Women’s empowerment: Inspiring confidence and unity

As a woman of color, Porsha Carter has long been interested in women’s rights and racial equity.

“Experiencing the effects of discrimination for both my gender and race lights a fire in me,” says Carter, a senior at School of Inquiry & Life Sciences at Asheville. “Societal stereotypes create a sense of determination in me to counter those ideas.”

Carter channels this passion through Glitter Sisters, a campus empowerment group focused on support for Black women in a white society. Joining the organization has granted her a better understanding of herself, as well as her desire and need to advocate for individuals who struggle to do so themselves.

What does feminism mean to you?

Feminism to me means eliminating the negative bias toward women and breaking down the sexualized, derogatory demeanor surrounding us. As women, we are criticized for every aspect of our lives, so I push to advocate for women to be able to do whatever they want freely, without the fear that it doesn’t match with what society would find acceptable. Feminism also means encouraging women to take on leadership roles, standing out in a male-dominant society and being successful in what they do while properly being compensated for their achievements.

What is a standout accomplishment that Glitter Sisters has achieved during your time with it?

Glitter Sisters has created a safe environment within our school. Having this safe environment has allowed our women of color to create as well as maintain healthy external and internal relationships. By doing this, we [help inspire] women who are confident in themselves and the work they are doing inside and outside of school. When women are confident, we tend to radiate energy that others around us feed off of, which is essential in high school where we typically grow and learn. Although high school can tend to create divides between women, Glitter Sisters has brought a diverse group of amazing women together and furthered our intellectual curiosity, allowing us to find out our passions and how we want to contribute to and fix the society we are a part of.

What is the biggest issue facing women on your campus?

Going to a predominantly white school, we have the obvious disproportional racial divide between white women and women of color. Due to generational patterns, we tend to feed into the systematic arrangement of specific groups. By doing this, we are further isolating ourselves as an already mistreated body. The women within our school are strong, smart individuals with marvelous ideas, although instead of coming together, we tend to work against each other.