Activism in Action

As I delve deeper into my final project—looking at ways the LDS church positions women through their new “I’m a Mormon” campaign—it has become glaringly obvious to me that I cannot be a passive feminist in this culture in which I exist.  While there are inherent risks to being known as a feminist as a Mormon, I have come to learn through the course of this class that I can be both, and that each distinct category contributes an essential element to my identity.  However, having this “feminist awakening” as my sisters on the “Feminist Mormon Housewives” blog call it has left me wanting to do something with this newfound knowledge and identity.  I have watched over the course of the semester on this blog and the accompanying Facebook group as many of the rhetorical options presented by Sowards and Renegar employed by the women who are vocal in this arena.  Until reading this article, I had never considered these things “activism” but do now realize some of them are. 

The biggest one I have noticed is the first option mentioned by Sowards and Renegar—Leadership as Activism.  Not only do these middle-aged women provide leadership to those of us just beginning our feminist journey, helping us to reconcile our feminism and our faith, but they also provide stories of how they use this while serving in leadership capacities within their own congregations.  One woman mentioned her frustration with the lesson she was supposed to teach on Sunday, and sought guidance on how to “modify” the lesson, so as to still fitting within the purpose, but including a more feminist slant.  This is just one example, but this seems to be a somewhat common occurrence on the Facebook page.  If anything, each of these women talk about how to be a “Mo-feminist” (Mormon feminist) and talk of how they model things (like language choice) for others around them.  In line with Sowards and Renegar, “all individuals who call themselves feminists become leaders, moving from leaderless activism to an activism where everyone can play a role in leadership” (p. 62).  This is definitely the case with this group—always welcoming and encouraging us “newbies” to do more both in and outside of the group. 

The other option that is clearly seen within this group is “building feminist self-identity as activism.”  Because of the traditional Mormon culture, it is a risk to identify as a feminist within the general church population.  In the 1970s, many intellectuals and feminists were excommunicated from the church.  (This is essentially the worst thing that can happen in this life to a devout Mormon.)  These actions have caused feminists to go more “underground” and afraid to openly admit to this.  So, by openly admitting to be a feminist, this can be groundbreaking for the general Mormon culture and interpreted as a form of activism.

While I see many of these other options, such as sharing stories as activism and challenging stereotypes and labels as activism, these two seem to be the most salient over the course of this past semester as I have stumbled upon this group and found a home as a “Mo-feminist.”