The first solar eclipse of the year 

lands on June 10, while the new 
moon is in Gemini. The new moon 
heralds a new beginning for the 
signs, and the eclipse magnifies 
its effects. The moon in Gemini 
indicates an examination of how 
we communicate with others and 
learn new information. The sun’s 
conjunction with Mercury on the 
same day adds an extra emphasis on 
communication. Mercury still lingers 
in its retrograde orbit, but perhaps 
the conjunction and this solar eclipse 
will provide much-needed clarity 
in these confusing times. Just be 
careful not to chase every pipe dream 
following this eclipse.

Mars enters Leo on June 11, 

which brings immense passion and 
intensity. You may feel even more 
inspired than usual, but watch out 
for any fights that may break loose 
during this time. The moon enters 
Cancer on the same day, which 
encourages alone time and self-

healing: a calm start to a potentially 
chaotic period with Mars in Leo.

The Venus sextile with Uranus 

on June 13 brings surprising gifts to 
all signs. On the same day, the sun 
squares Neptune, which may cause 
communication issues and overall 
sluggishness.

The moon enters Leo on June 

14, which may inspire our creative 
pursuits but incite petty conflicts. 
Saturn squares Uranus on the same 
day, indicating either unwanted 
change or the inability to change. 
It will be easy to feel frustrated 
and stagnant at this time, but try 
to remain level-headed and do not 
force change if it is not working for 
you.

Aries (June 8-14)
You may often feel that your ideas 

are the best, but this solar eclipse and 
Sun-Mercury conjunction may lead 
you to re-evaluate your methods of 
living and how you can communicate 
with others in a more effective way. 
You will feel powerful enough to do 
anything when Mars, your ruling 
planet, enters fire sign Leo. The week 
ends with Saturn squaring Uranus, 

which means you may re-approach 
your 
friendships 
and 
consider 

whether or not your values align.

Taurus (June 8-14)
The solar eclipse may cause some 

sort of unexpected changes to your 
finances, so perhaps monitor your 
spending and be careful with your 
money. You may rearrange your 
living space to feel more comfortable 
when Mars enters Leo. When Saturn 
squares Uranus, you may reflect 
on your aspirations and come to an 
unexpected conclusion.

Gemini (June 8-14)
The new moon and solar eclipse 

occur in your sign. You will undergo 
the most major changes out of all of 
the signs, and you may be revisiting 
parts of yourself that you have 
hidden away in the past. Embrace 
the growth that comes with this new 
moon cycle. Mars in Leo will allow 
you to speak clearly and honestly. 
Not all introspection is easy, though; 
Saturn’s square with Uranus may 
cause you to question some of your 
long-held beliefs. 

Cancer (June 8-14)
The solar eclipse indicates a boost 

to your intuition, so trust yourself. 
You may also feel more tired than 
usual, and Mars’s transition into 
Leo may only further demotivate 
you. Venus’s sextile with Uranus 
is a great time to take a break from 
your solitude and connect with 
other people. When Saturn squares 
Uranus, you may reflect on your 
relationships and set new standards 
and expectations.

Leo (June 8-14)
You’re fulfilling an important 

role in your group (whether this is 
a community, social or professional 
environment), and this solar eclipse 
is asking you to find the courage to 
lead everyone on the right path. Mars 
enters your sign, which will give you 
a lot of energy for socialization and 
creative pursuits. The Venus-Uranus 
sextile also brings inspiration, but 
expect some setbacks when the sun 
squares Neptune on the same day. 
You may want to restructure your 
schedule and relationships when 
Saturn squares Uranus at the end of 
the week.

Virgo (June 8-14)
You 
may 
discover 
new 

opportunities under the light of the 
new moon, so be open to any shifts in 
your career goals. You will feel more 
energized than usual when Mars 
enters Leo, but do not bury yourself in 
work to repress your emotions. This 
is a fiery period of time, so you should 
resolve your frustrations before you 
explode in anger. You may want to 
restructure your daily routine when 
Saturn squares Uranus. Don’t just 
aim to be more productive, but think 
about your own mental well-being as 
well.

Libra (June 8-14)
Reevaluate your views about life 

because the new moon may bestow 
a new revelation about life onto you. 
Be open to receiving these new ideas. 
Socialization comes naturally to you, 
and Mars’s transit through Leo is a 
perfect time to connect with others. 
You may find that your usual routine 
isn’t working anymore when Saturn 
squares Uranus. This is a great time 
to change your goals and thought 
processes, especially regarding love 
and money.

6

Thursday, June 10, 2021
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MICHIGAN IN COLOR

Read more at michigandaily.com

“Dear Susan Muaddi Darraj,
My name is Reem Hassan, and 

I am a first-year undergraduate 
student at the University of Michigan-
Ann Arbor. I identify as a Muslim 
Palestinian American woman, and 
I am currently studying on a pre-
law track with hopes of majoring in 
public policy and minoring in Arab 
and Muslim American Studies. I was 
first introduced to your piece “It’s 
Not an Oxymoron” during my first 
semester in university, where I took an 
introductory course to women’s and 
gender studies (WGS). To say the least, 
I found myself absolutely astounded 
by your work. Having registered for 
the course on a whim and expecting 
to only mildly relate to the material, 
I was shocked to be so completely 
moved by our first reading. I explicitly 
remember feeling as though you had 
taken my thoughts on the intersection 
of my Arab identity on my feminist 
experience straight out of my head and 
put it on paper. I felt heard. Your short 
piece had the ability to influence my 
work for the rest of that semester and 
inspired me to take my understanding 

to new and deeper levels and enroll in 
our Arab American Feminists course 
this semester. Upon interacting with 
your piece yet again this semester, I was 
reminded of why it had such an impact 
on me, and how deeply I resonate with 
your story.” 

This is an excerpt taken from one 

of the first “Feminist Love Letters” 
I wrote last semester while taking 
an Arab American Feminists course 
with 
Professor 
Charlotte 
Karem 

Albrecht — an absolute icon in the WGS 
department. We were asked to address 
a “love letter” to one of the authors 
we had read in class, both celebrating 
and critiquing their work. I was 
immediately drawn to write to Susan 
Muaddi Darraj, who authored “It’s Not 
an Oxymoron: The Search for an Arab 
Feminism.”

****
Although I have always considered 

my feminist awakening as something 
deeply personal, I have come to learn 
that many other Arab American 
women empower themselves in a 
similar experience. It is an experience 
where we constantly question the 
grounds upon which we are allowed 
to call ourselves feminists, where we 
never feel as though we are allowed to 
call ourselves such a phrase because 

of western impositions onto the 
definition of feminism, and where we 
live an experience that we never feel 
like we have the right to articulate. 
In all truth, “Middle Eastern” (in 
quotations because the phrase is a 
colonial invention that I am not exactly 
fond of) or Arab women are not exactly 
regarded as the token feminist figures 
in the western lens. We are forced 
to carry a stereotyped reputation 
of arranged marriages, housework, 
oppression, being forced to cover up 
and countless other baseless tags and 
labels. And beyond this, even after 
I have finally come to understand 
what feminism really entailed, it was 
something that was treated with so 
much animosity by the people around 
me. In high school, boys amped up 
their “women belong in the kitchen” 
jokes and poked fun at the girls who 
identified as feminists for being “crazy.” 
Girls who were not interested in saying 
anything else only laughed with them. 
I remember watching in disgust and 
confusion as girls at my school — 
some of whom were even my friends 
— would proudly announce that they 
don’t consider themselves feminists 
just so that they’d be applauded by 
the boys. I could not fathom why they 
chose to view feminism as a surface-

level ideology, fixating on buzzwords 
like “man-hating” and “wage gap” 
while overlooking the societal benefits 
from the overarching goals of women’s 
liberation. 

On the other hand, I realized that 

feminism came so naturally to me 
because it did not defy the values or the 
practices that I was raised upon — it 
actually gave them a name. I grew up 
in a household where my sisters and I 
were encouraged to shoot for the stars 
and be ambitious with our goals, to 
defy gendered career expectations and 
to never give in to socially constructed 
gender roles. Both of my parents 
worked full time and distributed 
chores among themselves equally. I 
grew up watching my dad cook and 
clean and my brothers being given 
equal responsibility in maintaining the 
home. The contradictory attitudes that 
I encountered while coming to terms 
with my feminist identity motivated 
me to take Introduction to Women’s 
Studies upon starting at the University 
of Michigan. 

While much of the class was 

introducing and giving names to 
basic concepts like intersectionality, 
patriarchy and male-gaze, I noticed 
a 
vast 
difference 
between 
the 

backgrounds of the students who 

were enrolled in the course and how 
that influenced the ways in which 
they absorbed and comprehended 
the course material. I found myself 
engaged in productive conversation 
with students of color more than I did 
with the white students in the course. 
During the weekly discussion sections 
where we would share individual 
interpretations 
of 
the 
readings 

based on our own experience, I was 
shocked by how uninformed many 
of my white, straight, financially 
privileged, cisgender classmates were 
about the struggles that marginalized 
communities 
confront 
without 

reflecting on their own privileges. 
And while I would never deny the 
fact that objectively, being a woman 
in itself is a marginalized identity that 
suffers from patriarchal oppression, 
for me and other women of color, it is 
our intersecting identities that really 
amplify the impacts of being a woman. 
The yearning to have conversations 
with more people who understood 
how my intersectionality impacted my 
feminist experience prompted me to 
enroll in an upper-level Arab American 
Feminism course during my second 
semester. 

Celestial Motion 5/17-5/23

Intersectional feminism is real and alive

ANDREW NAKAMURA

MiC Columnist

REEM HASSAN

MiC Columnist

Read more at michigandaily.com