Vanessa Bahmani's Page

What issues are most important to you?

environment, health education, women art projects

What kind of social activism do you engage in?

Youth mentoring & I campaigned vigorously in PA for Obama

What organizations do you love or work with?

Black Women in Entertainment Law, Life Beat, Visual Life Foundation at School of Visual Arts

What books, music, films, etc. do you think educate and empower women?

I really like Dead Prez "Let's get Free" album, it's inspiring to me. Gloria Anzaldua, Isabel Allende are awsome authors, Elinor Carucci is an incredible Photographer and was a great mentor

Career: what do you do or want to do?

I'm a Photographer www.vanessabahmani.com www.evweddings.com

What skills and interests to do you have to offer to others in the Red Tent Women's Project communty? This is your chance, so sell yourself!

As a Photographer I can offer my technical skills for fundraisers, or events. I'd love to do photography workshops because the camera really is a tool for artistic expression. I do a lot of self portraiture to explore self esteem and self image. I could help others utilize this tool to their advantage. Often times men are the ones taking pictures of women, so they decide how we are perceived and how we should be photographed, but by taking control of the camera and doing self portraiture we can empower ourselves and determine how we want to be portrayed.

What would you like other members of this community to know? About yourself, about the world...anything (try not to be profane, though)!

well Obama's victory (our victory) has really made me a lot more optimistic about our world and our future. I feel even more excited about getting involved in local community volunteer groups...

What was your "women really matter and I'm going to do something about it" moment?

While in high school I simply wanted to break away and free from my father's sexist attitude towards women. I joined multiple social justice groups and did what I could to educate myself and others on women's issues, and find positive women role models...