The Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) is holding its first Tea and Talent event for International Women’s Day. Run by CCSS women’s director Madison Huynh, the event will include drinks and snacks, as well as an open stage for people to sing, recite poems, or simply share what this day means to them.
“[International Women’s Day is] kinda one of the major events [at Camosun] and a major day [internationally],” says Huynh. “Last year at the college it went really well and in the years before that it was a bit more of a seminar where people from the college came up and talked about their work and everything. I kinda wanted to do something that included both.”
Huynh says that the event’s open-stage format should make it feel more like a fun gathering than the seminars in the past. It provides a way to celebrate women and their accomplishments, but also allows that space to acknowledge how much more progress needs to be made for women’s empowerment and equality.
“I’m having [the event] as an open mic and open stage for people to join in, because while it is considered a day of celebration, for many people it is also a day of sadness. There’s a quote that very much sticks with me: ‘To be a woman means to be at war fighting over your own body, your own rights, your feelings,’ and I imagine that’s a very universal experience. Tea and Talent is an open space where people can talk about that, and help people to understand, and, hopefully, people [wlll] listen,” says Huynh. “I hope [students] get both celebration and mourning. It’s truly supposed to be a day about celebrating everything it is to be a woman, and, if I’m honest, pain comes with that.”
The event is for anyone who wants to celebrate women; it’s not exclusive to women. The tea, snacks, and stage are open to anyone wanting to participate. Huynh says the goal is to have a fun and inclusive event that highlights womanhood in all its complexity.
“It’s an event for everyone—you don’t have to be a woman to celebrate women. It is an open event for everyone to come and join, and have some food, and have some tea,” says Huynh. “When I finally saw a chance to put something up, it was very exciting. Yeah, everyone is welcome to join.”
International Women’s Day is a day of joy and grief for many as we reflect on womanhood as a whole. Huynh points out that women still face systemic issues, some of which she sees on a regular basis as a STEM student.
“My personal acknowledgements go to all the people whose names are forgotten by history. There’s a bit of a phenomenon in the sciences where things are either discovered by a woman or theorized by a woman, and it’s often ignored or considered too out there until a man speaks about it,” says Huynh. “It’s things like that, that particularly in my field of study, I recognize. Undoubtedly, there’s people who try to give credit where credit is due but it’s the greater, systemic issue.”
Huynh hopes that the event will give women a chance to have their voices and their stories heard, helping them build community and solidarity with one another.
“What’s beautiful about being a woman is standing together with others, making sure no one else falls between the cracks,” says Huynh. “While systematically we might not be listened to, we can absolutely make sure that our community hears us.”
Tea and Talent
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm Thursday, March 5
Free, Sherri Bell Hall, Wilna Thomas Building
camosunstudent.org
Correction: We originally said that the CCSS was holding the event on International Women’s Day when we meant to say for International Women’s Day. We apologize for the mistake.