"What Is Activism?"

           This excerpt is a history, an explanation, and a record of advice on activism. The authors define activism and its origins and place it within the concept of Third Wave Feminism for the use of young feminists today with an inherent desire for change. The authors provide historical evidence as well as personal experience and opinion to illustrate activism and feminism's need for activism. This particular piece could be extremely useful for women in the workforce who need motivation to protest workforce injustices, or simply for those people who are seeking a basic platform for beginning their own activist careers. However, whilst reading this piece one must keep in mind that the authors write from a white upper-class woman standpoint and may not relate to those of other classes or races. -C.S.

This article shows a good summary of feminism in the United States, starting with the Seneca Falls Convention of the first wave and ending with the non-passing of the Equal Rights Amendment, the Violence Against Women Act, and Jennifer and Amy sitting in their apartment, pondering the "Third Wave" of feminism. This is a very relevant article to read as a young feminist, because the first wave and second wave are greatly addressed and defined, as they should be, but because we are living in the so-called third wave right now, it is harder to define. The essential problems remain: equality and reproductive rights and the like, but they have taken on a different form in third wave politics. Jennifer and Amy write their own short memoir about how they personally found feminism and activism in general, showing the importance in the third wave of individual experiences and standpoint theory. Jennifer and Amy give heed to past feminists, but also call for a more clear understanding of and dedication to this new wave--they set forward a feminist "manifesta," dispel myths, revisit history, and encourage young women to get involved. - K.B.