Women’s History Month shines spotlight
on female athletes, authors and activists
NIU will celebrate Women’s History Month in March with 19 events highlighting the 2004 theme of “Women’s Movements.”
“We’ve put together an interesting lineup of performers and guest speakers who address such diverse topics as women’s activism and women in sports and dance,” said Amy Levin, director of NIU’s Women’s Studies Program. “These include a number of inspiring women who are improving the world for others.”
Among the events on tap:
Monday, March 1
Susan Stephens, news director at WNIJ Northern Public Radio, will share interviews and historic video clips from an upcoming documentary honoring the Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The event will be held at 4:30 p.m. in Room 211 of Reavis Hall. The Peaches played during the 1940s and 1950s and were immortalized in “A League of Their Own,” the 1992 Penny Marshall film starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks.
Wednesday, March 3
Author Beth Finke, a commentator on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition,” will be the featured speaker at the annual International Women’s Day Luncheon, beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Chandelier Room of Adams Hall. Finke’s book, “Long Time, No See,” follows her struggles with juvenile diabetes and blindness. Her NIU presentation is titled, “Imagine: A Blind Writer’s Worldview.” There is a fee of $7.50 for lunch. For reservations, call 753-9614.
Finke also will conduct a 1:30 p.m. book signing at the University Bookstore in Holmes Student Center, followed by a 3:30 p.m. presentation in the Duke Ellington Ballroom. The presentation, open to the public, is titled, “Seeing Things Through.” A reception and book signing will be held at 4:30 p.m. in the HSC Gallery Lounge.
Thursday, March 4
The annual Women’s History Month Art Show will exhibit works by female faculty and graduate students in the NIU School of Art. The opening reception will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the DeKalb Area Women’s Center, 1021 State St., DeKalb. Interested viewers can call 758-1351 for gallery hours.
March 4, 5, 6
Women’s Alliance and the Student Association will bring back three nights of student performances of “The Vagina Monologues.” The performances will each be held at 7 p.m. in Diversions Lounge at Holmes Student Center. A $6 donation is suggested and will be donated to local charities that support women.
Tuesday, March 16
Karen Eliot, associate professor of dance at Ohio State University and a former dancer with the Merce Cunningham Company, will give a lecture on the experiences of six women dancers throughout history, from the 18th century to the present. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. in Neptune Central, Northeast and Southeast meeting rooms.
Thursday, March 18
State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia will discuss the roles of culture and gender in the political arena. Her talk begins at 3 p.m. in the Illinois Room of Holmes Student Center.
Monday, March 22
NIU students and recent alumni will hold a panel discussion on how students can make a difference through activism. Panelists will include a labor organizer, a breast cancer awareness activist and a single mother who helps other nontraditional students. The discussion begins at 3:30 p.m. in Room 211 of Reavis Hall.
Thursday, March 25
Nancy Naples, professor of sociology and women’s studies at the University of Connecticut, will lead an informal workshop on teaching strategies, techniques and exercises for integrating feminist activism into the classroom. The workshop begins at 3:30 p.m. in Room 211 of Reavis Hall. Naples also will give a formal lecture examining the strategies by which women in different parts of the world are organizing across geographic, cultural and class boundaries. The talk, which highlights the challenges of transnational women’s movements, begins at 7 p.m. in Room 103 of the Art Building.
Tuesday, March 30
Pink Bloque, a Chicago-based activist group, will demonstrate how to use dance as a medium for protest. The workshop, titled “Dancing in Dissent,” will be held at 6 p.m. in Diversions Lounge of the Holmes Student Center.
Wednesday, March 31
The final event in celebration of Women’s History Month is titled, “Vagina Seminar: Re-imaging Women’s Bodies.” Billed as “the most honest health class you will ever attend,” the annual seminar begins at 7 p.m. in Room 204 of DuSable Hall.
Additional programs are scheduled to coincide with Women’s History Month. For a complete schedule, visit http://womenshistorymonth.niu.edu. The events are open to the public, and unless otherwise noted, are free. Sign language interpreters are available upon request; one-week advance notice is preferred. Call 753-6515.
Event sponsors include the NIU Women’s Studies Program, University Resources for Women, the Women’s Alliance, the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, the Graduate Colloquium Committee, University Bookstore, Unity in Diversity, the Student Association, the School of Art, the Department of English, the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Employee Wellness, University Resources for Latinos/as, the Latina Assistance Program and the DeKalb Area Women’s Center.
For more information, contact the Women's Studies Program at 753-1044.
2-23-04
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