36 minute read
Women’s Empowerment
CULTURE Women’s
Empowerment
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WRITTEN BY Tyisha Blade
ILLUSTRATED BY Stefany Belasic
Women, Let’s Love One Another. W omen’s Empowerment is a movement that motivates women to grow, learn and connect with each other. Doing this, women can realize their greatest economic potential. According to empowerwomen.org, Canada and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, co-hosted an international conference in Oct. 2011 where industry leaders expressed concerns and shared experiences to come up with solutions on how to increase women’s economic empowerment. The team then started an online platform designed to expand and display their findings. Since then, the initiative has become a global movement in more than 198 countries improving practices of community work both on and offline. Their mission has become “dedicated to empowering women to achieve their full economic potential by inspiring both women and men to become advocates, change makers and leaders in their community.” The movement “equips [followers] with resources, opportunities and a global platform that facilitates networking learning and sharing experiences.” Women’s Empowerment has created numerous projects including initiatives on women’s land rights, women’s human rights, protecting women migrant workers, African women in technology
and more. These initiatives have inspired many women to help uplift each other.
In an article on WTKR.com titled “Queen Latifah Helps Support Women’s Empowerment Through Richmond Summit,” the famed musician, actor and entrepreneur used a speaking engagement in Virginia to discuss the importance of women’s support for other women. At the Women’s Achieve Summit held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, she spoke to 14,000 audience members. She shared words of inspiration aiming to encourage other female leaders in their respective industries to help their fellow women as well. “This will continue to change people,” she said. “Hopefully in a positive way and make women and young girls and even more seasoned women feel their power.” During her speech she also encouraged her listeners to cut off the TV, sit in their own power and realize there are plenty of things they can do to inspire. Latifah, and other community leaders have taken steps to unite women in ways that strive to create bonds and coach women to appreciate and help cultivate each others gifts.
During the Women’s Empowerment Expo held in Detroit in 2017, Taraji P. Henson, a famed American actress and author stresses the importance of women needing each other and maintaining healthy relationships. “It’s about us uniting,” she said. “Men do it all the time. When it comes to women, why are we always competing against each other?” Henson also mentions how it pains her to see young women glorifying each other’s weaknesses instead of being a source to aid in alleviating problems. “That’s not cute,” she said. “You can’t do it without your sisters, and I never hate on another woman. Men break our hearts… the world is mean to us. Why should I give her that kind of pain when I am suffering from the same kind of pain that she is suffering from.” Henson also mentions how she loves to hype women up when she sees their successes. She notices how women can be so unhappy and incapable of giving or receiving love. “Empower and love yourself,” she added. “If you can hate on someone else, that means that you hate yourself.” Doing this, women also show others how they liked to be loved. Henson admits to having a special place in her heart for women, and likes to keep the women in her circle close. Henson’s loyalty to women doesn’t allow her to want someone else’s boyfriend or husband. She’s been a hurt woman before and refuses to wish pain on any other woman. “We have to be
there for each other,” she added. “Togetherness, that’s how we do this.”
Students enrolled into a course at Cleveland State University lectured by Adrienne Gosselin Ph.D., ENG 208 Womanism/Feminism, share a common thought about women empowering each other despite the many adversities they face in society. According to Natalie West, she noticed how women can be competitive toward one another while she was in high school. She also noticed how much stronger the competition has become since she entered her collegiate years. Tully Worron feels that women have been seen as objects not to be taken seriously. She grew up watching reality TV shows such as The Bachelor. She saw that life was often a competition between women of who is the prettiest or the best. The class shared their thoughts on how they think this competition is unfair and how they would prefer healthier competitive norms. As women in today’s society, we are hardworking, determined and driven to success and accomplishing our goals. With the many obstacles that we face, we must continue to be strong individuals using our power to procure foundations that lead to futures rooted in diligence. We must also use this power to uplift each other. Personal struggles and societal pressures attempt to deter women from obtaining our goals. In this instance, we can be anchors of strength for each other unifying as an indestructible entity that inspires others to do the same. We can respect, honor and recognize the accomplishments of all women no matter our differences. Too often does society create unhealthy competition among women. We must break the cycle of negatively pitting women against each other and use that competition in a way that empowers.
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THE WOMEN’S CENTER The Woman Behind
WRITTEN BY Ayanna Cash
Extraordinary women are not uncommon throughout history. But women who have devoted their lives to researching, advancing and aiding other women are more of a rarity. Mareyjoyce Green is one example of those unique women who were committed to uplifting and supporting others. As Black History Month ends and Women’s History Month begins, Green was an exceptional Black woman who pioneered for women’s advocacy and social justice and remnants of her hard work can still be seen today. Green graduated from high school at 15 and went on to attend Wiley College in Marshall, Texas where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She graduated with an undergraduate degree in Education and Sociology at age 19. In 1947, Green began working as a high school teacher but was quickly removed because teachers we required to be at least 21 and she was only 19 at the time. In response, Green began wearing her hair up to make herself appear older. This set the tone of Green’s life — when she was faced with a problem she was not deterred. Instead, she responded with a solution. Born on May 31, 1928, Green was the third of eight children born to Matthew and Preatha Bowie. Her obituary describes details of her personal life including her upbringing. Her childhood town didn’t even have a zip code so Green’s official place of birth was recorded as Yellowpine, Texas — a nearby location to her actual birthplace. Green’s sister Cora says while growing up, the siblings worked on the family’s farm “from sunup to sundown.” The family lived without running water or electricity. Green graduated from high school at 15 and went on to attend Wiley College in Marshall, Texas where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She graduated with an undergraduate degree in Education and Sociology at age 19. In 1947, Green began working as a high school teacher but was quickly removed because teachers we required to be at least 21 and she was only 19 at the time. In response, Green began wearing her hair up to make herself appear older. This set the tone of Green’s life — when she was faced with a problem she was not deterred. Instead, she responded with a solution. Green married Charles Green and the couple relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. Once here, Green joined Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church, became parents to Janet and Wallace, and began her career as a dancer. She danced with the Karamu Dance Ensemble and gave dance lessons Showcasing the life that Mareyjoyce Green’s dedicated to others.
before returning to school. She earned a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) that focused on the sociology of poverty. Green went on to teach and create curriculum at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) and the Ashtabula branch of Kent State University. In 1962, Green began heading the Lakewood branch of the Ohio State University’s (OSU) Sociology Department. By 1966, she was overseeing the Sociology Department at Cleveland State University (CSU) — the first woman to ever do so. She also decided to teach modern dance when she discovered there were no dance classes offered at CSU. This ensured that a dance studio was built into the gym that was being constructed at the time. Her obituary says that when Green saw a need, she would fill it and move on. This mentality was consistent throughout her life. Green proceeded to establish multiple influential programs in Women’s Studies which echoed her devotion to women’s rights and social issues. One such program was Push to Achievement, which offered citizens who were receiving public assistance the opportunity to earn college degrees in order to become self-sufficient. This program helped over 130 students earn bachelor’s degrees. On top of that, Green served as a chair on Cleveland’s Women’s Equity Planning Project. This project included multiple organizations that aimed to assess the challenges women faced in the region and create policy reforms to tackle these issues. Green’s research provided ground
breaking information about women’s status in society and she worked hard to improve it. She earned the key to the city for her hard work on this project. Furthermore, Green established the Women’s Comprehensive Program and directed it for 20 years. This program offered women in Corporate America a course that granted students the opportunity to shadow women in management or community leadership positions. The program also brought about the Women’s Studies major which was the first program in Northeast Ohio to offer Women’s Studies as a major. The Women’s Comprehensive Program also sponsored and directed two esteemed oral history projects which are detailed on ClevelandMemory.org. One project was The Oral History of Ethnic Women, which consisted of a series of interviews with 29 eastern European women, many of whom remembered World War II or the Great Depression. Another was the Women of Fenn Project, which focused on women’s contributions to the foundation of Cleveland’s Fenn College and provided an understanding of what it was like to attend a private co-ed urban college during the 40s, 50s and 60s. Green’s other accomplishments include serving as Interim Vice President for Minority Affairs and Community Relations, working as a member of the board of the Ohio Education Collaborative on women and children, taking part in the Ohio Women’s Policy and Research Commission, and being involved in Womensspace which eventually opened a shelter for homeless women and children. All this hard work did not go unnoticed. On March 9, 2009, Green was recognized in the U.S. House of Representatives for her many civic accomplishments and contributions. She was even invited to the People’s Republic of China, West Germany and England where she took part in an Oxford University Roundtable. Upon her retirement in 2008, the Women’s Center on campus was rechristened as the MareyJoyce Green Women’s Center in her honor. Green was dedicated to helping others on and off the clock. Her obituary recounts the time her sisters found “dozens of handwritten thank you notes attached to checks.” These checks were students making payments on loans that Green had given “from her own pocket.” Green never cashed any of the checks. Even with all of Green’s achievements, she was an extremely humble and private person, to the point that her colleagues did not know much about her personal life and her family was in the dark about what she did while at work. She was constantly focused on helping others rather than showcasing herself. Information about Green and her life is scarce online but, upon her passing, the current director of the Mareyjoyce Green Women’s Center, Jillian Keller and Green’s children Wallace and Janet were able to come together and piece the two halves of Green’s life together. Despite this separation, Keller says that Green was fully devoted to both. Along with being a hard-working professor and director, Green was an amazing mother. She emphasized the importance of education to her children and invested in
“— MAREYJOYCE GREEN
experiences such as swimming lessons and theatre rather than material items. Her children grew to appreciate her strict parenting style, so much so that they have tried to implement it with their own children. Sadly, Green passed away on September 13, 2019, at the age of 91. Despite her passing, her legacy continues to live on through the MareyJoyce Green Women’s Center. Now under the direction of Keller and located on the first floor of Berkman Hall in room 142, the Women’s Center offers uplifting support, services and resources to women who attend CSU. The center has continued to grow and evolve while remaining true to Green’s mission. Keller said the current logo of the center is “surprisingly similar” to the original logo created in the 1970s. Both logos feature leaves and symbolize growth. Green and Keller’s mission statements are also “incredibly similar.” Keller feels affirmation that her philosophies are in line with those of Green. The path to success is unique for every woman. Green and Keller understood that and tailored the center to cater to each individual woman and their circumstances with the ultimate goal of success — whatever success may be for each particular woman. Keller shared a phrase Green used often throughout her career: “Be sure to get an education while you’re getting your degree.” Green urged women to take advantage of all the opportunities offered to students beyond the classroom. Green understood that education was priceless and valuable information and experiences are offered to students outside of the classroom. Keller stands by this phrase and also encourages students to “get engaged, learn more and ask questions.” Mareyjoyce Green was as selfless and hardworking as they come. From a childhood town without a zip code to heading multiple sociology departments, creating life changing and uplifting programs for women, founding a Women’s Center, and raising a beautiful family — Green has achieved plenty to be proud of. She achieved multiple lifetimes worth of accomplishments within her 91 years. She was extraordinary, to say the least. May the story of Green’s life act as an inspiration to other women and continue to ignite a passion for learning, growth, and success within them.
WORKING WOMAN IN SOCIETY
WRITTEN BY
Tyisha Blade
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
Emmanuel Wallace,
Cleveland Scene Magazine
Chardonnay Graham recently celebrated a milestone. Her marketing consultation business, Touch Cleveland LLC, reached its fifth year of operation. Touch Cleveland LLC is an establishment that advocates for small businesses and understands that these types of businesses have many needs. Graham decided to take an approach to helping startups that focuses on servicing small businesses, non-profits and public figures that have focus in community, business and overall economic development. According to touchcle.com, the organization is modeled as a collaborative specifically geared to support small businesses. Touch Cleveland LLC guides startups, and only services businesses that are centered on building the economy around them. Currently residing in Euclid, the East Cleveland native mentioned that the reason behind starting her business was simple. “Life made me start this business,” she said in an email interview. “I graduated [from Notre Dame College] in 2011, the job market was still a mess—especially in the marketing industry. I searched for jobs for eight months and could not land a position in my field.” After venting to both of her mentors, she was advised to shorten her name to ‘Char.’ “It worked,” she said. “I landed my dream job which turned out to be a complete nightmare and when I found myself back out on the market again, I changed my name back to Chardonnay and made a decision then to always be myself and nothing less.” Once again, she found herself struggling to find employment. Months had passed and she had no job leads, so she began to occupy her time with freelancing. After she landed a few clients, she decided to officially file her limited liability company (LLC). Chardonnay Graham shares her struggles and success with Touch Cleveland LLC
Her first few clients were startups in various industries—entertainment, fitness and technology, to name a few. Once she developed her niche, she began attracting clients more fit to the mission of Touch Cleveland. “I’ve worked with The Cleveland Rowing Foundation, Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, Vineyards and Winery at Chateau Hough, Ingenuity Festival, and now currently, Fund for Our Economic Future and Destination Cleveland,” she added. Touch Cleveland has blossomed into a successful business in which Graham takes great pride. “I wake up and check my calendar, emails and social notifications immediately…which is actually a horrible habit,” Graham said. “On a good day, I manage to make it out to the gym and eat breakfast. I travel to my clients and work in their offices or wherever else I like inbetween.” She also mentions that her travels keep her engaged in the field and more integrated with her clients. “In the evenings, I’m either attending an event or home continuing to work on some part of my business,” she said. Touch Cleveland uses the power of marketing to influence and push initiatives that aid in community and business development. “Respectively, as we build and connect with the entities in these sectors, we educate and guide entrepreneurs with not only marketing expertise, but also with the information and resources we already promote for our clients,” she said. Graham hopes to be the center of a connection between smaller enterprises and larger corporations. As a bonus, Graham’s business now has the freedom to consult and guide startups without the eagerness to sell them services. She also recently filmed her first episode of a web series, “Unspoken.” The web series features discussions on issues that are affecting business and the community. For Touch Cleveland’s fifth anniversary, Graham hosted an event on Jan. 29 at Social A Loft located in the Hotcards building. Her closest friends, family and colleagues joined her to celebrate her accomplishments and embrace Graham and Touch Cleveland LLC. On the menu, spinach dip with veggies, cucumber shrimp bites and mini caprese cups, all catered by Chef Vell. Glasses of wine from a local Cleveland winery, Chateau Hough, were offered with Flame as the red wine and Sassy as the white. Customized cupcake desserts were provided by Brittany Moguel, owner of The Sweetest Treat. Photos were taken by Cleveland Scene Maga
zine photographer, Emanuel Wallace. Toward the end of her event, a video prepared by Graham’s marketing coordinator, Kofi Amponash, brought her to tears as she reminisced on some of the struggles she encountered and the success that came out of it. “I’d just like to say, although starting a business wasn’t my plan, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” Graham said. “I’m very grateful to have reached this milestone. This [fifth year] event is more than a celebration, it’s a manifestation of dreams and plans written on paper five years ago.” Graham also mentions that her business is proof of what hard work looks like and it’s the greatest form of motivation that she could ever receive to continue moving forward. She and her clients share great working relationships as reflected in the results of their labor. “Touch Cleveland is thoughtful, collaborative and passionate. They bring such a positive energy to each project and deliver results,” said Chief Strategy Officer of Destination Cleveland, Hannah Belsito on touchcle.com. “Touch Cleveland seamlessly integrated with our internal team making the project incredibly collaborative and fun,” Belsito added. Masfield Frazier, General Manager at at Chateau Hough Winery, believes that, “Touch Cleveland does exactly what its name implies. They show you how to collaborate with parts of Cleveland you wouldn’t otherwise touch.” (Also on Touch Cleveland’s website.) Graham would also like to help college students gain experience in marketing and public relations. She is accepting applications for students to intern at Touch Cleveland. Interested students can apply by emailing their resumes to brand@touchcle.com. The positions require that students be a junior or senior in marketing, public relations or communication.
BREAKING THE MOLD
WRITTEN BY Renee Betterson
How one woman’s vision is helping to shape a generation of Black Lawyers through access to elite legal education.
The 15th annual National Black Pre Law Conference and Law Fair took place at Columbia University in New York City on Nov. 8-9, 2019. Hundreds of students gathered from across the nation to hear from world renowned speakers and judges and to benefit from workshops on subjects ranging from legal education financing to law school applications. Since the conference began in 2015, over 7,000 students have registered to attend and participate in a variety of workshop opportunities and networking events, all of which are designed to bring students together and connect them with the resources they need to successfully navigate law school admissions and legal careers. Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from legal professionals, law school deans, attorneys, and judges in a series of panel discussions such as, “Inside the Careers of Black Lawyers,” “The Black Law Students Survival Guide,” and more. After the talks, students were invited to participate in a law school fair where hundreds of schools, including many top universities like Harvard and Yale as well as Cleveland State’s very own, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, came to set up tables and recruit new students. When the conference ended, hundreds of young, aspiring Black lawyers left Columbia University with the knowledge and connections that can help them to break through the glass ceiling that prevents many people of color from entering the elite world of legal studies and practice. The mastermind behind this revolutionary conference is Evangaline Mitchell, Esquire. She was kind enough to share a few words with The Vindicator about her journey toward making law school more accessible.
Who is your role model and why? I don’t have any one role model, honestly. Any person I see or hear about, particularly Black people, famous or not, who is walking in their purpose, working towards or in their calling to benefit others, who is doing so with excellence, integrity, grace and humility and who has a passion for leaving a legacy and making a difference however they can — that is a role model to me. People like that force me to push to do and be better.
When did you know that you wanted a legal career? I made the decision that I wanted to go to law school and become a lawyer when I was a high school student at 16 years old. I watched a PBS documentary series called “Eyes on the Prize.” After learning so much about the struggles of African Americans and the American Civil Rights Movement, that I didn’t learn in school, I felt that it was a call to action in a sense. That, coupled with watching some eye-opening Black movies at the time, compelled me to feel that I personally needed to “do something” to fight for our community. I had always had that tug and pull to make a difference in the African American community. I remember saying that I would be a lawyer and a filmmaker. I felt that by becoming those things, that would provide powerful tools to be able to make an impact in some way.
Evangaline Mitchell
What was the biggest challenge you faced in your professional development? As a first-generation college graduate and law school graduate, my biggest challenge in trying to figure out my career path was not having any direct mentors. I had to fight an internal battle of what I thought I wanted to do, what other people expected me to do and what I really felt in my gut I should be doing I had to be willing to listen to myself — my spirit and heart, and be able to go out and do the research and make things happen — even when I was unsure if it would all work out. We call it trial and error or learning things the hard way. I purposely didn’t choose the traditional path, and that made things even harder. I think young people these days should know that we are now in the Information Age. You can do just about anything if you are willing to do the research, plan and execute — and most importantly — do whatever it takes to get things done and simply stick to it, even when it gets really, really hard.
Also, I had to have confidence in my vision. The things I wanted to do were not traditional and not something you saw other people doing at the time, but I kept moving forward and stayed focused on my vision — not worrying about what other people were doing and what other people thought. Back when I was in law school, I made a decision to earn a Ph.D. I knew I wanted to write a book and create a film. I ended up becoming a licensed attorney, social entrepreneur, book writer and self-publisher, conference organizer, non-profit founder, executive director and now filmmaker. All based on my passion for demystifying law school for African Americans. That wasn’t something that people aspired to do at that time. All of this came out of my following my gut.
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Where do you find inspiration to push the boundaries of societal expectations in education and professionalism? Faith in God and a courageous and risk-taking spirit because of that faith. I know God has my back. I know that I don’t want to be old talking about what I should have or would have done. I don’t want to live a life of regret. I want to at least try and fail — knowing that our people had so many more difficult things to overcome than the goals
I’ve set for myself. When I look at our ancestors, I know that they had to endure a lot of pain and humiliation, and yet they fought for us, for me and I am indebted to them. I have a responsibility to the next generation and I wholly welcome and appreciate that — even with the tears and bruises that come along with my calling to do more for aspiring Black lawyers.
All of those who had to come before me, who had to live through times where our nation’s laws had created and enforced a system that oppressed us and treated us as property and not as whole human beings. Even my parents grew up in poverty and segregation and my mother has shared stories about having to go wait in the back of restaurants and going to poorly-resourced schools, etc. She was told that college was not an option because she was poor and Black. I’m now able to tell my children that the sky’s the limit. Opportunities abound and they can even create their own businesses.
All of those people before me — they are my inspiration. Knowing that I can play some small part in leaving a legacy to help others inspires me to keep going every single day.
What advice would you give to young, Black lawyers who are just getting started? Go out and seek mentors and get a peer support system so you can connect with others with similar goals who can serve as accountability partners. Join your bar associations, the major local, state and national bar associations,
as well as the Black bar associations — and get involved. Let people know what you want to do and find those who are willing to help you. Know that success will not come overnight. It is a process, but with everything you do and learn, you are transforming into a better, more skilled person and you have so much to offer this world. Keep getting out and meeting people. You have to connect with others who are also trying to be successful and those who have “made it.” Stay connected with those people, as opposed to trying to do everything all alone.
Never ever give up on your goals and dreams. Be relentless. It’s okay to fall down, but just get back up and keep moving forward. You are needed. You are wanted. Your presence and your voice counts. Your success is our success. You, your achievements, all the things that you are doing and will do, matter and are significant. For African Americans, as a group, it is all about our community. Remember and take pride in that and know that, even if no one tells you to your face, we as a community embrace you, are proud of you, love you, see you, and want to see you succeed.
Lastly, your law degree not only empowers you to work for others, but most importantly, it enables you to work for yourself. You have been trained in how to prepare and do research on your own. Those skills are invaluable for you to create and build anything you set your mind to. Create and build. You are wanted. Your presence and your voice counts. Your success is our success. “ “
Can you talk about the origins of the conference and the challenges you faced in making it a reality? I just simply had the desire to reach more of our people in a more tangible way. I was realistic in knowing that a lot of people probably wouldn’t read my thick books and there were so many people outside of me who had expertise, perspectives and experiences that Black pre-law students could learn from. When I created the conference, I had never really organized a big event before. I just made the decision to do it and then followed through. I had no idea whether or not the event would be successful. I didn’t know if people would show up or if I would get financial support, or whether it would have longevity. I just decided to do it, and I did. It has been going strong for 15 straight years without missing a single year — even [through] life-altering events such as marriage, two children, medical issues, etc. My only goal was to reach out and help students who had come from backgrounds like [mine], who didn’t have anyone as they were going through the process. I just want
ed to help Black, first-generation pre-law students with dreams of becoming lawyers. The conference came out of my own frustrations and the many mistakes I made in the application process, during law school, etc. I [took] so many missteps. I didn’t do well on the LSAT, I almost didn’t get into any law school despite my straight A’s. There were so many things I didn’t know because I went through the process alone without any mentorship, advising or insider insight as to what I was doing.
My primary goal was to bring aspiring Black law students together with those who were knowledgeable [and] who could give them access to the information, resources and connections needed so they could be more excellent, strategic and competitive law school applicants, students and graduates. I knew that people thought that many Black students were not competitive. I remember trying to explain to people that a lot of that had nothing to do with ability but simply not knowing what we didn’t know. I thought this event could play a role in letting us know what we were up against so we could have a strategy and a better understanding of what was expected so we could create a plan going forward. I think my goals have been achieved. In many ways, we’ve done well, but I think there is so much more potential there. I want us to do so much more.
Since beginning this journey, you’ve organized 15 different conferences that have hosted thousands of students.
Is there any particular moment or memory that stands out for you? However, the one thing that stands out the most is not necessarily one moment or incident. Whenever I receive an e-mail or a LinkedIn message from a former attendee who is now a law student or a lawyer and they share how the conference meant so much to them and is a reason why they went ahead and pursued their law degrees and succeeded, it lets me know that I need to make sure to keep things going — no matter what. Those “moments” stand out every time.
It has been over 15 years. Truthfully, it hasn’t necessarily gotten any easier. Conferences always take an extraordinary amount of planning and effort. However, as long as there is this great need and you know that there is something that happens, particularly in our community, when we get good, credible information, and when we see those who look like us who are sharing because they want us to succeed, then I know that lives are being changed. That is the motivating factor to continue moving forward. Every single person we can help matters. I can’t speak for other communities. But the Black community needs it.
If you can share, when and where will the next conference be held? Our next conference will take place Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts.
Looking ahead, what are your hopes/goals for the conference in the next decade? This year, we are incorporating a workshop on how to start your own law firm, ways you can make a difference in your communities right now and we will expand our work on ways that Black people can utilize their legal training to benefit and uplift the Black community. I also want to add some hands-on components — perhaps enabling students to do a mini mock trial, moot court, client counseling session, etc. Additionally, we will be launching a mentoring program because I want to make sure that every attendee has an assigned mentoring circle made up of a law student, lawyer and peer supporters who are also aspiring lawyers. I would like to have someone in place who is responsible for trying to check in and stay connected with our attendees to make sure they have information and support from us for as long as they are on this path towards earning their law degree. Despite the hectic nature of my own life, I am committed to doing more to try to make time to mentor more personally, and to have lunch and dinner with more aspiring lawyers. Every little thing helps. Further, I want us to do a far better job of keeping track with past attendees. We care and want to keep up with them and find out where they are now. With thousands of past registrants and attendees, that’s a big job. However, I want to be sure that we connect with our alumni, and have many more come back and give back by pouring into the new attendees for future events.
Is there anything else you would like to share with readers? I think it’s important that we all strive for greatness. In anything you do, be it law school or anything else, make it about more than you. Have a spirit of service. Help other people in whatever way you can and with whatever you know. Choose to make an impact and not just a living. Understand that you will reap what you sow. Make the decision to give and pour into others. Trust me. It will absolutely come back to you, even if you don’t see it right away. I sometimes look back and think about that “one person” who did make a difference in my life and that “one person” who could have. Be that one person who does. And always look at ways you can be a contributor and not just a taker. Being this type of human being will enable you to stand out and will open doors you may not even think to knock on.
I want to give a special thanks to the English Department and the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel honors college for supporting my trip to the conference last Fall.
Female sexuality and masturbation aren’t usually popular topics. In fact, and I’m sure you know this if you’re a woman, they’re viewed as being pretty shameful. Ohio, for example, is one of the 27 states that stresses the importance of abstinence until marriage. That means that a little more than 50 percent of the United States refuses to acknowledge the benefits of a full, comprehensive sex education curriculum. Even though a lot of schools have lackluster examples of sex education, there are a few Netflix shows that can pick up some of the slack. Over the course of the last year or so, there have been quite a few shows released that focus on sex. Sex has become less taboo in pop culture, but it’s still uncommon to find shows or movies that depict realistic and healthy sex. Here are some recent shows that do a - mostly - good job at depicting realistic sex and masturbation - especially with women.
“Sex Education” is the first show on our list. Even though I don’t believe it was initially created to serve as actual sex education, I’m sure that it’s helping teens feel more open about the topic overall. The main character, Miles, and his 16 to 17-yearold friends have a lot of questions about sex and relationships. Since their school is failing them, Miles and his crush Maeve decide to open a “Sex Clinic” - where they give their classmates sex and relationship advice for a small fee. Miles’ parents are very successful sex and relationship therapists, so he knows quite a bit more than he should about both topics. “Sex Education” is forward thinking in terms of realistically addressing how teens figure out their sex lives. What really stood out to me the most was a short scene in the second season where the main group of girls are stuck in the library together. They’re given an assignment to figure out what they all have in common and the only thing that they can come up with is that they have all been sexually harassed in some way. It was impactful, thoughtful and got right to the point of the issue. This is one of the first major times that a show has addressed this topic so openly and directly. It made a good impression.
Before I talk about anything related to this next show, you should know that “The Goop Lab” is not something I recommend watching. It’s a docuseries about the company created by Gwyneth Paltrow, that focuses on health and beauty products. If you search “The Goop Lab” on Google, however, you’ll soon find out that basically everything the show highlights is pretty sketchy. So why bring it up? Well, there is one episode in particular that talks about the wonders of female masturbation that I wanted to bring to light. In fact, there are some reviews that trash the show overall but also highlight this episode in an attempt to discuss how female masturbation is addressed in the media. Similar to the one sexual harassment scene in “Sex Education,” but with a more positive angle, I was glad that a newly released show took the time to focus on sex from the female perspective. “Big Mouth,” a cartoon based around the lives of a group of middle schoolers, also explores female masturbation with its characters Jesse and Missy. “Sex Explained” is one of the shows on Netflix that always looked fascinating to me, but I never really took the time to watch it until now. This is a spin-off of the main show, “Explained,” which currently has two seasons and was released in 2018. “Sex Explained” released in the first week of 2020 and focuses solely on, you guessed it, sex. It only has six episodes, all highlighting topics like birth control, fantasies, attraction, etc. Unlike the other two shows on our list, it is a documentary-style show that is more scientific than the others. While “Sex Education” is completely fiction and “The Goop Lab” is pseudoscience disguised as a documentary, “Sex Explained” cites specific source material and interviews experts on each topic. It’s a nice change and a better source of information on the topics at hand.
Although these shows are breaking ground on mostly unexplored and generally taboo topics, they should not be used to answer any serious sex and relationship questions. I’ve always had the unfortunate habit, like many others, to use Google as a source for health advice and expertise as well. It isn’t a good idea to do that either. If you are looking for some professional opinions about sexual health, you can turn to Planned Parenthood, or find information at your doctor’s office. We’ve also taken the liberty to add a few helplines and other sources of information that might be useful.
Even though sex seems like an abused topic sometimes, these shows are opening up the conversation about sex and female pleasure from different angles. “Sex Education” not only addresses female masturbation, but also how common it is to be sexually assaulted, in whatever form - from groping, catcalling and rape. “The Goop Lab,” however incorrect most of their science seems to be, is also exploring the realm of female sexual pleasure. “Sex Explained,” on the other hand, pushes forward with all types of information about sex, like kinks, birth control and more. It may be more of a forbidden topic than most, but sex is taking Netflix by storm.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Where to Get Tested: gettested.cdc.gov/
Free Condoms for Ohio Residents: ohiv.org/positive/freecondoms/
CSU Counseling Info: (Union Building 220, 216-687-2277)
CSU LGBTQ+ services: (BH 211, 216.687.2324)
Ohio Sexual Violence Hotline: 844.644.6435
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800.799.7233
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800.273.8255
