I was 10 years old when Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards wrote ‘ManifestA: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future.’ I was 17 years old when I heard them speak about their feminist trademark at Barnard College’s Young Women’s Leadership Institute. I was 20 years old when I finally got around to reading the damn thing.  

I’m a self-proclaimed feminist and women’s studies major, therefore, sinking my teeth into this piece of literature wasn’t exactly a turning point in my ideology, rather, it was way overdue. It didn’t help me realize for the first time that feminism rocks, and it wasn’t my initial awakening to all things feminist. It did, however, make me excited about the future of feminism and all of the potential it has in a brand-new decade.

Reading ‘ManifestA’ for the first time 10 years after its initial publication by Farrar, Straus and Giroux was interestingly eye-opening because of its relevance in today’s society. While 10 years passing has provided enough time to make many strides in the women’s rights movement, we’re still dealing with a lot of issues that Baumgardner and Richards address in their book.   

Reading through Baumgardner and Richards’ theories and critiques provoked questions that I would’ve never otherwise thought of: How can we get to equality if we’re having difficulty defining it? How can we use ‘women’s magazines’ like Glamour and Good Housekeeping to push a more feminist agenda? What’s the best way to disconnect different generations of feminists and make sure they’re on the same page?

I’m proud to say that I started and finished the 10-year anniversary edition of ‘ManifestA’ in one sitting. The authors didn’t leave me with much of a choice — their compelling arguments, inquiries and analyses left me wanting more. Luckily, I can hit up amazon.com and order ‘Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism,’ Baumgardner and Richards’ second co-written book.

Baumgardner and Richards include a brand-new introduction in the 10th anniversary edition and express to readers the importance of their own individual efforts.     
 
‘Alice Rossi wrote in The Feminist Papers that ‘the public heroines of one generation are the private heroines of the next.’ The late poet June Jordan once talked about the first time she realized she disagreed with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — and was liberated in that moment to be as important to civil rights in her community and life as Dr. King was. Both sentiments ask us, all of us, to do the big thing feminism invites us to do — to recognize our power to create social justice in our own unique ways.’ 

Reading these powerful words was not exactly my sole, defining moment of feminist enlightenment, but I did experience a manifesta awakening, 10 years later than the generation before me.

Baumgardner and Richards helped to define a third wave of feminism and guided young women in a particular direction in terms of important issues and questions that need to be answered. With 10 years of progress under our belt, ‘ManifestA’ is still relevant today because of the continuous fight in the women’s rights movement.  

This dynamic duo in feminist history created a 13-point agenda with a purpose to gain equal rights in the United States. One of the most important suggestions to be aware of is ‘#12: To acknowledge that, although feminists may have disparate values, we share the same goal of equality, and of supporting one another in our efforts to gain the power to make our own choices.’

This is a critical realization for all those involved in social movements regarding equality; it is important not to lose sight in the serious matter of personal choice and America’s most vital philosophy of freedom.  
 
Krystie Yandoli is a sophomore women’s studies major. Her column appears weekly and she can be reached at klyandol@syr.edu.