"Anti-oppression work is best when it's in the hands of lots of people, instead of being hoarded by a select few," says Milan.
She then transitions into talking about "planting seeds for one another, that will be nurtured as we continue growing." A metaphor referring to to ways in which all of us are able to make an impact.
"I love makeup, and I can also talk about imperialism at the same time," says Milan, which leads to a round of applause.
Now touching on the ways in which we limit ourselves by saying that certain genders can only be certain things, i.e. you can't be feminine and athletic, or you can't be masculine and have feelings.
"We're living with these very narrow ideas of what gender means," she says.
"We know that visibility doesn't mean security," says Milan about the transgender community.
Some shocking statistics: 20 transgender women have been murdered in the United States this year. 19 of them were women of color.
"We know that just because we're seeing folks represented on TV or in movies, that that doesn't guarantee safety."
Lots of heavy topics being touched on in rapid succession by Milan.
In the last half an hour we've heard about structures of oppression, the importance of intersectional feminism, gender inequality and transgender issues, among others.
"I'm very much community educated, and the communities that have educated me have taught me so much are so important, and it's important that we don't discount that," says Milan.
She recounts the story of being in a Mayan history class in university where a friend who happened to be Mayan challenged the professor on what he was teaching. The professor completely shut her friend down by saying that he clearly knew more about the subject since he had been studying it for years. To which the friend replied that she'd been Mayan her whole life.
For Milan, it represented a fundamental shift in the way she thought about education and intelligence.
"If we continue to value only one narrative and one voice, we miss out on the fact that there are multiple realities, and multiple stories that exist at the same time," she says.
"Unless someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It's not."
-The Lorax
After confessing her love for the Dr. Suess book "The Lorax," Milan urges that we not forget those things that we have passion for, and that we use them to make the world a better place.
"We all have a responsibility to make this world a more ethical one," says Milan.
"Allow yourself to be guided from that place inside of you that tells you when something is not just," says Milan, as her presentation comes to an end. "I really want you to feel inspired in the work that is possible, even though there are a lot of challenges."
I’m going to be live blogging tonight’s Fem(me) Frosh keynote speech that’s being delivered by Kim Katrin Milan (@KimKatrinMilan). She is an award winning artist, educator and writer. Milan’s speech is entitled “Re-Imagining Womyn’s Leadership," and will focus on inspiring students to create their own platforms for activism.by Anna Sophia Vollmerhausen via YouTube 9/23/2015 10:38:24 PM