[NEGOTIATING] SPACE

When I got accepted to a Women Studies program at a Catholic university and lot of people would ask, “well how does that work out?” I don’t believe it’s a completely novel notion, but a lot of people have this idea that it’s impossible to say I’m a feminist, I’m a very hard core feminist, but I’m also a woman of faith, and that is just as important to me. I never really saw it as an issue because I have found a lot of women that balance this, and I see both of these in their lives on a daily basis. It became really obvious that at the foundation there is so much overlap between feminism and religious teachings of justice, understanding, and the desire to make this world a better, more cooperative place. In this episode we hear from four women from different religious identities who prove that negotiating faith and feminism isn’t so hard at all.

**These women are speaking personally, and do not intend to act as last-word authorities and representatives for their entire faith community. Everyone’s experience is different and they are simply sharing their personal testimony.** 

Bios:

Stephanie Goldfarb has both an MSW and an MA in Women and Gender Studies from Loyola University Chicago. She is the Senior Associate of Youth Initiatives at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. There, she specializes in youth philanthropy education and innovative leadership training curriculum for teenagers. Stephanie also sits on Chicago Women’s Health Center board of directors where she hopes to facilitate strategic planning and the expansion of health services. 

Bernadette is interested in the intersections of faith and feminism. She holds an MA in Women and Gender Studies and is currently studying Systematic Theology. Her research includes feminist theology, Catholic-Jewish studies, Spirituality, and Pneumatology. 

Morgan Service received her BA in English and Women’s Studies from the University of Florida and graduated from Loyola University Chicago with an MA in Women and Gender Studies in 2011. She sees her multiple identities as feminist, Christian, and queer as all core to who she is. She has a deep interest in reconciling Christianity and feminism and could not imagine being completely removed from either community. She has a blog, www.foodfaithfemme.blogspot.com where she sometimes shares her thoughts about faith, feminism, and her other great love—food.

Saleha Jabeen is a native of Hyderabad, India. She is involved with the MyJihad campaign, serving as an outreach coordinator. She is also an outreach intern at CAIR Chicago. Currently, she is pursuing graduate studies in the field of theology at Catholic Theological Union, with a major in Interreligious Dialogue, focusing on Catholic Muslim Studies.  She has recently returned from a trip to the holy land as part of an interfaith scholarship program.

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