This year’s Presidents Day was full of productive political conversation. On Monday, Feb. 16, Women in Politics hosted their High Tea event from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Joslyn Atrium.
The gathering drew in participants from the student body, faculty, administration and community members, including political science professor Greg Shaw, history department chair April Schultz, and City Council Representative Mollie Ward.
“The inclusive, feminist spirit of the event honored the birth of the women’s suffrage movement and the efforts of Elizabeth Cary Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Martha C. Wright, Mary Ann McClintock, and Jane Hunt; women who organized the Seneca Falls Convention just 10 days after first airing their political grievances at a small tea gathering,” Women in Politics president Emmy Schubert said.
At the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement, tea hours offered a socially acceptable way for women of upper society to come together and also acted as a cover for the discussion of taboo topics, like politics, which had a large impact on them but which society prevented them from outwardly participating in.
Schubert said hosting the event on Presidents Day was no accident. “At the time of the convention, women were not allowed to speak in public. High Tea honored the historic significance of tea as a means of bringing people together to mobilize for women’s rights, and sought to empower women to use their voices to initiate meaningful dialogue,” Schubert said.
Tables featured floral place settings and place cards, as well as pages of prompts to encourage open discussion. Catering from Sodexo featured egg salad, cucumber cream cheese and turkey tea sandwiches, assorted cookies and brownies, coffee and iced tea.
A silver tea set, belonging to City Council Representative Mollie Ward’s mother, was displayed on the main table, contributing to the event’s theme of honoring tradition.
While the event honored tradition, it also embraced the progress and inclusivity of modern times. Tea sessions used to be reserved for women of a certain race and socioeconomic status, while WIP’s High Tea welcomed men and women with wide-ranging perspectives. Women in Politics’ next event will be in collaboration with the new Feminist Killjoys RSO and will be held on Tuesday, March 24 from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
