About girlPWRD
Amplifying Silenced Voices of Women through Digital Storytelling
We are girlPWRD.
GirlPWRD, as a project, comes from a place of wanting to amplify narratives that are traditionally undervalued. I want to challenge myself and others- that we don’t know everything. We need to learn from one another. Open up. Listen. Empathize.
-Brooke Schumann
GirlPWRD provides women's silenced voices a space to be seen and heard. We digitally document women's life stories, memories, and experiences from rural communities of south-central Wisconsin. GirlPWRD aims to amplify voices that struggle to reach beyond the teller by bringing individuals' experiences to the forefront of a digital space. We call on our site visitors to not only listen to these stories of women's silence but to continue to listen to all of the silencings around our communities, country, and world.
On July 12th, 2021, I lost my close friend & fellow UW-Madison classmate, Dani, to a fatal overdose. Reflecting on Dani's life, I smile remembering all the things that brought her joy: her rural community, love for motorcycles, and motherhood to her reptile "babies." Above all, I recall the compassion and support she offered other women facing challenges in their lives. I can still remember evenings we would be out to dinner together, and women in our community would come up to Dani and thank her for being a support toward their recovery. Her kindness and ability to love people as they are have left a lasting impression on me (and countless others).
Dani's life and legacy are the foundation that inspired the inception and focus of GirlPWRD. I dedicate GirlPWRD to Dani and all of the other girls who left this earth, bearing an untold story.
Dani (left) and Brooke (right)
Foundational Frameworks
Methodology
In order to further understand the impact of women's silence, the power of listening, and digital storytelling's role in lifting voices, I decided to perform a case study on my community-based project, GirlPWRD, through a scholarly, analytical lens. I needed to deepen my intellect to open my mind to the scholarship, case studies, and theories circling amongst researchers. In an effort to continue to add to the work of scholars like Cheryl Glenn, Kristina Ratcliffe, and Joe Lambert, I asked the GirlPWRD storytellers if they would participate in my study. All three storytellers agreed to become participants.
girlPWRD Case Studies
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Rosana
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Sze
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Sara
CONCLUSION: Are we Listening?
I believe every woman has a story to tell. Reflecting on Dani's life, I understand how essential it is for women to speak in their own words and feel comfortable sharing their experiences before it's too late. I encourage our visitors to open their arms to every voice, no matter how misunderstood or different. I created the GirlPWRD digital platform to highlight the underrepresented voices in my community to allow women to open up, re-author their stories, and reflect on their journeys. Representation matters; we need to hear everyone's voice, especially the marginalized. Silence doesn't have to be women's demise. It also can be a superpower.
Within the case study, Rosana, Sze, and Sarah showcase different expressions of silence. Silence can result from oppressive force yet veil the authority of empowered action. Digital storytelling allows women a space to let their silence speak. The GirlPWRD digital platform lifts the voices of women that traditionally would not have access to the internet or have the digital literacy skills to compose a digital story. In sharing their stories, we all gain an opportunity to learn, and all we must do is listen. As Ratcliffe sets out, we can achieve this by: promoting an understanding of self and other, proceeding within an accountability logic, locating identifications across commonalities and differences, and analyzing claims as well as the cultural logics within which these claims function. To forge connections and unite people in our communities, country, and the world, we need to listen to each other. Let's open our ears and our hearts to the women around us; as Maya Angelou once said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story." It has been a tremendous honor to meet and connect with the GirlPWRD storytellers, and I hope others will join the effort to continue listening and help lift the voices of others.
