PROGRAM
Join us for an interactive panel discussion with four young women who already have deep experience as activists. These young activists use poetry, theater, music, advocacy for legislation, writing, protest, and more to raise and address sex trafficking and sexual assault, Black women’s and girls’ lives, stop-and-frisk policing, domestic and gender-based violence, strict gender conventions, and teens’ lived experiences. They will share what their activism involves, what inspires them, how they got started, and how they sustain their commitment to doing the challenging work of advancing social justice and influencing public policy.
Participants include:
Monique “Orisha Love” Letamendi has been in love with theater, poetry and music for as long as she can remember. Starting in 2010, she began teaching poetry and literacy in various state-funded programs. Monique has extended her talents to various social reform movements, including #fightfor15, Black Woman Blueprint at the Roulette Theater, and unconstitutional stop-and-frisk policies with Make The Road New York. Monique has facilitated workshops with National Black Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College, and performed at Pratt University and Barnard College. From poetry to performing to supporting and mentoring young girls all over NYC, Orisha is teaching youth to love themselves, love their struggles and love their neighbors.
Em Odesser is the 17-year-old Editor in Chief and co-creator of Teen Eye Magazine, a publication completely run by and for creators under 19. In 2017, she was named one of Vice’s “6 Young Activists Who Made History.” She is based in New York City, where she works on 8-Ball Community’s public access television station. Em serves as the executive assistant for Sad Girls Club.
Darci Siegel is currently a Battered Women Legal Services intern at Sanctuary for Families, working on campaigns for New York State and Federal Bills addressing sex trafficking, and has done work on domestic violence, child trafficking, gender-based violence and immigration. She has worked for Equality Now, the Feminist Press, The Collective Sex at Pure House, and The Arts Effect. She has given many keynotes, including at the UN Commission on the Status of Women Conference and the National Summit on Human Trafficking. She has written for HelloGiggles, GirlTalkHQ, and has been interviewed by CNN, NY1 and The New York Times. A second-year student at Vassar College, Darci is majoring in International Studies with a minor in Women & Gender Studies, where she holds leadership positions in an array of campus administrative offices, committees and programs addressing sexual assault.
Priyanka Voruganti is a 15-year-old poet, actress, and singer, but most importantly, an activist. Through writing about issues like strict gender conventions in Indian culture, acting to raise awareness about sexual assault and rape culture, and singing traditional Hindustani music to celebrate Indian culture and music, Priyanka strives to incorporate intersectional feminism in everything she does.
Em Odesser is the 17-year-old Editor in Chief and co-creator of Teen Eye Magazine, a publication completely run by and for creators under 19. In 2017, she was named one of Vice’s “6 Young Activists Who Made History.” She is based in New York City, where she works on 8-Ball Community’s public access television station. Em serves as the executive assistant for Sad Girls Club.
Darci Siegel is currently a Battered Women Legal Services intern at Sanctuary for Families, working on campaigns for New York State and Federal Bills addressing sex trafficking, and has done work on domestic violence, child trafficking, gender-based violence and immigration. She has worked for Equality Now, the Feminist Press, The Collective Sex at Pure House, and The Arts Effect. She has given many keynotes, including at the UN Commission on the Status of Women Conference and the National Summit on Human Trafficking. She has written for HelloGiggles, GirlTalkHQ, and has been interviewed by CNN, NY1 and The New York Times. A second-year student at Vassar College, Darci is majoring in International Studies with a minor in Women & Gender Studies, where she holds leadership positions in an array of campus administrative offices, committees and programs addressing sexual assault.
Priyanka Voruganti is a 15-year-old poet, actress, and singer, but most importantly, an activist. Through writing about issues like strict gender conventions in Indian culture, acting to raise awareness about sexual assault and rape culture, and singing traditional Hindustani music to celebrate Indian culture and music, Priyanka strives to incorporate intersectional feminism in everything she does.
About PhenomenalWomen@RH
PhenomenalWomen@RH is a new series bringing the voices, insights, and experiences of girls and women whose local, national and global activism, creativity, scholarship, and perspectives engage, provoke, and inspire innovative paths to social justice and public policy. PhenomenalWomen@RH is based at Roosevelt House and is co-sponsored by the Women and Gender Studies Department at Hunter College.
