Flash mob inspires awareness for Women’s History Month

A week-long dedication to Women’s History Month ended with a screening of the movie “Muted” and a flash mob dance afterward.

The Women’s Studies Department and the Gender and Women’s Studies Student Club sponsored various events from March 23 to March 26 at the Palomar College San Marcos Campus.

Palomar’s Gender and Women’s Studies group adviser and professor Devon Smith said she supports the film, as it ties in to Women’s History Month and the week that Palomar has dedicated to it. The club is dedicated to giving a voice to those who don’t. This includes building bridges between the media’s messages and what college students are saying.

“What is the worth of a child?”

This is the question that is argued by the film that was shown at the Brubeck Theatre on March 26. Produced by Tara Tomicevic and Brandi Ford, “Muted” raises awareness of the problem that not all missing persons are created equal.

The film revolves around Lena Gladwell and her struggle when her African-American teenage daughter Crystal gets abducted and the local police force do nothing to cover the news. Yet, when a a local Caucasian girl from a middle class family gets kidnapped, an Amber Alert was immediately set out.

“Numbers don’t lie,” said producer Brandi Ford when asked about what inspired her to write and direct this film. “I did what I knew how to do, which was write. Everyone should matter, and we wanted this film to express that.” She went on to explain that, sadly, we have become a society that feeds off the destruction of people.

“If it bleeds, it leads,” she said.

Some Palomar students attended the film and said they are taking a stand against this stereotype.

One palomar student Anissa Ocansey said “The film was powerful. It is an important representation of a phenomenon that has been going on for decades.”

She said it is important to be equipped, because students have the power through social media make a difference with their friends and family.

“It’s time to start influencing the media instead of letting the media always influencing us,” Ocansey added.

The film is winner of the HBO ABFF 2014 Competition and a finalist in the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, “Muted” touches on a topic that has been ignored.

Missing minority children are not getting the coverage they deserve.

According to Scripps Hoard News, 50 perfect of kidnappings are of minorities, but 66 percent of reports that are covered by the media are of white children. This is mainly due to a “perfect victim” perception that has been created. Victims that are female, white, middle class, cute, and under age twelve have a dominant response called “missing white girls syndrome.” This stereotype does not do missing minority children justice.

Fortunately, Palomar students are taking a stand against this stereotype. One student speaks up, saying “The film was powerful. It is an important representation of a phenomenon that has been going on for decades.” She states it is important to be equipped, because students have the power through social media make a difference with their friends and family. “It’s time to start influencing the media instead of letting the media always influencing us.”