Last weekend gender equality and ecological activists presented throughout campus Beyond Patriarchy, a conference critiquing patriarchal oppression from various radical and feminist perspectives.
The event, mainly sponsored by the UO Survival Center, outlined the history of patriarchy and explored solutions to the oppression of different social groups. It also served as an open space for concerned community members to enrich their understanding through constructive dialogue.
Andrea Smith, a Native American and feminism activist, was the keynote speaker. She co-founded INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, the Boarding School Healing Project, and Chicago’s chapter of Women of All Red Nations. Smith has also written multiple books on the Native American experience with discrimination and activism.
In her presentation Friday, she explained the dangers of a society organized around violence and male domination, using the United States as a main example. “The building block of this nation-state form of government,” she said, “is hetero-patriarchy.”
Smith’s presentation also served to unite people in constructive and enjoyable activism. “One key thing is the need to build a fun revolution,” she said
Another presentation highlighted pressures and dangers of military service. Brittany Reuling and McKenna Hynes theorized that masculine values have led to a surge of sexual violence against female soldiers and non-combatants. The military institution has led individuals to commit heinous acts, they said. Hynes ended by saying that “people are good, institutions are bad; institutions make people do bad things.”
Other events, workshops and conversations on different forms of sexual development, ecological activist projects, women’s reproductive and sexual health, mental health and child-birthing. Earth DescenDance and Grey Matter Jugglers ended Friday night with a fire-dancing exhibition in the EMU Amphitheatre.
Saturday began with breakfast and an exhibition by the Radical Cheerleaders. Presentations and discussions on the national economic situation, transgender issues, activist humility, apartheid, social pressures related to personal health, domestic abuse shelters, and circus arts followed.
The Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team performed “Consent is Sexy,” an interactive play on sexual consent. A workshop on unlearning racism, discussions on sexism and trans-phobia, and tree-climbing classes followed the play. The last events included discussion concerning able-ism, embodied activism, the effects of socially constructed identities, and herbal hair care. The night ended with a party at the Campbell Club for conference attendees.
Sunday marked the end of the conference with workshops and discussions on women’s issues, first aid, prison abolition, restructuring civilization, sexual and domestic violence, gardening, sweatshops, medical hypnosis and how patriarchy harms men. Poet Jesus Sepulveda ended the day’s events with a reading of his poetry.
Ariel Howland, a member of the UO Survival Team and an organizer of the conference, explained her rationale for disseminating a wide variety of information throughout the weekend.
“We really wanted to create a space where people could get educated about various issues such as patriarchy and other forms of oppression,” she said.
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