Photo courtesy of Morgan Maccione.
Standing on the stage in Evans Hall for my monologue’s recording in WEI’s 2021 show, wearing all black with a pop of red, I felt strong. I felt beautiful. I felt part of the Conn community. Although I felt empowered in this space, those who do not share my positionality as a white cishet woman might not feel the same way.
The Womxn’s Empowerment Initiative (WEI) is one of the largest student organizations at Connecticut College and aims to put on an annual show that represents “those with lived experiences of misogyny across race, class, gender, and sexual orientation through unique, but unifying voices,” as stated in their Instagram (@ccempower) bio. WEI was previously called “As Told By Vaginas,” inspired by The Vagina Monologues, up until 2016 when the club changed its name to the Women’s Empowerment Initiative. Since then, the “e” in “women” has been changed to an “x,” a controversial decision as this term is not as inclusive as it may seem.
Each show welcomes submissions from students, staff, faculty, alumni, and members of the New London community who have faced misogyny. Monologues range in genre from waxing mishaps, love stories, bisexuality, mental health, sexual assault, and racism. Members of the Reading Committee then sort through submissions and select monologues to be performed by students in the spring. The Reading Committee also brainstorms titles that thematically relate to the pieces; leadership then discusses the options and votes.
Zoe Honigberg ‘21 and Sydney Lamb ‘21 are Co-Presidents of WEI this year, producer and artistic director respectively. As producer, Honigberg facilitates communication between committees and works with Lamb and Associate Director of Student Engagement and New Student Programs, Jeanette Williams, to plan the show. While Honigberg does the behind-the-scenes logistical work, Lamb conceptualizes the creative integrity of the performance. This year’s show is titled “Roots of Resilience.” Honigberg explains “the arguments made for it are that resiliency has been so incredibly important for individuals in some way or another [this year].” “Roots” alludes to moving forward, a tone that is present in multiple monologues, according to Honigberg.
As with pretty much every student organization on campus, WEI has had to make significant changes due to COVID-19. Perhaps the biggest obstacle the presidents had to confront was the format of the show. They ultimately decided that groups will be recorded live in Evans Hall while socially distanced, which meant that remote students would not be able to perform in the show. Remote students were also not able to submit a monologue in full anonymity. When accepting monologue submissions in fall 2020, Honigberg says they took extra precautions, asking students to indicate if they were comfortable having their monologue put on the internet. Sarah Lawler ‘21 is the Writer Liaison and Director of Ideology for WEI which means she bridges the gap between the monologues, Reading Committee, and Directors, as well as makes sure WEI upholds their mission and values. Part of her role is organizing the publication and distribution of the Anthology which includes all of the submitted monologues.
When it came to promoting the club, WEI faced another obstacle: how to reach first-years and sophomores who do not necessarily know what WEI is, or what it looks like in a normal year. Honigberg says that their “numbers have declined significantly this year than previous years,” which is in part because many “first-years and sophomores are in the same spot of: ‘I’ll watch the show this year and join next year.’” In some ways, the virtual show will be a means to promote the club for years to come.
Despite these setbacks, WEI was able to host in-person auditions. With smaller monologue groups, rehearsals have been able to continue relatively normally. Payton Ferris ‘23 is directing four monologues this year, as well as performing in one. She explains that it can be difficult to find a location that lends itself to privacy given the often sensitive topics monologues address. However, smaller group sizes create a more intimate experience, allowing members to connect with their piece. Last year, Ferris was cast in a monologue about being in a plus-size body. All students in the piece were plus-size women and Ferris explains this experience was incredibly influential even though she was not able to perform. WEI was “a no-brainer club” Ferris wanted to join as a first-year; “this club means so much to me,” she says.
Christina Tougias ‘21 is a co-chair for the Events Committee this year and explains that they have been working to plan COVID-safe events in order to engage on- and off-campus members. “WEI is always special, but during COVID especially it emphasizes the importance of unity and strength as we go through challenging times,” explains Tougias in an email. She adds that “While I’m sad we can’t all be together like usual, I’m really excited that we are still able to bring these monologues to life this year.” Rather than a full, chaotic week of late-night rehearsals, tech-week will last only two days. Regardless of these changes, “the message of the show and the monologues themselves have not suffered from these changes,” explains Honigberg.
A huge part of WEI is their partnership with Safe Futures, a non-profit which provides housing, counseling, and other programs to those impacted by domestic violence in southeastern CT. Erin Greatorex ‘21 is the Safe Futures Liaison. Her position involves facilitating communication between the Director of Development & Communications at Safe Futures, Melissa Zaitchik, and members of WEI. Since WEI will not be charging for tickets this year, Greatorex has provided members with ways to donate to Safe Futures. Those involved are encouraged to donate the typical ticket price (8 to 12 dollars) and to reach out to staff, faculty, family, and friends to donate, as well. WEI’s donations to Safe Futures are imperative towards their yearly budget so it is vital that we donate, especially during the pandemic when domestic abuse rates have increased. On March 23, cast buddies were encouraged to meet and order from Coffee Grounds, which gave 15% of their profit that day to Safe Futures. This event was very successful and prompted WEI to organize a similar event on March 31 at Coffee Closet, which donated 50% of that day’s earnings to Safe Futures.
While WEI is a fundraiser for Safe Futures, the history of the club has been criticized, and rightly so. Honigberg explains WEI stems from second-wave radical white feminism, exemplified by the former title “As Told by Vaginas.” While the intentions behind “womxn” were meant to make the org more inclusive, trans women are women so the “x” is not necessary, and non-binary individuals identify as non-binary. “There has been a sentiment that WEI should be scrapped entirely,” says Honigberg, but it also “provides closure, [and is] part of the grieving process for many students,” explains Honigberg. Lawler explains in an email, “I think that simply because it exists within a PWI (predominantly white institution), it’s going to have a difficult time with being diverse and intersectional.” She goes on to say that “there needs to be more dialogue around this issue and leadership needs to do more to promote inclusivity and work to change the structure and attitudes that have caused the sense of exclusion felt by non-binary individuals as well as women and nonbinary people of color.” Honigberg agrees and explains that WEI hopes to rework leadership and potentially partner with other affinity groups to establish mutual support. “You can say it is open to all, but people don’t feel like it is open to all,” says Honigberg.
WEI is an annual tradition that holds great meaning for many, but its future will respond to this year and the criticisms it has faced, hopefully making it an inclusive space for BIPOC and LGBTQIA students. “Roots of Resilience” will be released on Youtube on April 24 at 7:30 pm EST. To donate to Safe Futures, visit their website safefuturesct.org/donatenow/.
