Bella Patton, Campus Carrier features editor

Ava Jarrell, Campus Carrier asst. features editor

As March arrives, Women’s History Month reminds us of the important contributions women have made and continue to make at Berry and beyond. While great strides have been made in the advancement of women’s rights, injustices still persist. Organizations such as Empower, Unity and the Office of Belonging and Community Engagement at Berry give women the opportunity to share their struggles, find a community and celebrate accomplishments. 

Empower is an organization that provides the opportunity for members to meet and create a safe space for discussion. Co-Presidents Caitlin Light and Lily Chapman described what Women’s History Month means to them and Empower. 

“Women’s History Month is a celebration of people who have been oppressed for the entirety of this country’s creation,” Light said. “It makes me feel seen as a woman during Women’s History Month because it feels joyful. I feel like I can be proud of who I am because all women struggle, because we’re an oppressed minority of people.” 

Light said that celebrating the unity of women and how far women have come is also a highlight of Women’s History Month. For her, learning about unsung heroes, especially women who were not credited for their accomplishments or inventions, is an important aspect of the month. 

Empower meets once weekly to give members the chance to share their thoughts and have discussions about various topics that affect women. 

“We have meetings every week for a reason,” Chapman said. “Most of the time, our regular meetings are more of like a support group. It’s a place free of judgment to be heard and listened to with anything that is 
going on.” 

Light and Chapman mentioned previous topics the group has discussed such as Roe v. Wade and group conversations with Berry professors. Recently, Empower hosted Abhipsa Chakraborty and Christina Bucher, professors in the English department, to share insights as notable women in the Evans School. The conversation pertained to how Empower members can remain politically active as full-time students and when balancing a career in the future.

For the campus community, Light encouraged students to take the time to appreciate the women in their lives during this month, whether that be parents, siblings or friends. 

“When I think about the people who support me the most, it is always my strong female friendships or my relationship with my mom or sister,” Light said. “I would encourage the student body to really take this month as a moment of gratitude and reflect on having women in your life or your relationships with women. What about that is impactful and important to you? And what could you be doing to support those women?” 

Light and Chapman also said they are grateful for Empower because it significantly impacted their college experience and feeling of belonging, both as members and now as co-presidents. 

“I’m just so grateful to be able to lead Empower,” Chapman said. “When I came here as a freshman, Caitlin was the one that invited me to the meetings, and it was instantly such a safe space. All the upperclassmen at the time were very encouraging and supportive, and I’m just grateful to be able to carry on the legacy of the really great leadership we have had in the past.” 

For Women’s History Month, Empower will be hosting multiple events in collaboration with other organizations on campus. Empower and the Art Society will have an event on March 18. Empower will also be hosting a hall program with Dana on March 26 at a tentative time of 6 p.m. Empower regularly meets every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Evans 118. 

At a small campus like Berry, the compounded issues of racism and sexism can be especially difficult to navigate, but the club Unity seeks to uplift and support women of color. Sophomore Morgan Cantrell, the president of Unity, described what the club means to her. 

“I was once that freshman going into a new space, wondering if there were going to be people like me or a community of people I would fit in, so being able to foster that or give that to other freshmen or people like me at Berry is really meaningful to me,” Cantrell said. “It feels really rewarding. As a Black woman, it means a lot to be able to pay respect to those who’ve paved the way for me to be in the space I am in today, especially in a private institution like Berry. I feel like there was a lot of work that was done for me to be able to be right here today.”

Berry, a majority-white school, has become more diverse over the past decade. Unity, in turn, has started to see growth, in attendance as well as engagement. Cantrell recalled the growth she saw in the club just over the past semester.

“I feel like we’ve grown in many ways,” Cantrell said. “That being the people we reach out to on Berry’s campus. Just getting all the women of color on campus to come, even our allies, to come and just to be in that space to support one another. I feel like our outreach has really grown in the amount of people we’ve seen, and our impact is felt all 
over campus.” 

Despite advancements, diverse and minority-led organizations continue to face backlash. Many colleges have either changed the names of these organizations or gotten rid of them entirely. Berry has renamed Intercultural Center to the Gathering Space, though administrators have said Berry remains committed to its Culture of Belonging. 

“Everyone should start off with the mission of our club,” Cantrell said. “If you’re in support of what we work to do, then I feel like you should consider yourself an ally, and you’re more than welcome at our meetings, to come and learn 
and enjoy.”

Cantrell said that, on a larger scale, Berry should host more events relating to Women’s History Month. 

“Berry does a good job ensuring the Good Neighbor environment on campus, and we have a week for diversity and things like that, but maybe there could be something specifically during Women’s History Month,” Cantrell said. “Maybe they could have speakers and a week of events.”

Unity will be collaborating with the Berry Brotherhood to show the movie “The Six Triple Eight,” which tells the story of a Black female platoon during World War II and was partially filmed on Berry’s campus in 2023. The date will be announced in the coming weeks.