This past Wednesday, Women Wednesdays FSU joined Women Wednesdays TLH for their 1st of the Month Speaker series at Domi Station. This month, to celebrate the start of Women’s History Month, WW TLH had the Tallahassee-Leon Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CSWG) come out to hear and discuss how Tallahassee can become the number one city for women.
The meeting started with a general introduction of WW TLH, the CSWG, and WW FSU. Everyone received a piece of paper with two questions on it—one that asked what can be changed to realize your ambitions, and what can be done in Tallahassee to reach them. The large group of women was then divided into small groups, with a leader within CSWG at every group.
My group consisted of another college student and two women in a different field than I aspire to go into. We learned from each of our perspectives that building a community of women within Tallahassee is important. We can help each other through a barter system (i.e. trading skills instead of money) and creating a network professionally. Additionally, it was discussed that Florida State University (as well as adjacent campuses) has a “bubble” around it. College campuses are their own world, so when it is time to find an internship or employment after college, it can be scary, and students don’t know where to start. As women, we should burst that bubble through mentorships and general accessibility to women in the community that can help cross-generationally.
It was discussed what can be done to help women achieve their ambitions. Affordable childcare and housing were common subjects. Safety, as well, was discussed because if you don’t feel safe in a community, you cannot thrive. Gas stations in the Tallahassee area are commonplace women feel unsafe, as well as cheaper housing areas. Improving these will help women continue their day-to-day tasks without feeling at risk.
Thank you Women Wednesdays TLH and CSWG for hosting this event. WW FSU, as well as the community, learned a lot about each other. We hope to attend more in the future!