Reclaiming Tea as a Tool of Resistance
EqualiTEA is a longstanding event hosted by the Gayle R. Davis Center for Women & Gender Equity at GVSU. Tea has a rich history as a catalyst for women’s organizing, social justice, and collective care. Throughout the suffrage era, tea was central to activism: suffrage teas and tearooms offered socially acceptable, accessible spaces where women could gather, fundraise, organize across class lines, and build community.
EqualiTEA also draws on tea’s enduring role in healing and self-care. By bringing people together around tea in celebration of Women’s History Month, EqualiTEA reclaims tea as a tool of resistance and a practice of healing, connection, and empowerment in the ongoing pursuit of gender equity.
2026 Highlights
A long-standing part of Grand Valley’s Women’s History Month celebrations, EqualiTEA began in 2003 and has served as a place for the community to gather and have important conversations over a cup of tea ever since.
