^anuar^^t^OIS^
Women's Rally on Raleigh
Rachel Crawford, Staff Writer
On the morning of Saturday,
Jan. 20, an estimated 6,500
peopie gathered on Halifax
Maii in downtown Raieigh to
commemorate the one-year
anniversary of the 2017 Women’s
March. The raiiy kicked off at 9 am
with an hour of resistance music.
After the musicai performances,
the raiiy began with speakers,
inciuding Meredith aium Eiman
Aii, who graduated last spring.
Aii spoke to her experience as
a Somaii-American woman and
as an immigrant in the current
American poiitical ciimate.
Organizers of this event
worked for over six weeks to
prepare. Kirby Jones, a junior
and English major, says that
being invoived on the pianning
committee has been a rewarding
experience.
Jones got invoived with the
pianning committee at the first
meeting on Dec. 1 of iastyear, and
she stated that it was amazing to
see how quickly the details of the
rally fell into piace.
“I wouid have never imagined
being abie to put such a big event
together on such a compressed
timeline,” Jones stated, citing
the teamwork and determination
of members of the pianning
committee for the raily’s successful
development.
Jones emphasized the contrast
in mood and purpose between
this year’s Women’s Raiiy on
Raieigh and iast year’s Women’s
March. Last year, Jones said, the
march took place in reaction to
the eiection of President Trump
and centered feeiings of angst and
frustration.
According to Jones, this year’s
raiiy had a much more hopefui
tone, buiiding on the momentum
of last year and encouraging
feminist activists to stay connected
to the progressive movement,
get involved with organizations,
and plug into this year's midterm
elections.
Imani William, a Meredith
senior receiving a double degree
in mathematics and electrical
engineering, said that she
participated in the rally ‘‘to make
sure the call for justice is heard
and to feel reinvigorated for the
fight. I was there as a Black
American Muslim woman who
wants a better future for all.”
Reflecting on last year’s
march, William stated, ‘‘I was
brought to tears by the multitude of
people from different generations,
races, religions, who all came
together unified in spirit ready to
fight for justice in so many arenas.
The crowd last year seemed
unending.”
This year, she said that while
the crowd was much smaller, ‘‘the
speakers spoke with urgency,
and the singers inspired action.
Leaving the rally, I felt compelled
to do more and I felt there were
many others who were on the
same page.
Leena Torky, a senior double
majoring in sociology and
international studies, stated, “I
participated in the march last
year here in Raleigh, and this
year’s was much smaller and we
didn’t actually march, but it was
still amazing to just listen to the
speakers in the area ... I was
so happy to see that many of
them were WOC, immigrant, and
Muslim women.” However, Torky
felt “disheartened by the rising
amount of transphobia and white
feminism in this movement...a
lot of the signs did seem a little
trans-exclusive or just not that
productive.”
Torky hopes that future rallies
will be more inclusive: “I was really
inspired by my close friends and
all the Muslim women at the rally,
but I really hope that there will
be more discussions about being
inclusive towards all people who
are affected by this movement.”
Campus Security and Safety
On-Campus Safety Tips Better Safe Than Sorry
Emily Chilton
Meredith has been recognized for the safety and security of its
campus, but recently there was an attempted crime reported on campus.
In light of this incident, campus security gives the following suggestions
for what to do in the event of a crime against you or someone else.
Self-protection means knowing how to avoid being the victim of
a crime and knowing what to do if you are a victim. Most crimes are
crimes of opportunity.
• Remember! Don’t be a hero. If you are faced with a weapon, the odds
are against you.
• Always be aware of your surroundings and the people you come in
contact with.
• Avoid walking alone if possible. Walk in groups of four or more and try
to stay in well-populated areas. Try to avoid working late,at night
alone; if you must, lock your doors.
• If you are alone at night and find that someone is following you or
someone is in your residence or work area you don’t know, go to the
nearest residence or safe place and call the police for help. Stay on the
phone until the police arrive.
• If someone in a car is following you, turn and walk in the other
direction.
• Never prop open entry doors to your residence hall, and never let
someone you don't know into your residence hall who can harm you and
others in the residence hall.
• Stay away from tall shrubbery, dark shadows near buildings, and other
isolated areas.
Immediately report any suspicious activity, vehicles, or people to the
Meredith College campus police at (919) 760-8888.
Olivia McElvaney
Melissa Palmer is an instructor at Karate International in Raleigh.
She has a third degree black belt in Karate, a third degree black belt in
Jujitsu, and a first degree black belt in Judo.
The beginning of her Karate classes includes basic self-defense
skills. The popularity of the self-defense portion grew so that there is
now a separate class offered.
Do college students need self-defense more than other
demographics or no?
My initial response is no. However, women at college age are usually .
the most vulnerable and have the highest chance of being attacked.
Why should people take self-defense?
Few people take the time to learn how to stay safe. Many rely on
others or think there’s no reason to learn because they don’t believe
they are capable or feel they will never be attacked. Our lives are our
responsibility and it’s up to us to protect it in every way possible.
What can people do to prevent attacks?
Educating yourself is the best defense. Learn about why attacks happen
and create habits to keep yourself safe. Be aware of your surroundings,
aware of how you present yourself (are you walking confidently or do
you appear tired or distracted), be smart about what you put on social
media, be smart about where you go. Take a self-defense course and
learn how to not be a victim. When it comes to defending yourself, there
are thousands of ways to defend against one attack. It’s important for
people to find what works best for them and create even a small arsenal
of techniques and information that they can and will use.
Women of MC: Johnashia Robertson
Mimi Mays, Staff Writer
“Sometimes I need to stop and
think, you know, Johnashia
you’re only twenty years old, you
know, you’re not gonna become
a millionaire at twenty-one. I still
have years, I still have school,
it’s okay if I’m not successful right
now, it’s okay I’m making mistakes
at work, you know, it’s okay if I
don’t wake up tomorrow with a
million dollars in my bank account.
“My greatest struggle right now
would be the fact that I currently
don’t have a lot of patience with
my career goals. Most would
say that I’m trying to rush things
because I’ve been doing retail
jobs ever since my freshman
year, and I’ve been just trying to
be successful too early, instead
of waiting. In school, teachers are
constantly telling me that
everything’s not gonna be perfect,
my managers are helping me train
and whatnot and telling me where
I can go in the company. I’ve
definitely learned to slow down...
but speed of success has been
one of my biggest struggles right
now. But I’ve realized that I’m not
alone in this world, there are other
people who are similar. I used to
always think, no one’s like me, no
one understands me, so meeting
people at Meredith and realizing,
oh wow, you went through that
too, wow, we can relate, that
was so good for me socially and
mindfully—I’m way more optimistic
and outgoing, and it has definitely
paid off-cause I’ve made some
really, really good friendships here
that I can definitely see going on
forever.”