Attenello's piece "Navigating Identity Politics in Activism" and Price's piece "Blurring the Lines That Divide" both discuss leading activist that majored in women and gendered studies. They bith felt that it was their passion to be able to take part of feminist activism in any way that they could in order to make a difference for the people around them.
Alison Attenello believed that women's roles in activism is rarely mentioned throughout communities but that it should be because it is central to social change. She believed that "the relationship between power and identity became the lens though which she evaluated political ideas and strategies as well as legitimized her own participation in social change organizations" (97, Atenello). She joined a community group that represented Mexican immigrants which she later became Vice President of. These women of Latina decent were getting raped along with women from Rutgers; the lines were traversed. But the city made it a big deal that the students were the ones getting raped and out no attention to the Latino community. They became enraged and organized a march. Even though Attenello didn't belong to the community she decided to help in any way possible because it enraged her too. Later when she told Lupe (President) her worries that she shouldn't speak out for the group because she wasn't from their background, education or class level, Lupe didn't see this as a problem. Antenello still left to pursue other activist work such as violence against women. She felt that the only way she could help the group was to leave because of their differences.
Shira Pruce's leadership incorporated what she learned growing up (Hebrew, Jewish history, and Zionism) and turned it into a lethal combination. She visited the death camps on Poland and learned also about how the homosexuals, people with disabilities, and other non white conformist were also among the Jews who were being tortured and killed. As terrorist attacks were going on during her college years she was looking on the outside and formed bias opinions. She recognized that bias and what came along with it. After her experience in Israel and coming back to the United States, she could see the bias newspapers after 9/11 blaming the whole country for the acts against the United States. Even ones in the United States attending her school, people showed hate to and their was no reaction from them. So becoming enraged, she got hard facts and found ways to tackle the Jewish/ Zionist group on campus. After taking women study courses she realized her anger came from feeling marginalized and that subordination still existed. She then organized women's rights and LGBT rights in Washington D.C.. After graduation she got a job with Knesset Israeli and eventually organized three different social projects and demanded a raise. She got it because she worked hard and deserved it. She believes that strong women are ready to fight and that we nee to step up and support them.
I believe that these two articles really show how these different women came out and found a passion that they truly believed in. They did not belong to the community essentially but they became apart of it when they joined in and supported the activist groups who were speaking out for these women. They didn't make it about culture but about women in general and how we need to stand up for all women's rights around the world. I can relate because I am not part of any group based on ethnicity or class. But i am apart of the gender role and reading these articles inspired me to want to be apart of something that supported women in a way that could help stand up for their rights.
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