Aliyah C. Tipton
Staff Writer
Destiney Lawrence, 2016-2017 Miss Jackson State University leads the charge to celebrate women during Women’s Emphasis Week activities beginning March 20th.
Lawrence explained the significance of the events that took place.
“Women’s Emphasis Week is simply putting the EMPHASIS on the women on campus,” Lawrence said. “Allowing the women to be openly appreciated and empowered through fun events and activities.”
Inspiration for the weeklong activities came after attending a gathering known as a “RoyalTea”. “I had a guest speaker named Lecia Rivers. She left all the women with their mouths wide open in awe, because so many women face different issues that other ladies have no idea about. A few young ladies got up and told their testimony during the tea and it bridged the gap between the ladies who came with a closed mind,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence went on to say that the ladies who attended [the tea] were able to see that they needed one another as sisters. Though women smile and are beautiful, there may also be some hurt behind those smiles and beauty.
“We have to be careful who we count out because of outer appearance,” said Lawrence.
A different event for Women’s Emphasis Week took place on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. There was a field day that took place on Monday, March 20. According to Lawrence, the field day was geared towards males and females celebrating one another with food, drinks, music, fun, and games.
“I had to make sure I kicked my week off the right way,” she said. “Everyone loves field days! It reminds us of when we were kids in middle school, excited to just be out of class.”
A slumber party for females only took place on Tuesday, March 21. The attendees made vision boards.
“The purpose of the vision boards were to show the ladies you can’t have tunnel vision when it comes to your future,” said Lawrence. “It is very important to write your vision down and make it plain.”
She continued by discussing how planning is important, as well as completing your goals and setting them high. Lawrence noted that the boards should “remain in visible sight, not as a decoration in a dorm room, but a reminder to the ladies that their dreams are waiting to be pursued.”
Besides creating the vision boards, the ladies also participated in various games at the slumber party. One game in particular, called cross the line, allowed the young ladies to break barriers. They were shown, through this game, that sometimes women prejudge those they see every day, forgetting that all are struggling with the same issues and insecurities or family/relationship issues.
Finally, on Thursday, March 23, a panel discussion was held called “The Real”. Various topics were discussed that allowed the ladies to open up and give advice to audience members.
“The main topic turned out to be relationship-geared, and how you make sure you love someone during the season they are serving in your life. No one just steps in your life and leaves you without [teaching you] something. It’s either a lesson or a blessing. This panel discussion gave many ladies a different outlook on love and heartbreaks,” said Lawrence.
In the words of Miss JSU, “We need one another more than we think.”
