Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Maya Meredith, 2014Biographical NoteMaya Meredith graduated from Columbia College in 2014 with a degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS). She became interested in feminism and feminist writing through blogs and other new media in high school, and arrived at Columbia hoping to take courses in Women's Studies. She originally planned to major in English with a concentration in WGSS, but found herself increasingly drawn to WGSS as a major because of its relevance to her daily life. She formally switched to a WGSS major with a concentration in English as a junior. As an African American woman, she was also drawn to coursework that investigated the intersection of racism and sexism. She wrote several papers that used feminist analysis to examine issues of contemporary relevance, including pop culture topics, and composed a senior essay that applied feminist analysis to the world of "foodie culture," of which she considers herself a part. While at Columbia, Maya was an avid participant in the Philolexian Society (a literary and debate society), and helped to lead significant shift in the leadership of that organization that incorporated many more women and queer people. As of 2014, she worked for a public relations firm in Chelsea
Scope and ContentsMaya Meredith begins this interview by examining her personal history with feminism and her early exploration of it through blogs and publications like Jezebel. After arriving at Columbia University, Meredith began to take courses in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) and was persuaded to major in the discipline after Professor Hilary Hallet's course Gender History and American Film. Meredith discusses the role that reading the works of bell hooks, Simone de Beauvoir's Second Sex, and learning about the case of Sarah Baartman had on her education. Meredith addresses the common frustration with the lack of representation of both feminist texts and texts by people of color within the Columbia Core Curriculum. Meredith also explores the benefits and challenges of using blogs and social media to generate feminist discussion and debate. Further topics of discussion include: Meredith's role in the Philolexian Society; her experience with Q-House, a special interest community for queer students and allies; her relationship with campus activism; and Barnard College's relationship to the rest of the University. Meredith also addresses the personal and political history of her family, her reactions to the killings of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, and gender relations in her life
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2014
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