Women's Empowerment Series
Tuesdays 4-6pm
SCSU Women's Center
February 17 - Assertiveness & Conflict Resolution
February 24 - Body Language
March 3 - Self Esteem
March 17 - Healthy Relationships
March 24 - Sexuality
Registration fee: $5.00
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Women on Wednesday
Women's Leadership and Community Organizing
Atwood Theatre Noon - 1:00 pm
Download Poster (pdf)
The Vagina Monologues
7:00pm Atwood Ballroom
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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Women on Wednesday
Spring 2009
Making an Impact:
Women's Leadership and Community Organizing
Atwood Theatre Noon - 1:00 pm
(unless otherwise noted)
Women have long been responsible for organizing and maintaining
the core structures of communities and institutions based on the needs
that they see at multiple levels. Although this work has sometimes been
devalued, invisible or minimized, these efforts have transformed lives in
positive ways, by identifying and publicly naming problems, by pushing for
changes, and by negotiating solutions.
This Women on Wednesday series will highlight women whose passions,
ideals, effective strategies, and hard work have netted social, economic
and legal gains in society for women and girls. As community organizers,
leaders, and change agents, they have seen a need or witnessed a wrong
that they choose to make right in order to support a world that honors
women’s and girls’ dignity, self-determination and autonomy. Please join
the Women Center as we learn from a group of talented and committed
women about the many ways to make an impact in our communities!
Women on Wednesday Spring 2009
Making an Impact:
Women's Leadership & Community Organizing
(Click on a title below to see additional information.)
January 21, 2009:
The Politics of Choice: Motherhood by Choice, Not Chance
The stories in this film are drawn from the most engaging moments of a film trilogy by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Dorothy Fadiman. It demonstrates the power of community organizing and highlights the many faces of activism in support of women’s rights and liberation. The Politics of Choice brings alive the history of the struggle for women’s reproductive rights in the U.S. Intimate interviews reveal the passion of people who moved abortion from the danger of the back alleys to a safe, legal choice.
Film (27 minutes) with discussion to follow. Co-sponsored by Students for Choice in commemoration of the 36th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S.
January 28, 2009:
Addressing the Problem of Stalking
Listen/Download: Addressing the Problem of Stalking (mp3)
The crime of stalking has become an issue of interest locally, as well as nationally,
in the last several years. Women across the nation are working in their communities
to halt this form of intimate gender violence by establishing coordinated community
responses to enhance a victim-centered approach, as well as to improve the legal
system’s response to victims. Learn about early strategies that initiated local
awareness and change, coupled with statewide initiatives devoted to developing
protocols to address the needs of victims and enhance safety.
Presenters:
Deirdre Keys has fifteen years experience working directly with victims
of domestic violence and stalking. She developed the “State of Minnesota Stalking
Response Protocol” in 2007 through her work with Cornerstone. Keys recently
joined the Battered Women’s Legal Advocacy Project to expand the Protocol and
provide training statewide. She will be serving as an expert witness in criminal
court proceedings and as a faculty member with the Stalking Resource Center at two
national trainings this year.
Lee LaDue is the Assistant Director and Coordinator of the Gender Violence
Prevention Program at the St. Cloud State University Women’s Center, with over
20 years of experience in the field of violence prevention. She is a licensed Social
Worker and holds a master’s degree in Human Relations. LaDue currently serves on
the State Victim Assistance Academy Planning Board, and has been a member of the
Stearns County Family Violence/Sexual Assault Council for over 10 years.
In commemoration of National Stalking Awareness Month
Listen/Download: Addressing the Problem of Stalking (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
February 3, 2009 (5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Atwood Theatre):
Boxers
To commemorate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the Women’s Center
is offering a unique evening session of Women on Wednesday featuring the film,
Boxers, along with a discussion by documentary filmmaker, Joanna Kohler.
Seven Women, One Team: An all-female amateur boxing team are putting in their
mouth guards and changing the face of boxing. As they train to compete in the
world's largest international boxing tournament, they find friendship and teamwork,
but also have to face issues of violence, fear, and competition.
At a time when women are told not to fight, these boxers step into the ring ready
to face more than just some crosses and uppercuts -- they must also confront
questions of inner strength, personal drive, and societal prejudice.
Training six days a week is a team that includes a schoolteacher, a social worker, and
a special education assistant, all focused on going to a tournament where women
are scarce, and the chance of success isn't a given. One boxer's family emergency
and another boxer's recognition of the sport's physical dangers, threaten to break the
team's cohesion, and force them to take a deeper look at pain, power, and risk.
BOXERS is the test of seven women forging their own story about the love of boxing,
one round at a time.
Presenter and Filmaker: Joanna Kohler has been directing and producing social
documentaries since 1998. A self-identified activist, her films have covered topics
from exploitation within youth services in Minneapolis, activist work in Israel-
Palestine, to female amateur boxing. Kohler graduated from the University of
Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Documentary. She has studied Public
Affairs at the graduate level, completed facilitation training with the Institute for
Cultural Affairs, and been trained with the New Mexico Media Literacy Project. Her
documentaries include Witness (1999), Moving in a Mirror (2004), Boxers (2007)
and Minnesota Motorcycle Stories (2009).
February 4, 2009:
Boxers
Listen/Download: Boxers (mp3)
This Women on Wednesday session follows the previous evening’s screening of
the documentary film about an all-women amateur boxing team in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Today’s event will include film clips, plus a presentation by filmmaker
Joanna Kohler and a member of the boxing team, Rebecca Gilgen, about the purpose,
the passion and the people featured in Boxers. This presentation demonstrates an
important and non-traditional story of leadership and organizing to support women’s
empowerment and equal opportunity.
A statement from Filmmaker and Presenter Joanna Kohler...
"BOXERS film project is a chance for me to explore images of women both physically
strong and self-reflective. What brought me to this project was the opportunity for
the women in this film to have their journey documented and filmed through the eyes
of another female athlete. Each of their stories and personalities are unique. It was
the universal story about finding relationships through the struggle for equal access
that I felt was a story that should be told.
We are currently in a climate where even Title IX (an amendment for women's equal
access, 1972) is being challenged again. The 2008 Olympic Committee decided
once again to not allow women's boxing into the Olympics, citing similar arguments
made previously against adding women's sports to the Olympics. This project is an
opportunity for these women to tell a story specific to boxing, but containing lessons
that are universal. These women boxers are giving everyone a chance to remember
what it means to take a risk for something you believe in."
In commemoration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day
Listen/Download: Boxers (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
February 11, 2009:
Self-Care for Activists
Listen/Download: Self-Care for Activists (mp3)
Women are often the nurturers and caretakers of the world, however, we often forget
about taking care of ourselves in the process. Remaining passionate about women’s
issues and social justice can be easier than retaining the energy to make it happen.
Women relax, de-stress, and re-energize in various ways, including empowerment
strategies, recreation time and exercise, and other health-related activities. Our
panel of knowledgeable women will share their professional and personal self-care
experiences so that we can all begin incorporating positive ways to take care of
ourselves in order to sustain healthy, meaningful and engaged lives.
Presenters:
Marie Fisher is a Community Counseling graduate student and
Women’s Center graduate assistant at St. Cloud State University. She is an advisor
for Women’s Action for Liberation and Leadership, a feminist activist student
organization, and Vice President of the Community Counseling Graduate Student
Association (CCGSA). Fisher has also volunteered at the Central MN Sexual Assault
Center for the past 3 years.
Icephine Johnson is a Nurse Practitioner at SCSU Health Services. She is certified
as both an Adult and Gynecological/Reproductive Health Nurse Practitioner and has
over 27 years of experience in a variety of settings, including a large urban hospital
in St. Louis, Missouri; the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center and the State of
Minnesota. Johnson is one of the pioneers in the Nurse Practitioner profession who
graduated from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a graduate
of Webster University in Webster Grove, Missouri with a degree in Nursing.
Heather Smith is an Elementary Education major at St. Cloud State University. She is
employed by Outdoor Endeavors at the rock climbing wall, and is currently co-leading
the Women That Rock program, a unique program that offers women-only climb time
every other Thursday evening. Her leisure pursuits include camping, rock climbing
and downhill skiing.
Listen/Download: Self-Care for Activists (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
February 18, 2009:
Telling Stories to Create Change
Listen/Download: Telling Stories to Create Change (mp3)
Women have always been in the forefront of making change but, often, their
leadership has not been recognized for the contributions they have made. It is
important to note that feminism has been one way that this lack of acknowledgment
has been brought to the attention of society.
This session will use different stories to show how we can impact change in our
communities by changing the status quo of “unwritten rules” that causes women’s
work and leadership to go unnoticed. It is hoped that young women will be inspired,
as well as empowered, to take on the status quo in prudent and creative ways in
order to bring about change.
Presenter:
Dr. Patience Togo is an Assistant Professor at St. Cloud State University
in the Social Work Department. She holds BSW and MSW degrees from Carleton
University in Canada, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Her research
interests include violence against women, anti-racist/anti-oppression pedagogy,
multicultural education, community organizing, and parenting practices among
African immigrants and refugees.
Listen/Download: Telling Stories to Create Change (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
February 25, 2009:
...Until eating disorders are history*: Tackling poor body image, eating disorders and the media
An estimated 11 million people in the U.S suffer from eating disorders, with an
additional $40 billion spent annually on dieting and diet-related products. The
selling of women’s empowerment through beauty and fashion products causes huge
complications for girls and women in terms of realistic, healthy and multi-faceted
representations of real women in all forms of media. Our presenters will explore
these images and their impact from a feminist perspective, discuss characteristics
associated with eating disorders, and provide information about treatment options.
In addition, this session will highlight the importance of women taking an active role
to combat these issues, including suggestions for activism.
Presenters:
Dr. Beth Berila is the Director of the Women’s Studies Program at St.
Cloud State University. Her areas of teaching and research include Feminist Theory,
Gender and Women’s Studies, LGBT studies, popular culture, environmental justice,
and community-based arts. Dr. Berila’s current work focuses on yoga, feminist
embodiment, and strategies for empowerment.
Dr. Jayne Lokken has been a licensed psychologist at St. Cloud State University’s
Counseling and Psychological Services for the past eight years. Prior to her position
at St. Cloud State University, Dr. Lokken worked as a psychologist at the University of
Wisconsin-Oshkosh for five years.
*2009 National Eating Disorders Awareness Week theme
In commemoration of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
A major challenge to feminists in the current era of globalization is to raise global
awareness of women’s lives by connecting the local to the global. Transnational
feminism works across cultures and unites women’s struggles from many parts of
the world, and also inspires us to use those connections as a basis for activism and
as an essential tool for bringing about social change. With its mission of restoring
hope and dignity to women and children in Africa, NGATHA International, a MN nonprofit
organization, has mobilized the community to action by organizing fundraising
activities for orphans in Kenya affected by HIV/AIDS. This session will reference
personal stories and documented footage highlighting the initiatives and projects
of NGATHA International in rural Kenya that have connected the (local) St. Cloud
Community and the (global) rural community in Kenya.
Presenters:
Dr. Mumbi Mwangi is a professor in the Women’s Studies Program at St
Cloud State University. Dr. Mwangi received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in
education from Kenyatta University, Kenya, and later obtained her Ph.D in Education
with a minor in Women's Studies from Iowa State University. Dr. Mwangi is also the
President and CEO of NGATHA International, a not-for-profit organization she founded
in 2005. The organization, whose vision is to restore hope and dignity to women and
children in Africa, is a 501(c)(3) registered NGO in the State of Minnesota.
Mrs. Florence Wairimu Mbugua is a business executive and the Managing Director
of Farmers Industry Ltd in Kenya. Her business employs and provides means of
livelihood to rural women in Kenya. Mrs. Mbugua is a community leader and a
member of the board of directors and Treasurer of NGATHA International, Kenya.
Perpetual Wambui Mwangi is an Administrative Assistant at Kenyatta University,
(Parklands Campus) Nairobi , Kenya. Mwangi also works in the advertising industry
and has been featured in advertising media such as television and radio commercials,
bill board advertising and newspaper advertising. She is the Program Coordinator for
NGATHA International, in charge of the HIV/Aids Orphanage in rural Kenya.
Adris Brown is a graduate student at St. Cloud State University in the department of
Economics specializing in Public and Non Profit Institutional Management. Brown is
also a board member of NGATHA International (USA), in charge of fundraising and
marketing initiatives.
Listen/Download: Grassroots Organizing for Global Change (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
March 18, 2009:
Strength from Broken Places: Women (re)construct a new narrative in post-genocide Rwanda
Listen/Download: Women (re)construct a new narrative in post-genocide Rwanda (mp3)
During the summer of 2008, our presenter lived with and listened to Rwandan
women who had experienced and lived through the 1994 Rwanda Genocide that
left 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus dead in a 100 days. She will discuss how
Rwandan women courageously expose their wounds and scarred lives to allow us to
see how they draw strength from broken places in order to make peace, and promote
reconciliation. Her research reveals that women’s national and community-based
organizing has charted new ways for peace in Rwanda. For us in the U.S., we have an
opportunity to learn from the Rwandan experience in ways that, perhaps, will allow
us to improve interactions in our own communities through organizing. Join us to
learn what Rwandan women are doing to transform their communities from ‘broken
places’ to peaceful spaces.
Presenter:
Dr. Eddah Mutua-Kombo is an assistant professor of communication
studies at St. Cloud State University. She holds a doctorate from the University of
Wales, U.K, Master’s degree from City University London, and BA from University of
Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Mutua-Kombo teaches in the area of intercultural communication.
Her research interests include peace communication initiatives in post-conflict
societies, theory and practice of service-learning pedagogy in promoting interracial
relations, and African communication education and research.
Dr. Mutua-Kombo’s current research on post-genocide Rwanda examines how
Rwandan women dare to create theory from places of pain and struggle. She uses
women’s narratives, testimonies and naming of their lives in post-genocide Rwanda
to show how women are constructing a new narrative that disrupts the dominant
narrative referred to as ‘genocide ideology’ that the 1994 genocide perpetrators used
to instill a hate campaign among Rwandans. Paying attention to women’s words
and actions allows us to learn about new ways to chart theoretical structures about
peace, reconciliation, and urgency of women’s organizing for change.
Listen/Download: Women (re)construct a new narrative in post-genocide Rwanda (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
With so many concerns at an all time high for girls, including poor body image,
negative media images, lack of confidence, chemical abuse, multiple societal
oppressions, and exploitive and violent relationships, girls need pro-active assistance
and guidance. Today’s presentation will outline the resources available in our
community to help girls build the confidence, competence, and the skills they need to
thrive in today’s society.
Presenters:
Geri Bechtold is the Director of KIDSTOP Operations. KIDSTOP is a
program offered by the Boys and Girls Club of Central Minnesota and is a schoolage
child care program for K-6, located at 12 schools in the St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids
and Sartell districts. For 34 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota
have provided hope and opportunity to tens of thousands of young people. Their
programs and services promote and enhance the development of girls and boys by
instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence.
Amanda Toppe is a 2007 graduate of St. Cloud State University with a double major
in Spanish and Social Work and a minor in Human Relations. She was an intern with
the Girls Scouts Outreach program, Girl Growth, during her last semester of college
and has worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters as their Recruitment Coordinator since
December of 2007. This background, along with her experience as a Big Sister to a
15-year-old, has confirmed for her how important it is to empower girls and young
women and give them the tools they need to be successful.
Listen/Download: Community Leadership to Empower Today’s Girls (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
April 1, 2009:
Activism in the World of Art Listen/Download: Activism in the world of Art (mp3)
The glass ceiling is still very visible in the art world, as demonstrated by women’s
struggle for gallery space, in addition to a general devaluing of women’s art for not
conforming to mainstream forms. However, female artists are challenging traditional
notions of art through artistic expressions that redefine, bend and explore gender in
ways that can be seen as activist. These creative expressions highlight women’s lived
realities and women’s leadership in envisioning a better world.
Presenter:
Tina Blondell was born in Salzburg in 1953 and grew up in Austria,
France and Italy. Her Austrian mother and American father blessed her with cultural
diversity and a childhood filled with the arts. Blondell, who is fluent in German, Italian
and English, was immersed in the great museums of Europe from the age of five. In
1971, after completing her education in Italy, she moved to the United States settling
first in Washington, D.C. and then on to New Mexico to raise her family. Blondell
moved to Minneapolis in 1996, where she currently resides. She is a passionate
figurative painter, with her work exploring themes of creation, spirituality and power.
Previous works include the Temptation Series, a 14-piece work featuring the hands of
12 influential women, and The Cradle of Civilization. Blondell’s current work focuses
on the human experience in America, using oil paints, with many of the paintings
striving to dispel negative stereotypes.
Listen/Download: Activism in the World of Art (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
April 8, 2009:
Challenging Racism in Our Community
Listen/Download: Challenging Racism in Our Community (mp3)
For more than a hundred years, community organizations all around the country
have been pivotal in leading local initiatives that challenge the problem of racism.
Many are aware of the powerful history of the NAACP to organize communities to
fight against racism, but not knowledgeable about innovative projects such as Create
CommUNITY or the role of the United Way. Join our panelists for a discussion of
local efforts and outcomes in the on-going struggle for racial justice.
Presenters:
Noreen Dunnells has served as the Chief Professional Officer for United
Way of Central Minnesota since February of 1999. In her role, she works closely
with the Board of Directors to set policy and direction for the organization and 15
full time staff to carry out the mission of the organization: to improve people’s lives
by mobilizing the caring power of central Minnesota. In 2003, Dunnells served as
President of United Ways of Minnesota and, during 2004-06, she was a member of
the Governors Workforce Development Council. She is serving her third term with
the Stearns-Benton Workforce Council and is currently Chair of Create CommUNITY,
a community anti-racism initiative focused on creating racial harmony and a
welcoming community for all central Minnesotans.
Adrece Thighman Nabe is a graduate of St. Cloud State University with a degree in
Public Administration from the department of Political Science, as well as a Master’s
of Science degree in the Social Responsibility Program, College of Education.
Currently, she is the Associate Director for Outreach in the office of Admissions at St.
Cloud State University, where she has been employed for the past six years. Prior to
working in Admissions, Thighman-Nabe worked at the Women’s Center/Central MN
Sexual Assault Center as a Communities of Color Outreach Coordinator. She teaches
as adjunct faculty at St. Cloud State University and is involved with numerous
committees and efforts, including the local NAACP chapter, to dismantle racism and
promote women’s rights.
Listen/Download: Challenging Racism in Our Community (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
April 15, 2009:
Environmental Activism
Listen/Download: Environmental Activism (mp3)
With a focus on Earth Day, 2009, our presenter will talk about the future with the
new government administration directives on energy, the environment and saving the
planet. Having just received a Mother Earth Award from the Women’s Environmental
Institute, she will highlight how environmental justice fits in to the big picture and
how it can be used to address the environmental deprivation occurring across the
country, especially in urban neighborhoods.
Presenter:
Annie Young is a locally and nationally recognized orator who motivates
listeners about environmental justice, social change, sustainable development, urban
ecology issues, community-building stories and real-life experiences. Over 35 years
experience in grassroots organizing and social change efforts have helped her form
the basis of the messages she shares with her audiences. Her experiences help
community members, leaders and elected officials to discuss practical solutions in
facing complex issues within our communities.
Listen/Download: Environmental activism (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
April 22, 2009:
Outside The Box: Affecting change in unexpected places, spaces and facesListen/Download: Outside the Box (mp3)
It's been said over and over again that not everyone is cut out for taking to the
streets to promote social change. Although we support visible, old-fashioned
protest marches, we acknowledge and value multiple strategies for encouraging
improvements in our communities and women's lives. Toward this end, we complete
our series by highlighting the work of a woman who is exhibiting feminist leadership
in creative ways. Her varied community work demonstrates that there are many
ways to live our ideals and passions. Over the past three years, our presenter, a
self-identified "reformed pro-lifer," has volunteered as a clinic escort at the Midwest
Health Center for Women through rain, snow or shine. "It's not a political issue for
me; it is about taking care of people." She has also directed her energy to create
a safe and supportive environment for women skaters through the co-ownership
and co-founding of the North Star Roller Girls, a roller derby league in Minneapolis.
Her experiences will surely broaden our thinking about women's leadership and
community organizing.
Presenter:
Tara Jenson is a thirty-something urban dweller living in Minneapolis and
working as a Unix system administrator for Wells Fargo. Her extracurricular interests
tend towards activities that allow for creating and fostering meaningful connections
with her fellow humans. For the past three years, Jenson has been volunteering on a
weekly basis at Midwest Health Center for Women in Minneapolis as a patient escort.
She is also a co-founder, current board member and skater for the North Star Roller
Girls - a women-owned and operated roller derby league in Minneapolis.
Listen/Download: Outside The Box (mp3)
Women on Wednesday in iTunes U
(iTunes required)
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