FIRE & Their Community Reclaim Space
On April 25th, FIRE had their Take Back Our Lives event. This included a rally/open-mic, march, and performance. It was a community event to bring together marginalized groups and reclaim space. They had about 100 people attend. Students and community members from all sorts of various sexes, religions, races, ethnicities, ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, document status, and more, gathered to share their stories on campus.This unifying event brought visibility to those who are often silenced, especially in a red state like Kansas. They were met with cheers and honks of support from those throughout Aggieville as they marched through the area and back to campus, where they wrapped the night up with more performances and sharing.
UTRGV Celebrates Valentine’s Day With A Letter-Writing Campaign
UTRGV chapters at Edinburgh and Brownsville celebrated Valentine’s Day with a letter-writing campaign to their members of Congress, state politicians, and #AbortionPositive advocates. Gov. Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Sen. John Cornyn all received letters demanding they act for their constituents. Planned Parenthood staff, Cecile Richards, and State Sen. Eddie Lucio all received thank yous for their pro-abortion, anti-border wall stances!
Be My (Consensual) Valentine: Kent State Hands Out V-Day Cards on Campus
URGE’s chapter at Kent State got creative and made consensual valentines that they handed out to students with condoms and buttons that they made.
FIRE Talks Good Sex
For Valentine’s Day, Feminists Igniting Resistance & Empowerment (FIRE), URGE’s Kansas State chapter, had an event called “Good Sex” which brought great discussion among a group of 20 students around healthy sex – a positive sex/flirting workshop around healthy and mutually respectful relationships, led by an American Ethnic Studies professor, Isabel Millan. They also chalked during the week to raise awareness around domestic violence!
FOCUS & The Vagina Monologues
URGE’s Wichita State University’s chapter, Feminists on Campus Uniting Student (FOCUS), supported The Vagina Monologues over the Valentine’s Day weekend with the WSU Community Psychology Association and WSU Office of Diversity and Inclusion. $2,600 was collected for Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC) and a large amount of donations were collected for the Wichita Family Crisis Center. The chapter leader, Nigel Morton, also participated in a panel discussion after the performance!
UTRGV Escorts Patients in the Rio Grande Valley
There may only be one clinic left in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, but the activists working in the region aren’t stopping their work. Our URGE chapter at UTRGV spent the day escorting patients safely to the Whole Women’s Health clinic.
URGE at UAB Joins Campus Efforts to Increase HIV/AIDS Testing on World AIDS Day
URGE at UAB partnered with AIDS Alabama to bring a mobile testing unit along with some other campus organizations. 80 people were tested by the end of the day!
Welcome to the URGE team, Agnes Scott College!
Our URGE chapter at Agnes Scott College is back! After a brief, hiatus, the chapter hit the ground running at its first chapter meeting. Next semester, the chapter leadership plans to create a reproductive justice festival to educate their campus on the movement and what’s really at stake under new President, Donald Trump.
University of Alabama Advocates for a True LGBTQ-Inclusive Campus
Our chapter at the University of Alabama has worked this semester to make their community a more inclusive place for LGBTQ students. The chapter has sponsored a piece of proposed campus legislation to increase the number of OB/GYNs at the student health center to alleviate long waits for annual check-ups. Before agreeing to sponsor the bill, the URGE chapter insisted on changing the language of the bill to be inclusive of trans and gender non-conforming students who need OB/GYN services. With that change made, they will work with the Student Government to pass this legislation and increase services on campus. University of Alabama has also been busy participating in a local pride event and commenting on the ongoing battle to hold anti-LGBTQ judges accountable.
Triota Celebrates Planned Parenthood’s 100th in a Big Way
Our URGE affiliate, Triota, at California Polytechnic University put a lot of work into Planned Parenthood’s 100 year birthday. They kicked off the week with a Reproductive Justice Panel which included: Dr. Jane Lehr: Chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, Triota Advisor, and scholar of the relationship between science and social justice; Dr. Sandi Clement: Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, with a focus in eugenics and reproductive biologies; Dr. Jennifer Denbow: Assistant Professor of Political Science, with specializations in reproductive law and politics; Kristin Sanders: Lecturer of English, feminist writer, and organizer of Planned Parenthood Young Advocates. They had a community brainstorm session following the panel, and a raffle and fundraising day. The chapter collected over $200 to present to Planned Parenthood as… Read more »
