Ferris senior Brittany Wellman puts promoting a happy and healthy outlook on gender equality at the top of her agenda.
Wellman, a Psychology major, is the president of the Ferris chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW).
NOW is a multicultural feminist activist student organization connected with the national organization. Their main goals are to bring about equality for women and promote justice in everyday society.
“The organization as a whole has many core beliefs, including reproductive rights, economic justice, LGBT rights, ending violence against women and constitutional equality,” Wellman said.
NOW is the largest feminist activist group in the United States, proudly bearing over 500,000 contributing members. Since it’s founding in 1966, their goal has been to bring about equality for all women.
“The group also aims to shed light upon some of the more taboo subjects of gender equality, such as sexual health and sexual assaults on campus,” Wellman said.
“We just had a table in FLITE where we passed out free condoms – so far this semester we’ve probably handed out at least 1,500,” Wellman said. “We want to do all that we can to change stereotypes surrounding women’s rights movements and promote a healthy campus environment.”
Political Science senior and active NOW member Heather Elliot has the same goal in mind.
“I joined NOW because women’s rights and equal opportunity are important to me and our group supports and advocates those ideas,” Elliot said.
The National Organization for Women is accepting to all, men and women alike. It isn’t a competition for one sex being better than the other, but rather a fight for equality for all.
“I also hope to one day have a career fighting for women’s rights and equality not only in America, but in other countries as well,” Elliot said.
While advocating equality and justice for women is NOW’s foremost goal, the group also focuses heavily on just promoting a happy and healthy growth in the way we think and feel as a society.
“We will be doing a Love Your Body Day this semester,” Wellman said. “The details are still being planned, but the day is all about positive body image and loving yourself no matter what.”
NOW meets every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. in FLITE 214, and the next meeting will take place on Nov. 5.