Latinas Promoviendo Communidad organized the first GW Minority Women’s Week to celebrate minority women’s achievements and highlight their issues.
“We wanted to unify the minority women on campus and work with other women to see how we related to each other’s cultures,” said junior Katherine Weil, LPC public relations chair.
The activities, which began April 5, included a daylong showcase Thursday of minority exhibits to recognize outstanding women in various cultures.
The Mu Delta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha displayed the history of firsts for women in the African-American sorority.
“Ethel Hedgeman Lyle was the first African American to establish a Greek-letter organization for African-American women,” said sorority President Ritu Singh, a junior.
LPC’s exhibit presented prominent Hispanic women such as AFL-CIO executive vice president Linda Chavez-Thompson and actress Jennifer Lopez, and included general facts about the Hispanic population.
The Muslim Students Association focused its exhibit on misconceptions about Islamic women.
“Many people think because we cover our hair and our arms, we are oppressed,” said freshman Layla Elwafi, MSA secretary. “It is simply a difference in what is considered private.”
The College Democrats stressed the benefits the Democratic Party provides women and distributed information about the Women’s Leadership Forum, an organization the Democratic Party created.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People honored women who have impacted the organization, such as Ida B. Wells and Coretta Scott King.
The Arab Student Association members displayed traditional garb worn by women and talked about the importance of women in their culture.
The D.C. Rape Crisis Center held a rape workshop, also part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Other health issues such as breast cancer were discussed at the workshop.
A discussion about the corporate glass ceiling, a poetry night and a community service project for the Calvary Women’s Shelter rounded out the week’s activities.
