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<\/a>Huynh says that the event\u2019s 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\u2019s empowerment and equality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 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\u2019s a quote that very much sticks with me: \u2018To be a woman means to be at war fighting over your own body, your own rights, your feelings,\u2019 and I imagine that\u2019s 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,\u201d says Huynh. \u201cI hope [students] get both celebration and mourning. It\u2019s truly supposed to be a day about celebrating everything it is to be a woman, and, if I\u2019m honest, pain comes with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event is for anyone who wants to celebrate women; it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an event for everyone\u2014you don\u2019t 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,\u201d says Huynh. \u201cWhen I finally saw a chance to put something up, it was very exciting. Yeah, everyone is welcome to join.\u201d<\/p>\n
International Women\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy personal acknowledgements go to all the people whose names are forgotten by history. There\u2019s a bit of a phenomenon in the sciences where things are either discovered by a woman or theorized by a woman, and it\u2019s often ignored or considered too out there until a man speaks about it,\u201d says Huynh. \u201cIt\u2019s things like that, that particularly in my field of study, I recognize. Undoubtedly, there\u2019s people who try to give credit where credit is due but it\u2019s the greater, systemic issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s beautiful about being a woman is standing together with others, making sure no one else falls between the cracks,\u201d says Huynh. \u201cWhile systematically we might not be listened to, we can absolutely make sure that our community hears us.\u201d<\/p>\n