March 212019

WGSS hosted a lunch with Franchesca Ramsey and majors and minors on March 21 during Women’s History Month 2019. During the lunch, students had the opportunity to ask Ramsey about her work, prior to her keynote address for Women’s History Month at the University of Idaho later that evening.

The keynote address took place at the Bruce M. Pitman Center on the University of Idaho campus and was free and open to the public. During the keynote, Ramsey spoke about intersectionality, privilege, and race. Afterward, Ramsey signed copies of her 2018 book of personal essays, Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist.

Ramsey at the lunch with WGSS majors and minors
Ramsey at the lunch with WGSS majors and minors

Ramsey, also known as Chescaleigh, is a writer, activist, comedian, YouTube personality, and actress. Ramsey’s fame rose in January 2012 when her video, “Sh*t White Girls Say to Black Girls” went viral. Since then, Ramsey has been a correspondent for “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” and host of the MTV News series, “Decoded,” in which she discusses race and popular culture.

 

The Women’s Center at the University of Idaho and Washington State University’s Women*s Center collaborated to bring Ramsey to the Palouse area. The event was sponsored by U of I’s Women’s Center, Office of Equity and Diversity, Office of the Dean of Students, College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Student Involvement and the School of Journalism and Mass Media. WSU sponsors included the Women*s Center, Coalition for Women Students, The Program in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, The President’s Commission on the Status of Women and the Cougar Leadership Team.