The early 90s brought third wave feminism to America and with it, came the founding of Wheaton’s Emerson House. The feminist theme house was founded in 1994 with the intention of paying homage to Wheaton’s all-women history and to spread the message of feminism and intersectionality on campus.
On March 30, the theme house will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. The co-presidents, Abbie Sprague ’20 and Kate Constantine ’21 are embracing this event as an opportunity to redefine feminism in Emerson House and on campus.
“It’s a chance for us to get back to our roots and what motivated the co-founders to start this space and community. A chance for us to revamp ourselves and evolve,” said Sprague.
The co-presidents are working towards establishing a more modern and accepting view of the house, to cultivate an all-inclusive community.
“We accept people into the house that have different understandings of their own identity or any aspect of womanhood,” said Constantine.
In addition to those who identify as women, Emerson House also accepts non-binary individuals. Sprague and Constantine encourage anyone who feels unsafe or is simply wanting to talk, to stop by the house and hang out.
The house has worked with a number of groups this year such as The Base and House of REPS to promote the presence of feminism on campus, hoping to make the movement more accessible to everyone on campus.