GWSS 200: Reflecting on My History

This quarter, I chose to take the course Intro to Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, simply because I'm incredibly interested in feminism and these studies. This course delved into the intricacies of patriarchy, as well as how it intersects with other systems of oppression, like colonialism and white supremacy. We read many amazing texts, had incredibly interesting discussions, and completed a few thought-provoking assignments. One of these assignments was to write a letter to an ancestor, discussing all the different topics we learned about in class and the differences and similarities of our time and the past. I chose to write to my third great-grandmother along my matrilineal line, Dvoira, who was born a lower-class Jew in Russia and immigrated to Canada in the early 1900s. In my letter, I talked about gender and class tensions primarily, as well as antisemitism. Writing this letter was an incredibly interesting exercise, and was even a bit cathartic, in a time where being Jewish has become increasingly stressful. It was really powerful for me to be able to reach back in time to one of the strong Jewish women in my family who enabled me to be where I am today. While the physical writing is not my best (I'm still learning how to manage and allot time for longer things like the writing process), I'm really proud of the thoughts and effort that went into this letter. This class really challenged me to think about patriarchy not simply as its own system but as inherently connected to other systems of oppression, specifically white supremacy, and I'm very glad I chose to take it.

Pictured above is my great-great-grandmother Ethel, Dvoira's daughter, and her granddaughter and great-granddaughter, my grandmother and my mother.

letter to an ancestor.docx

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