Females from all walks of life got together in the Student Center on Saturday to speak about women’s activism, how they perceive it and how it relates to the events of May 4 at the May 4 Task Force’s Women’s Activism workshop.

Open to women who identify as female, the workshop provided a safe place for them to converse and talk about issues today and how they perceive women’s activism, beginning with three aspects of any movement: equality, democracy and peace.

“Today we have an opportunity to talk about the unique way, as women, that we have done this, and that we are doing this, and that we have faced challenges in that process,” said Kent State alumna Candy Knox.

In the midst of women sharing private stories about their experiences around coming to May 4 commemorations, remembering the moment the shootings happened and just being a woman in general, the overall lesson centered around working together to find closure and making the world a better, more cooperative place.

“People who are activists, we all stand on other people’s shoulders and share experiences,” said Susie Erenrich, a founding member of the May 4 Task Force.

It’s always great when people are in a safe space and talking about a topic of women in political activism, Erenrich said.

Knox talked about the similarities between now and May 4, and what steps people need to take to leave behind a world of fear.

“All of the issues that we worked on in the ‘60s and ‘70s are necessary to work on today,” Knox said. “It’s not just men that are the problem. It’s people who have the need to control others.

“All of this keeps us in a state of fear…,” Knox said. “We have created this world, we have created this society, and we can change it.”

Contact Skye McEowen at [email protected].