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About the 2007-2008 Alexis Knox Fellow, Serena Cruz
Serena is currently a doctoral student of International Relations at Florida International University in Miami. Her research focus incorporates feminist and gender theory to study the affects of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In addition to her academics, she is in active member of her local Younger Women's Task Force Chapter, Women's Movement Now (WMN). Serena also volunteers for Planned Parenthood, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and Go Left. Serena believes leadership begins with mentorship. Thus, she pursues mentorship opportunities with her students and other younger activists in her community not only to further develop her own style of leadership, but to encourage the growth of future younger women leaders. She currently lives in Fort Lauderdale with her husband and two cats.
About Serena's Project
Younger Women’s Leadership
A Film by Serena Cruz
OVERVIEW
The Younger Women’s Leadership film project looks at younger women’s leadership from the perspective of younger women involved in the Younger Women’s Task Force (YWTF) and from other socially progressive organizations and individuals in attendance at the 2007 United States Social Forum (USSF).
The film begins in Miami following the local YWTF chapter, Women’s Movement Now (WMN), on a bus north from Miami to Atlanta to attend the 2007 USSF meeting from June 27 through July 1, 2007. On location in Atlanta the film captures WMN engaged in leadership projects with many other progressive women’s projects (e.g. Sister Song, ChoiceUSA, Ms. Foundation, and the USSF Women’s Caucus) and one-on-one interviews with social justice activists.
Later, the film moves locations to New York City and Chicago to engage younger women leaders involved in the YWTF Chapters. Overall, at each location the film focus is on interviewing and observing as many younger women leaders in-action.
OUTLINE
1. Who are younger women leaders in the U.S. Women’s Movement today?
2. What are their definitions of leadership?
3. What do these styles of leadership look like?
4. How can their leadership styles and preferences help strengthen the women’s movement and the overlapping social justice movements in the U.S.?
5. Do they consider themselves feminist? Why or why not?
BACKGROUND
Younger women are often dismissed and undermined largely due to persistent negative stereotypes about their level of understanding and engagement in leadership. Therefore, it is important to address some of these assumptions about younger women’s leadership and set aside what can be called the “The Apathy Myth”. The Apathy Myth is stereotype about younger women that claims they are apathetic to social causes and frivolous about their roles in society. This myth is used to explain why younger women are not “ready” for leadership roles when it comes to addressing and changing critical realities in their communities.
Younger women’s participation in progressive social change is embedded in a broad conceptualization of social justice. Recognizing constraints within the social justice movement, which has long been patterned after masculine hierarchy and lacks sustainable gender awareness, is an important dynamic that younger women’s leadership brings to the social justice agenda. Additionally, there are aspects of the U.S. Women’s Movement that are disconnected from the larger social justice movement. Thus an organic definition of leadership by younger women enhances social justice activism and empowers younger women, not just within the U.S. Women’s Movement, but within various aspects of multiple change-making agendas of the social justice agenda.
SCOPE OF FILM
1. To show three different geographies where younger women’s leadership styles an actions are strong and diverse (i.e. Miami, New York, and Chicago).
2. To show how these different geographies complicate younger women’s leadership processes and require different networking strategies as well as creative and unique means of collective action and organizing specific to where these organizations are located.
3. To show through interviews and action-shots what younger women’s leadership feels and looks like.
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Younger women’s task force • 1701 K Street NW Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006 • (202) 293-4505
©2007 National Council of Women’s Organizations. All Rights Reserved.
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