As I stood amongst the crowd on the steps of Gorgas, my black shirted back burning from the oncoming sun, gazing up at brave students sharing their stories and perspectives of oppression on this campus, I thought to myself, this is more than a protest. This is a step in the right direction for this university. Though not the central message of Thursday’s protest, it made me think about how it served as a rallying cry for greek women at The University of Alabama.
It was an interesting crowd at Thursday’s rally. Not many NPHC and IFC Greeks stood in the inner cluster of black that stood close to the steps. I saw more familiar faces in the outer circle lingering, in their pastel t-shirts, looking on behind dark sunglasses and raising their phones to take the occasional snapchat. And even more walked by and stopped for a moment to examine the curious scene under the flags flying at half-staff, and then continued on their way.
As I shifted amongst the sea of black – I watched a young woman with a short blond haircut climb the steps of Gorgas and lift the megaphone. Rachael Hartley began to tell the gripping story of her sexual assault during her freshman year. The crowd was silent and all eyes, in the black and in the lingering circles, watched her on the large Gorgas steps.
“My heart absolutely broke. I no longer felt safe,” Hartley said. “I didn’t want to be at UA anymore, and I still struggled with figuring out what had just been done to my friend and me.” My heart ached for her – her story echoed several of those I had heard from girls in my house, other houses and independents. But never had I heard a story in an arena like this – so open, and not scared, but defiant.
That’s when her speech turned, “What happened to me is something that happens every day on this campus, especially in the greek system,” Hartley continued, and then later said, “The redeeming factor is that The Machine means nothing without their members. They could not survive without the very people in the greek system that they threaten in order to keep a stronghold over greek life and campus politics. What gets me is that sororities buy in to The Machine and, compared to Machine-backed fraternities, get absolutely nothing in return.”
Listening to Hartley speak made me think – why has it taken this long? Why has it come to this for us to start talking about what is going on in these fraternity houses, and why is it that sorority women avoid this topic? What does The Machine truly do to empower women on this campus?
I think one of the problems with sorority women uniting for issues like this is that we are inherently told that we can’t trust girls in other houses – and for us to make an effective change we are going to have to align across letters. We are told that we are constantly competing with each other – whether it’s for PNMs in recruitment, homecoming, greek week, and dates to football games. But when it comes to something as universal as sexual assault – it’s time to break the silence, and talk to each other honestly. Because the only way to make real change against sexual assault, we are going to have to look out for one another – regardless of the letters she wears and if she bears none at all.
“Sororities need to stop letting The Machine bully them. You are better than this. All of us are powerful, driven women that are capable of much more than what The Machine has to offer,” Hartley continued, “We need to make sure this can’t happen to us anymore. We are being silenced. Sure, it’s nice to have the social capital provided by The Machine, but would you rather have better swaps, or see you and your sisters succeed without a patriarchal system like The Machine?”
I include many of Hartley’s direct quotes for the young women that were not there on Thursday, and because I think she words some of these concepts better than I could. I also think she really captured a lot of the thoughts that frustrated women on this campus have been thinking for awhile. You deserve to feel safe on this campus, and we need for women to work together on this campus to take a stand and say that we are done.
Don’t let any entity – whether that is The Machine or something else – make you feel less that. You are enough, and if anything you deserve more than the University has given you in a long time. So it’s time for the women on this campus to learn from the protestors today and make some demands. Demand for equal treatment, demand for safety and demand to change the culture on this campus – because once women start working together, no underground society can stop us.
Meghan Dorn is a senior majoring in political science. Her column runs biweekly.
