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Performances, presentations, exhibitions, and lectures will promote a greater knowledge and appreciation of women’s contributions, gender issues, and the feminist perspective during Women’s History Month at Lafayette.
The keynote lecture presented March 6 by Debran Rowland will cover the history of women’s rights in America. The writer, artist, and civil rights attorney will discuss topics from her book The Boundaries of Her Body, including “zones of privacy,” birth control, reproductive issues, and violence against women.
“Her topic is very timely and cuts across several disciplines – psychology, law, sociology, ethics, history, and woman’s studies,”says Susan Basow, Dana Professor of Psychology and organizer of Women’s History Month.
Rowland obtained a law degree from the School of Law at Loyola University, Chicago, a master’s in cultural anthropology from Columbia University, and a degree in English from Carleton College. She won several awards for her work as a journalist, including Best News Feature from Chicago Association of Black Journalists in 1991 and the Robert L. Vann award for Best Print News Series in 1988. In addition, American Law Reports (5th Series) and Illinois Bar Examiner have published her legal articles.
The Women’s History Month schedule:
Feb. 1-July 1: A Modern Woman – Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Christy Girl exhibition in Simon Room, Skillman Library. Artist Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952) came onto the scene of American magazine and book illustration just as it exploded into the 20th century with his images of the ideal American woman. Drawn from the extensive collection of Christy illustrations in Lafayette’s special collections, this exhibit focuses on the development of the Christy Girl at a time when magazine readership was growing across the United States and women’s roles were shifting in new directions.
Thursday, Feb. 23-25, 8 p.m.: The Vagina Monologues, a play about the joys and pains of the female experience by Eve Ensler. This production is a part of a global campaign to raise money and awareness to stop violence against women and girls. The performance will take place in the Farinon Center’s Marlo Room and admission is $5. Proceeds will be donated to a local organization in the Lehigh Valley working for the cause.
Wednesday, March 1-4, 8 p.m.: The Slabtown District Convention, a play directed by Samuel Hay, visiting professor of government and law, with music by Skip Wilkins, assistant professor of music. The production is a new adaptation of Black Women’s Auxiliary, written in 1908, and serves as the celebration of the finale for Black History Month and the start of Women’s History Month. Admission is $6 at the Williams Center for the Arts. A brown bag preview will be held 12:10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27; lunch will be available for $3 or bring your own.
Monday, March 6, 7-8:30 p.m.: “The Boundaries of Her Body,” keynote lecture presented by Debran Rowland, in Oechsle Hall room 224. Sponsored by women’s studies, the Ethics Project, the psychology and government & law departments, and the Office of Intercultural Development.
Wednesday, March 8, 4:10 p.m.: “The Girl on the Magazine Cover: The Christy Girl’s Sisters in American Popular Culture,” lecture by Carolyn Kitch, associate professor of journalism and director of the mass media and communication program, Temple University. The lecture will be held in Skillman Library, Gendebien room.
Tuesday, March 21, 8 p.m.: “A Boy, A Girl, A Virus, and a Relationship that Happened Anyway,” a man diagnosed with AIDS from receiving a blood transfusion and the woman who fell in love with him anyway. They challenge students to open their minds and confront their images of people infected and affected by HIV. Program sponsored by Lafayette Activities Forum in conjunction with Sex Week, Oechsle Hall room 224.
Thursday, March 23, 4:10 p.m.: “Unlacing the Victorian Woman,” a presentation by Barbara Meyer Darlin, costume historian. Darlin will reveal the multi-layers worn by early 20th century women as she dresses and undresses as a Victorian lady and a Christy Girl in Skillman Library, Gendebien room.
Thursday, March 23, 8 p.m.: “Images and Traditions of Mary Magdalene,” a lecture by Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, adjunct professor in the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and adjunct professor in art and culture in the Liberal Studies Program, Georgetown University. The lecture will be held in Kirby Hall of Civil Rights room 104 and is sponsored by the Lyman Coleman Fund under the auspices of the Department of Religious Studies.
Thursday, March 23, 8 p.m.: Lafayette Activities Forum presents David Coleman, “The Dating Doctor.” This program will unveil approaches to a daily life that is fulfilling and focused on getting the most from, and providing the most to, every relationship. “The doctor” will teach students how to form, mend, and sustain meaningful relationships as part of Sex Week events in Oechsle Hall room 224.
Thursday, March 23, 9 p.m.: The Honored Path: Honoring Women and Women Honoring Themselves,a performance by poet, storyteller, activist, and musician Paula Larke. She will use story telling and music to convey messages of peace and unity, and issues in the history of people of color, women, and other under-represented groups, in Farinon Snack Bar. Sponsored by the Office of Intercultural Development and women’s studies.
Friday, March 24, 8 p.m.: “Female Orgasm,” another Sex Week event hosted by Lafayette Activities Forum, combining sex education and women’s empowerment with humor. Couple Dorian Solat and Marshall Miller will illuminate the subject of female orgasm for women and men, GLBT and heterosexual students in Oechsle Hall room 224.
Saturday, March 25: 12th Annual Undergraduate Conference in Women’s Studies, Cedar Crest College.
Thursday, March 30, noon: Brown bag talk with exhibiting artist Dahlia Elsayed at Portlock Black Cultural Center. Portlock gallery show will be on view from March 20-April 28.
Wednesday, April 5, 7:30 p.m.:MacKnight Black Poetry Reading with competition judge and featured reader Lynn Emanuel, author of Then, Suddenly and a recipient of the Pushcart Prize and National Poetry Series Award. She also directs the creative writing program at University of Pittsburgh. Reading will take place in Kirby Hall of Civil Rights room 104 and is sponsored by the English department.