daughter of war refugees. I am a scholar. I am an activist." Speakers of all backgrounds expressed their concernsabout and celebrations of the intersection of their multitude of identities.

"Diversity isn't just about black and white. It's about all colors, all genders, allsituations" said Maria Genao-Homs while relating a story about her experience as a childin New Orleans. "Where are you going to live," she said that another child asked her,"You aren't black and you aren't white." "Tell them you're going to live in the middle,that's what they want to hear," her mother told her.

Diversity and social justice work sometimes neglect the constant intersection of ourmultiple identities. While there may be campus support for women and people inunderrepresented groups, there is always a risk that support becomes fragmented, gearedonly for one part of the very complex whole.

There are many places on campus where we bring only a few parts of ourselves to thesurface because some environments are not hospitable to our many facets. While wecannot conceal certain aspects of ourselves, we often identify with one more than others,rendering some portions of our identities invisible in order to avoid conflict with ourfellow classmates, colleagues or even friends and family.

Encouraging and celebrating the fluidity of identities is only half of the work. The otherhalf comes from the need to look critically at the dominant social group identities whichare privileged in our culture and educate ourselves to recognize those privilege and workfor social justice. Not everyone fits into the commonly accepted image of what it is to benormal and not everyone receives the privileges that come with being a part of thatdominant group.

Women's activism is more than gender issues in the same way that race, class or sexualorientation issues cannot ignore the other aspects of the individual. It is important toaddress our multiple identities in activism work because all these issues are intertwined ina very complicated web. Women's activism must include issues related to every facet ofwomen's lives. For there to be synergy, all the parts in the whole must be recognized,accepted and honored. When that finally occurs, the whole will become greater than thesum of its parts and amazing things can happen.

"We privilege different identities at different points in our lives, on different days anddifferent hours," said Andee Coco, "and we at the WRC [Women's Resource Center

believe it's important to create an open and affirming space for fluidity and intersectionof identities". Along with the annual Gender Speakout, the Women's Resource Centerhosts a number of ongoing events which try to bridge the gaps between identities, makingit easier for women to share all aspects of themselves.

The theme of the Women's Resource Center is "Defining my womanhood, embracingour liberation." We operate with seven foundations: Action, Celebration, Leadership,Learning Community, Social Justice, Spirit of Collaboration, and Support. The WRCholds events throughout the school year to create a campus environment where womenwill thrive. Contact the WRC at 303.492.5713.

The SORCE Spot runs every Tuesday in the Colorado Daily. The opinions expressed in the column do not necessarily reflect the views of the Colorado Daily management or staff. Erin Recca is a junior business major and the Marketing Co-Coordinator for the Women's Resource Center at CU.