By Vanessa Maybruck
Contributing Writer

Historically, societal power has been the property of white men who have dominated academia, politics and industry alike, but now it is time to add not just equality but equity to this unbalanced equation.

In a society that has long underserved women and minority groups, our time to rise has finally come, and our voices are finally being heard. For the first time, the word “feminist” is coming to be associated with harbingers of fairness and warriors of justice. At KU’s Women’s Empowerment Day, feminism is going to be associated with empowerment and celebrations of diversity and love.

Most importantly, Women’s Empowerment Day is open to everyone—both women and men, and all students, faculty and staff. On this day, we aim to bring you a message of strength to deliver to the community and world.

Vanessa Maybruck represented KU this past June at the PASSHE Undergraduate Women’s Leadership Institute through the PASSHE Women’s Consortium. She is joined by three other powerful, strong women—Rafalene Costanza, Shakya Geiger and Michaela Yurchak—in bringing you Women’s Empowerment Day on Thursday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the McFarland Student Union Building, rooms 218 and 223.

At our event, we will have an event-long fair with representation from several diversity organizations on campus, each of which has prepared an interactive activity to bring awareness to their intersectional role in feminism and diversity.

Some organizations who have committed to the fair include Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA), Black Student Union, Allies, Association for Women in Mathematics, Firefly Bookstore and Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society, along with others.

In addition to our feminist diversity fair, we will also have guest speaker Jordan Corcoran, founder of the project Listen, Lucy, who will be presenting her writing workshop on self-love, acceptance and the mental health stigma, which is derived from her books “Listen, Lucy Volume I” and “Write It Out.”

Her project focuses on sharing stories regarding mental health, including her own, and spreading a message of kindness and acceptance through speaking tours and workshops. Sign-ups for Corcoran’s workshop, which will be at 11 a.m. in MSU 218, can be found on our Women’s Empowerment Day Facebook page at https://zupload.facebook.com/events/2292189364125970/.

Additionally, at 12 p.m. in MSU 223, we will be hosting five KU faculty members to discuss their struggles and successes in overcoming the patriarchy, both in their diverse realms of academia and in their personal lives. The panel will consist of Dr. Lyn McQuaid (mathematics), Dr. Dina Hayduk (sports management and leadership studies), Dr. Ellesia Blaque (English), Dr. Mary Rita Weller (social work) and Dr. Kristina Fennelly (English).

In addition to the fair, Corcoran’s workshop and the faculty panel, we will have other surprise feminist activities, and we will be serving brunch, including lots of pastries and baked goods. In a variation of the math club saying, come for the food, stay for the feminism.

Let’s finish this revolution and deliver a message of feminism, equity and diversity to the community and the world at large. You have the power to make a change. This is the day which empowers you to do something about it.