Carolina Allen, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and mother of five children, said she is "redefining feminism."
Two years ago, Allen began learning about national and international policies and their impact on the family. What she learned inspired her to become more personally involved.
A resident of Provo, Utah, Allen attended the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations in the spring of 2014. While there, she was surprised how few mothers were part of the conversation concerning women’s issues around the world.
“I started researching more about the status of women around the world, more specifically related to my family, and there were policies being made that were not OK with me, and it’s not OK that mothers were not there being represented and our voices weren’t being heard,” Allen said. “I thought, ‘We need to do something about that. We need to get women together.’”
Allen decided to take women of faith back with her the next year. She gathered 25 LDS women from across the country to attend the 59th Commission on the Status of Women and to meet other strong, pro-family women.
"I researched and tried to find mothers groups that were actively working on such issues, kind of like a mothers-feminism that stood for the things that I stood for, but there were no feminist groups that had the breadth of faith, family and motherhood," Allen said. "So I felt strongly that I should start one."
Big Ocean Women was born. According to Allen, Big Ocean Women is a movement first and foremost, and is organized as an official nonprofit network. Pro-life women of many religious backgrounds and age groups are involved. She said the greatest asset of the women is unity.
“We are an international, interfaith and intergenerational women’s movement,” Allen said. “Some of us work, some of us have careers, and most of us are moms. We all just make it work as volunteers in the little nooks and crannies of our time. It’s really moving forward.”
According to Allen, Big Ocean Women represents what feminism meant to her when she was a child.
“I remember watching ‘The Ten Commandments’ when I was a young girl,” Allen said. “Sephora gave a soliloquy where she talked about not being beautiful in surface ways, but her hands could work. I remember feeling so touched. I thought, ‘Yes. That’s true feminism.’”
Allen said the idea of maternal feminism, the belief that mothers have a crucial role to play in society, is not new and that women have been changing the world with this “internal power” for a long time. Big Ocean Women is based on the concept of maternal feminism.
According to Jeanette Bennett, the media coordinator for Big Ocean Women, "the caliber of women in Big Ocean is impressive." She described them as educated, passionate, fun and beautiful.
Bennett said motherhood has only increased her happiness and her opportunities.
“I have a master’s degree and I own a business,” Bennett said. “Family life gives me perspective and meaning. I don’t worry about equality between genders. I’m more interested in the complementarity of the genders. That’s what I have experienced in my life.”
The name for Big Ocean Women stemmed from a couple of experiences and people in Allen’s life. Her sister-in-law, Moana, who had never married or had children, passed away from cancer.
“Her funeral was packed,” Allen said. “The whole community showed up. In walked about eight big, strong guys, and we were all wondering what the connection was between them and Moana. They stopped the funeral party and proceeded to do a very powerful Haka war dance. They wept as they danced one last dance for Moana.”
It turned out Moana was their LDS seminary teacher and choir director when the men were younger. Allen said Moana changed lives that could have gone a different direction.
“They had a holy reverence for her and what she did,” Allen said. “That’s when it came to me: That is power. That is influence. The next day, I asked Heavenly Father what this was all about and where I fit in regarding feminism. I climbed on top of some really rough rocks on the seashore and I looked out at the serene, peaceful ocean. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the waves coming in. They were the sound of peace."
Allen looked under the rock she was standing on and noticed the tiny waves that had been in contact with the rocks for many years had smoothed the underbelly of the rock.
“That’s change, too,” Allen said. “Change doesn’t have to be torrential, giant tsunami waves that obliterate landscapes. It can be something subtle, quiet and small. I’m like this small little wave. I’m not insignificant. I’m part of a vast collective that makes up the ocean. That’s what womanhood is about. It’s about nurturing and cultivating. It’s about refining the landscape, not obliterating it. It’s not about working against it, but working with it. I’m part of this huge body of women around the world who feels the same as me.”
This experience is what formed Big Ocean Women’s goal and motto of “healing this world one wave at a time.”
“We just need to step up and let our lights shine really bright because it’s time,” Allen said. “This is very real and practical. Stand on policies that support and protect the family. Don’t just read the (LDS family) proclamation; do something about it. We are trying to start Big Ocean Councils, where women meet and strengthen one another’s faith in standing for our families in these uncertain times. We have women beginning to mobilize all over the world, from Chile to Nigeria. We need women here in Utah and all over the United States to join in.”
More information on how to get involved can be found at bigoceanwomen.com or by emailing bigoceanwomen@gmail.com. On Saturday, Allen and other members of Big Ocean Women will be speakers at a "family friendly" pro-life rally in Orem. The rally will begin at 9:30 a.m. at 1086 N. 1200 West in Orem.
Email: kschwab@deseretnews.com