Collective puts together untold stories of women throughout history

March is Women’s History Month, a time to honor memorable women in history by offering Kent State students and faculty the opportunity to expose history and make it Herstory.

The Women’s Liberation Collective is, as member Beth Vild explained, a broad social justice group. They cover issues from sexual assault and pro-choice, to race and class issues.

Herstory is a publication that the collective has put together to highlight predominant women leaders who have received little recognition throughout history. Students and faculty were offered the chance to write a piece for the collection.

One of the stories that will be included in the collection is a piece on Helen Keller, with a focus on the end-half of her life and her involvement as a Marxist as well as her involvement with disability and women’s rights.

“We’re trying to show the other side of history that not many people know, even in some of your classes, stuff that’s not talked about,” Vild said.

Senior English major Gabz Ciofani is also writing for the collection. She is doing a piece on Mary Wollstonecraft, a revolutionary writer and advocate for women’s rights.

“I feel like it was important to highlight an under-appreciated woman author because it’s important to look back at history, where women in history fell previously and look at where they are today,” Ciofani said. “Looking back is kind of a way to map out the future to see where we want to take our futures and the futures for our children and for women yet to come.”

Suzanne Holt, head of the women’s study program, also wrote for Herstory. She submitted a short piece on her hero Susan Sontag, an author, literary theorist and political activist.

Holt said she feels that Herstory may offer students a significant missing piece of the puzzle of humanity. She explained that even if students aren’t looking for anything, something could fall into their hands that may give them the epiphany that brings the puzzle together.

“I was reading something about somebody that, every day, put on a cross and a little statue of Buddha, and somebody asked him why he put on all of these things and he said it might not help but it couldn’t hurt,” Holt said. “I think if (students) pick it up, it might not do anything for them, but it might.”

Herstory will be on sale at all of the group’s events, at a table from 10:30-12:30 every Wednesday in the Student Center and also at their meetings every Wednesday at 8 p.m. in 314 of the Student Center.

Contact student life reporter

Lauren Vogel at [email protected].