Bringing Generations of Women Together

Author: Jasmin Johnson

As three generations of women told their stories to each other, one could hear a mélange of nostalgia and aspiration in their conversations. About 30 women gathered at the Chellis House last Wednesday evening over pizza, brownies and soda to simply chat and talk about life and being a woman.

Those present included women who work at Middlebury College, members of local women's organizations, a few Feminist Action Middlebury (FAM) members and other women from the College.

"The turnout was great," said Laura Bloom '02, who was one of the key organizers of the event, which was co-sponsored by FAM, LEAD International and Older Women's Organization. This "generational" meeting concept is the brainchild of Gail Zatz and Virginia Renfrew. LEAD international and Older Women's Organization have given grants to Zatz and Renfrew to take this "generational" meeting concept all over Vermont. They have had meetings in various other places, including other schools like UVM.

These two women run a legal firm based in Montpelier, Vt., and specialize in lobbying for social organizations, especially women's groups. They themselves have been very active in the women's movement. They met Bloom when she was doing research for her thesis on the pro-choice movement. Later, they approached Bloom and asked her to be their correspondent at Middlebury College.

"They are very dedicated to women's issues," said Bloom of the two. "When they asked me to help them bring the meeting to Middlebury College, I got in touch with Deborah Grant, Women and Gender Studies Coordinator and Elizabeth Brookbank '024of FAM."

"Everyone has been so supportive and the feedback has been very positive," she continued.

The multi-generational meeting is a simple concept: it is a time to share and hear each other's voices. The evening's program was similarly uncomplicated — there were informal introductions, the women were divided into groups and the rest of the evening was spent asking each other questions.

"Write down on these little pieces of paper what you have always wanted to ask a woman of another generation," said Zatz during the meeting.

Questions ranged from the reputation of the feminist movement and the connotations of the word "feminist" to multiple-role balancing acts that modern-day women agonize over, to social stereotypes ingrained in cartoons, musical and seemingly harmless forms of entertainment.

They discussed pertinent issues, told their personal tales, laughed and supported each other, just by letting each other know someone else felt the same way too.

"The different generations of women were equally interested in hearing each other. There is just a lot to be gained. It was amazing to explore the generational differences between women and it was also amazing to realize how much we all have in common," Bloom emphasized.

"It was meant also as a start to get women thinking and plant the seeds for such future interaction."

Indeed, it was a pleasant evening, at least to this participant, as it is so infrequent that women get to celebrate womanhood and rally around a positive cause.

Most importantly, however, it served as a reminder that optimism about womanhood was really both old and young.