The Women’s Press Collective (WPC) held its annual Evening of Appreciation in the McShane Campus Center Ballroom, honoring the volunteers and supporters who contribute to its mission of building an independent press rooted in community. The event, held on Sept. 18 and organized in partnership with Fordham University’s Center for Community-Engaged Learning (CCEL), offered students and faculty the opportunity to engage directly with a grassroots media organization working to amplify marginalized voices.
Founded as a membership-based association of journalists, writers, designers and press operators, WPC creates free-of-charge publications for individuals and organizations advocating for social change. Through its Publication Benefit Program, WPC provides resources to those on the frontlines of the climate crisis, campaigns for living wages and movements for comprehensive healthcare and workers’ justice. Cathi Steele, administrative assistant at WPC, emphasized the urgency of their work.
“Given our current climate where the truth tellers are under attack, the need for independent, community-based and rooted media is more critical than ever,” she said.
This year’s Evening of Appreciation marked a significant moment in WPC’s partnership with Fordham. CCEL connected WPC with Professor Elisabeth Buck, Ph.D.’s ENGL 3003: Introduction to Professional Writing course, which became closely involved with the event. For Buck, the collaboration was a natural extension of Fordham’s Jesuit mission of community engagement.
“I believe that WPC has been collaborating with Fordham for about a year,” Buck said. “WPC worked with Professor Ashar Foley’s class in the Communication department last spring, and the class I’m teaching this semester was identified by CCEL as a good fit for working with WPC during the fall term.”
Buck and her students took on a variety of tasks at the event, from greeting arriving guests to assembling gift bags and serving food. She emphasized, however, that the most meaningful part of the evening was the chance for her students to witness the organization’s impact firsthand.
“My students got the opportunity to see the huge impacts that WPC has on the community,” she said. “It was very moving to have an opportunity to hear the honorees describe the manifold ways that WPC has influenced their lives.”
The partnership extends beyond this one evening. Students in Buck’s class are also volunteering at WPC’s office in the Bronx throughout the semester, giving them a more sustained opportunity to learn about community organizing and the role of independent media in social change. The Evening of Appreciation also gave students a chance to reflect on how academic partnerships can foster a deeper connection to the Bronx community. Charlotte Foster, FCRH ’27, was one of the student volunteers.
“I was volunteering through my Intro to Professional Writing course, and I helped with setting up, serving the food, passing out gift bags and cleaning up,” Foster said. “It was lovely to be a part of the WPC Evening of Appreciation, as I got to meet so many interesting and kind people … I found it to be really inspiring, and I loved learning about how WPC has impacted the people who attended. Everyone was very ready to start a conversation, and they all had great things to say about the organization.”
Foster also pointed to the larger value of the partnership, both for her education and for the Fordham community.
“I am so glad my class is partnered with WPC because it has given me the opportunity to learn about community organizing and become more involved in the Bronx community,” she said. “I think organizations like WPC have a lot of valuable impact, and CEL [Community Engaged Learning] courses make it very accessible to get involved in this work.”
As WPC looks to the future, Steele echoed Buck’s confidence that the collaboration with Fordham will continue to grow.
“Not only did CCEL host our event in the beautiful McShane Center, but through Professor Buck, much of their class assisted on the event itself,” Steele said. “We are so appreciative of Fordham’s mission to support their community and neighbors in the Bronx.”
