‘It’s On Us’ campaign hosts songwriter night, celebrates Women’s History Mon

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Belmont University’s chapter of the national “It’s On Us” campaign hosted a Women’s Songwriter Night in the Curb Café on Monday night.

Although Belmont celebrates Women’s History Month every year, this is the first year a songwriters’ round has been among the events. The songwriters included Kaycie Satterfield, Bryce Davidson and Katie Buxton.

The purpose of the event, which has been in the works for a few months, was to give a voice to women through song.

“I think any time women can have their voices heard in whatever form is available to them, whether it’s song or a speech or writing, any time we can celebrate women raising their voices, we should encourage that,” said Sarah Blomely, the Women’s History Month co-chair and associate professor of English.

The songwriters echoed the statement in wanting to represent fellow women and give them a loud voice.

“I just want little girls to see a girl on stage, playing a guitar, telling her story honestly, and I want that to empower them to do the same. Not necessarily through music, but through whatever it is they want to do,” Satterfield said.

Every year, Belmont has a different theme for Women’s History Month. This year, in accordance with the national campaign that began under the Obama administration, the theme is “It’s On Us.”

The national campaign aims specifically to combat sexual violence on college campuses across the country.

“All of the convocations have to do with supporting survivors of sexual violence and thinking about what we as individuals and as a campus and as a culture can do to fight it,” Blomely said.

The month-long campaign has included a bystander intervention training session and a screening of a new documentary about Maya Angelou, one of the first American writers to speak out against sexual violence in the 1960s.

On March 27 at 10 a.m., the campaign’s keynote event will take place. The Rev. Becca Stevens, founder of Magdalene House and Thistle Farms, will be speaking to Belmont students about the programs she started for survivors of sex trafficking, addiction and violence.

Take Back The Night will take place on April 6 in the Chapel at 6:30 p.m. The event is about putting power back in the hands of victims of sexual violence and giving the silenced a voice. There will be a march that ends in a candlelight vigil at the bell tower.

“There’s a long history of women being silenced. As long as people have been speaking and writing, women have had to fight to be heard, and so I feel that it’s our responsibility, whenever we can encourage speaking out or singing out, to do so,” Blomely said.

Art celebrating Women’s History Month will be displayed all around campus throughout the month.

Convocation credit was offered and will be offered at future “It’s On Us” events.

This article was written by Reed Ferguson.