Activism Log Entry #1

1. On Tuesday I joined my group in a meeting with Abigail Malick, the coordinator for MVP. We discussed the events that we are going to be working on for the rest of the semester. We have decided on a donation drive for the Harbor House of central Florida. We are also planning some tabling dates, and we are hoping to be able to get a tabling slot at Late Knights on November 17^th. With MVP still being such a new organization, things have been a little chaotic and disorganized. Our primary form of communication with Abigail has been through email and sometimes things have gotten lost in translation. I think that we are in a much better position with our project now that we have gotten another chance to meet with her in person and discuss our goals for the rest of the semester. Next week our donation drive for Harbor House begins, so our main focus will be on getting donations and making sure we have boxes placed around campus.

2. This week we discussed poverty affects women more so than men. “More women than men make up the working poor…” (Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 311). Although MVP deals with domestic violence, this is relevant because many women who have been victims of domestic violence are in desperate need of financial help. Our involvement with Harbor House will help give women who have been affected by domestic violence, as well as poverty, some of their everyday essential items, such as toothpaste. While this may not seem like a lot to that average person, to someone who is going through something as awful as having to be in a domestic violence shelter, it may make a huge difference. We often judge those in poverty before we know the reasons that they are in these horrible positions. “Poverty is often explained as resulting form low self-esteem, laziness, or dysfunctional families,” (Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 314). Most of the time we don’t think of situations like being a victim of domestic violence, as a reason for ending up in poverty.

3. Being involved with MVP has made me much more aware of the fact that domestic violence exists. It has always been a somewhat taboo subject that nobody wants to address, but now I see that it is much more prevalent in society, and even in college, than I thought. As scary as this is, it gives me much more incentive to do everything I can to try and prevent domestic violence, through educating others and giving those in need resources that they can use to better their situation.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Rey. “Making a Home, Making a Living." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 301-317. Print.