Service Learning Activism Log, Entry Three.

1) I specifically skipped last week in my logs because I had neither the information to offer, nor the time or energy to fill a word count. However, I've made significant strides in my Planned Parenthood plans and hours since I last logged. Most immediately, I will be phone-banking for the election, in favor of pro-choice candidates, at the Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando office tomorrow morning/afternoon, so that will amount to just enough hours that I'm not terribly worried about coming up short with this project, after the other plans are implemented. As for my reproductive health movie night, it basically became more trouble than it was worth for everyone involved, as VOX's calendar of events is packed in the month of November, so I'm teaming up with Jackie and Schuyler for their movie night on masculinity, where they're playing "Bigger, Faster, Stronger," on Tuesday, the 16th. I'll be getting the movie, preparing snacks, and offering any support necessary to Jackie and Schuyler, though I'm not sure yet what that will look like yet, beyond discussion leading at the end. I spoke to Rachel on Wednesday night about Men's Health Week and she's still planning events for Men's Health week and she's very tied up with her internships, so I am basically just waiting to hear from her and I'll work from there.

2) As always, Planned Parenthood is vital to including a balanced approach to women's health in our political discourse. Finding Democratic politicians who will not err on the side of caution with progressivism is often very difficult, as we often find instead that what was meant to be "change" is really moderate pandering. For this reason, I am incredibly glad to be phone-banking and helping others find politicians whose views line up with their own, as wading through the often murky rhetoric of politics can sometimes be viewed by prospective voters as more trouble than it's worth. Apathy to the political process only leads to the disempowerment of women in the longrun, as many states are poised to ban abortion or re-criminalize it, given the opportunity (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 214). In Colorado this year, there is an amendment on the ballot, referred to as the Colorado Fetal Personhood Amendment, which endeavors to change the Colorado Constitution by "applying the term 'person' as used in those provisions of the Colorado Constitution relating to inalienable rights, equality of justice and due process of law, to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being" (Ballotpedia). Talk about problematic. Even though it would never begin to effect me or anyone I know directly, I can only hope that it does not pass, as it would set a very disturbing precedent.

3) As mentioned above, I feel incredibly grateful to be doing anything I can to give a progressive voice to my community. As it turns out, this is probably my easiest set of projects out of all of my Service Learning community partners, but organizing it has been exceedingly stressful because everyone I'm reporting to is very busy and has decided to change their plans without notice, which at this point, is completely fine with me, and these projects I have now are basically just incredibly easy, but necessary ways of completing my hours. I have learned that I absolutely have to be flexible in terms of what I plan to do with any particular organization, unless their calendar is planned at the very beginning of the semester, and again, I'm fine with that, and it's good for me on a personal level.

Works Cited

Kirk, Gwyn, and Okazawa-Rey, Margo. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

"Colorado Fetal Personhood, Amendment 62 (2010) - Ballotpedia." Ballotpedia. Mediawiki, 27 Oct. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Colorado_Fetal_Personhood,_Amendment_62_(2010)>.


Word Count: 629