Leading up to the 2018 midterm elections, women mobilized at unprecedented levels for representation in the United States Congress and at state and local governing levels. Women’s political leadership has historically been limited. Nancy Pelosi achieved a milestone for women in American politics, now the highest-ranking elected woman in United States history serving as Democratic Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
Xia Morrison ‘21 and Nicole Caputo ’21 saw a call for female leadership and political participation at Connecticut College. They initiated the club Women in Politics this semester. The duo had a partnership over two large projects for an International Humanitarian Law class at the end of their sophomore year that ultimately inspired their collaboration. “We ran the idea one day of running the Women in Politics Club and she’s [Morrison] been at the front of all of this… I’m just so happy to be along for the ride,” Caputo said. Both women are extremely passionate about politics, the political progress, and activism, Caputo emphasized.
Having great female role models who “knew what they were doing when it came to women’s rights and women’s issues,” Morrison approached Nicole Caputo about initiating the club on campus. They thought, “we should really do this, a lot of people will find it helpful.” The two women were partners “for a particularly grueling mid-term,” as Morrison recalled, and as both government students and women, found that the responsibility was theirs. Their advisor, Dr. Suttmon-Lea, has largely supported their creation of the club.
“We are both planning on attending law school, so deeply passionate about the crucial role that women play,” Caputo stated. The pair ultimately saw in the creation of the club an existing double standard that women face when they attain higher roles and face resistance. As a space for the Conn community to celebrate advances, but also the multitude of change that is required, Caputo explained that when women have political responsibilities, “they are highly responsive to constituents concerns” and the result is the ability to “empower women but encourage them to participate.”
After attending both Connecticut College Democrats Club and the Connecticut College Republicans and Conservatives Club, Morrison stated that she saw the need for a space where women specifically could convene and “to highlight that even though there are more women in politics than ever before in American history, we are still not there with full participation.” The representation “needs to be acknowledged and put at the forefront of what we’re looking at with laws, policies, and change,” said Morrison.
After describing her experience as a congressional intern on the Hill, Morrison explained that the way in which members of her office conceptualized any legislative change profoundly inspired her. When encountering women’s issues, the approach was ultimately different because “any issue is a woman’s issue, so you have to be a little more specific when you talk about it.”
Across the board, the club has a membership of mostly first-years and sophomores. On the executive board, there are three juniors and two first-years. Morrison was elated when first-years and sophomores ran for the executive board and consistently attended meetings, establishing the club’s “longevity to benefit future class years,” stated Morrison. “Once Xia and I graduate, they will 100% continue on and continue to grow the club and engage with the community,” Caputo added.
Across the political spectrum, the club is a non-partisan group. Morrison stated, “We were very up front with the fact that we wanted it to be a space for anyone who identities any kind of way, as long as they support the mission to increase women’s engagement in politics and civic engagement.” Creating a club that specifically affiliated with one party or another would mean turning individuals away, and Morrison did not want that. While Morrison recalled that “Conn’s campus is ideologically skewed to the left,” she stated that the group has facilitated important dialogue in which everyone who comes to Women in Politics meetings is respectful and ready to hear what everyone has to say.
As their first event, Women in Politics — co-sposonred with Greent Dot and the Office of Sexual Violence and Advocacy — held a film screening of the Anita Hill documentary Anita at the Womxn’s Center.
The club also engaged in a CNN Democratic Debate watch party, in which there was a “good turnout,” Morrison recalled. “We were interested in talking about how many women were on the stage… what their platform is, how they are different from one another, women and media,” particularly as the media “treat us as monolithic, when that is entirely not true.” Caputo explained that since there are no women running for the Republican party as of yet, the group has focused on democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential election. She stated that as soon as other women decide to announce their intent to run, they will focus on them as well.
The club has also held discussions on the treatment of women who have been scandalized, such as Katie Hill. Morrison explained that their conversation was centralized in “how her gender might play into what people are criticizing her for and how we conceptualize that as women supporting women.” Even if someone could have done something wrong, they still might not be treated fairly, Morrison asserted.
With 13 members on the roster, and nearly 30 members who have shown interest, Morrison explained that smaller groups who have attended meetings consistently bring different friends each time, or have had attendees that come to talk about a subject that particularly interested them.
Throughout the rest of the semester, the club is working on highlighting service events and establishing a presence in the New London community. For instance, Morrison stated that the club is hoping to work with the League of Women Voters of Connecticut in the area. While the club has reviewed the Democratic Debates, it will have screenings of the Republican Debates later in the year, as well.
The club will be partnering with CC Dems on the 20th of November to watch the next Democratic Debate in partnership with REAL staff at the Walk-In Coffee Closet. After evaluating the attendance at both the CC Dems and Women in Politics watch parties following the last debate, Caputo explained that “both had a great turnout separately, and we thought it would be awesome to join forces and put on a great event.” Caputo stated that there has been criticism following the debates regarding a lack of attention to women’s health issues, and anticipates this being a part of the debate in which an open and productive discussion would follow amongst the club after.
The group has made strong connections in just its first two months as an active club on campus. For women interested in civic engagement and women’s representation in politics, the club meets weekly at 7:00 in Blaustein 209. “In a time when politics are so incredibly polarized, we cannot stress enough how much we welcome anyone who has a dedication to women’s equal representation in government… this is not a homogenous organization,” Caputo concluded. •
