If you have been checking your inbox on Friday mornings, you have probably seen emails about pizza. If you read closely, you might have noticed that it is being served in the reception room at a meeting hosted by WoCC. WoCC – pronounced “woke”– is the Womxn of Color Coalition. We are an affinity group open to all womxn of color at Fieldston. We use the term “womxn” because it is a space open to cis, trans, nonbinary and gender-fluid womxn. We host meetings every other Friday during lunch and address a variety of topics ranging from our experiences at Fieldston to how we see ourselves reflected outside of this community.
I went to my first WoCC meeting in ninth grade on Google Meet. It was led by Ms. Go, one of our faculty advisors. When she first appeared on my screen, I could see her two blue parrots perched on each shoulder. There were only four of us at that meeting, birds included. My dedication to WoCC grew the following year, when we returned to in-person school. As a younger member of WoCC, I was able to build friendships with upperclassmen that have gone through their transition to college. They welcomed me into the high school community and shared stories that have helped me navigate Fieldston.
Each member of WoCC appreciates the affinity group in their own way. WoCC member Alex Walker (V) said, “In WoCC I feel comfortable talking about issues that pertain to women of color that I wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about with my white friends.” When I spoke to Savanah Carrasquillo (VI) she said, “WoCC has given me a safe space to talk about issues prevalent to our specific intersectionalities. I am glad that I also have the space to hear other perspectives.” Erin Saunders (VI), a WoCC leader, told me, “I didn’t know how much I needed WoCC until I first went. WoCC is a space where I can exhale; the burden I carry each week from being a woman of color at a PWI is taken off my shoulders. I’ve met the most amazing people through WoCC, and for that, I am forever grateful.”
We invite anyone who identifies as a womxn of color to join us at future meetings to help us continue to strengthen our community.
