Perimeter students sat down to have an open discussion about women’s rights, influential women and addressed solutions to how women can be represented in today’s media on Georgia State’s Clarkston campus March 29.
Students were told to write on small slips of pink paper that would be used for an activity that involved noting down the most influential woman that they admire. Panther Activities Council (PAC) event organizer Nirmal Nimo felt inclined to inform students even though the month was concluding.
“We need to address more students about these issues to be more cultured This would be the best way to get students involved in women’s history,” Nimo said.
Speaker and PAC member AJ Brown drew the pink slips from a bowl and discussed why students chose the women written on paper and how influential they are. At some points during the event, students gave their honest opinions on why they felt the women they chose is important to them. Some talked about celebrities while others talked about their mothers and provided reasons as to why they chose that person and how they have impacted their life.
Brown started a conversation about how women are perceived in today’s media and ways to improve the situation. There were more deliberations about other women’s issues such as how women were perceived in the past and how today’s representation of women can be improved in modern media. Everyone’s contrasting perspectives lead to some strong feelings but the discussion remain respectful, attentive, and civil.
While the students certainly expressed their beliefs and ideas, the event was a beneficial and rewarding learning opportunity for everyone. Jesus Kanadayeya, Georgia State Perimeter College freshman, learned a lot about what others think about women’s rights and the significance of understanding why everyone should know more about this issue.
“You get to hear so many people’s opinions about women.The topics we’ve discussed have opened my eyes about how students feel about women’s right here at Perimeter,” Kanadayeya said.
Brown is perhaps the most passionate about this social gathering because she wanted to spread awareness on issues that many people could not even come to imagine the significance of. Everyone can benefit from listening and responding to each other to share similar and conflicting viewpoints on such a broad subject.
“ I wanted to speak at this event because I knew that the audience would be composed of young people,” Brown said. “We have so many outlets of using our voice and being heard, why not use it for something that will help your friend, cousin, sister, mother, and so forth? Also, with such a broad topic of women’s rights, having different topics to choose from makes it seem “more easy” to start on one right way.”
