Lunch Ticket, the Antioch University, Los Angeles’ literary journal, invited me to write a feature as an alumna of AULA’s MFA program. I was excited for the opportunity, and decided to write a piece about Women Who Submit, a women’s community organization co-founded by Alyss Dixson,  Ashaki Jackson, and myself.

I wanted to write an essay answering the question, “Why Women Who Submit?” to reply to concerns I often hear about our choice of name:

“‘Do you know what comes up when you Google Women Who Submit?’ one woman prompted. When I tried, I found Bible versus, Christian sites, and the headline, ‘Submit to your Husband: Should Women be Submissive?’

Recently, our Facebook page received a message from a woman who was recommended to our site by a friend. She wrote: ‘I have to say, I was thrown by the name of the group. I lived through the ’50s …Cool idea…scary name.'”

“Submission as Social Action” was meant to be an essay about WWS, but through the writing process I discovered that I would not be a part of WWS if it wasn’t for my mother. This is my thank you to my mother, Imelda S. Bermejo, for showing me how to be a strong independent woman and for showing me how to support other women.

I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for her holding me up every step of the way.