Women's History Month 2022

The 2022 Women's History Month theme established by The National Women’s History Alliance is titled: "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope".  This theme focuses on the history of women and supporting women's voices. This year also marks the 21st anniversary of Women's Studies (now Women and Gender Studies-WGST) at Radford University and will offer the opportunity for us to celebrate the history and accomplishments of WGST at Radford.  

 

2022 Her-Story Project

As part of a campus-wide series of events, for the eighteenth consecutive year we are re-activating the Her-Story listserv which is dedicated to sharing stories written by members of the RU extended community about the women, or the aspects of womanhood, that have shaped their lives. 

Beginning March 1st and extending through March 31st subscribers to the Her-Story Listserv receive a daily position from one of the list's members celebrating or otherwise contemplating the impact of a woman or of the aspects of womanhood upon the writer's life. Please note that pieces selected for publication are shared "as-is". Beyond basic formatting (TNR 12 pt font etc.), we do not edit, censure, or otherwise intervene with content. The function of the list and of the celebration is to preserve and honor the voices and experiences of our contributors. For this reason, you must subscribe to the list to participate and you must agree to abide by the rules of our community. The Her-Story listerve is a safe zone where contributors can share their experience without fear of judgment or reprisal.  

To Sign Up for Your Day

This year to help organize contributions, we are using signup.com. Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1) Click this link to see our Sign-up: https://signup.com/go/UjDrbti

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! - You will NOT need to register an account or keep a password.

Lifetime Achievement Awards 

The Women’s Studies Club at Radford University is fundraising to recognize Drs. Mary Ferrari and Moira Baker for lifetime achievement awards for their contributions to Women's and Gender Studies. On March 31, 2022 at the Women’s History Month Celebration we will honor them. All funds raised will be directly donated to the Women’s Resource Center. 

To donate please see our donation page at: Lifetime achievement winners Drs. Mary Ferrari and Moira Baker

Week 1 March 1-4 

1. Highly Marketable but Not Respected: The Perspectives of Black Women Aspiring Educators

Presenters: Kenai Hunt, Kai Washington- Brown, Alyssa Foster, Dr. Elizabeth Altieri

A panel presentation with audience participation. We invite our peers, professors, and others involved in teacher preparation at Radford to listen and reflect as we share our perspectives on our experiences as black educators on the adversity we have faced at the university and in the field and our need for affirmation and a sense of safety. We also want to share our recommendations and advice for supporting and nurturing future black educators. 

Delivery: In Person and Zoom

When & Where: March 1 (Tuesday), 5:00-6:30pm, Teaching Resources Center, Peters Hall. 

2. One Woman’s Journey, from Moscow to Radford: Award-Winning Author Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry in Conversation with Professor Moira Baker

Presenters: Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry and Dr. Moira Baker 

Description: A graduate of Radford University, Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry (M.A.’03) will read from her award-winning collection of stories, What Isn’t Remembered, and her forthcoming novel, The Orchard. The reading will be followed by her conversation with Professor Moira Baker about literature, womanhood, and cultural identity.

Delivery: In person and Zoom

When & Where: March 2 (Wednesday), 5:00-6:00pm, Cook 222

2. An Evening with Judy Carmichael

Presenters: Public Radio WVRU Ashlee Claud and Jessy Gahafer

Description: Grammy-nominated Jazz Pianist, vocalist, and NPR Program host Judy Carmichael will perform a concert in Covington Hall on March 3rd for the Radford campus and community.  In addition, Ms. Carmichael will speak to several classes in Music and Communications prior to her concert.

Delivery: In person

When & Where: March 3 (Thursday), 7:30pm-8:30pm, Covington Hall

Week 2 March 7-10 Spring Break. No events in section.

Week 3 March 14-18

1. Weaving Narratives: Sarah Sense, First Nations Traditions in Fine Arts, and Alternative Digital Processes in Contemporary Photography

Presenters: Luc White and Dr. Roann Barris (Added)

Description: This presentation with showcase the research of studio artist Sarah Sense and her contributions as a First Nations, woman contemporary photographer. Sense uses Chitimacha Nation basketry in her photography to construct and display her own identity as a First Nations artist, and to deconstruct the stereotypical narratives surrounding her identities.

Delivery: In person & Zoom

When & Where: March 14 (Monday), 1:00-2:00pm, Cook 222

2. Hear us Roar! Championing music by women 

Presenters: Erica Sipes, Sarah Wardle Jones and Michelle Smith Johnson 

Description: Alma Ensemble is a Roanoke-based classical chamber ensemble that focuses on performing works by female composers. "Hear us Roar!" will be part discussion, part performance in which we tell our story as a non-profit and share music that represents our mission.

Delivery: In person

When & Where: March 15 (Tuesday), 3:00-4:00pm, Recital Hall Covington

3. Sexual Harassment:  The Environment, the Law, and the Culture

Presenters: Dr. Mary Atwell

Description: During the last several years, the #MeToo movement and high profile incidents have drawn public attention to the stories of girls and women who have experienced unwelcome sexual behavior that interfered with their work or their education.  The attention is recent, but the phenomenon of unsolicited sexual advances is nothing new.  It may surprise some, however, to learn that the term sexual harassment and its legal definition came about only in the last forty years. Critical to the process of defining sexual harassment were women who shared their workplace experiences, women for formulated legal arguments that situated those experiences within a framework of discrimination based on sex, and women who critically examined the cultural and structural context in which sexual harassment occurs.

This talk will look at stories that give a human face to the problem—the people whose cases made it to the Supreme Court, Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford who bravely testified before the Senate, and women in academia and the military who bear witness to the persistence of the issue, despite repeated promises of “zero tolerance.”  It concludes with a look at the present situation and considers where the issue stands in law and in the larger culture.  

When & Where: March 16 (Wednesday), 5:30 pm – 6: 30 pm. Zoom. 

4. Period Pals: Let’s Talk Access, Equity, and Inclusion 

Presenters: Justine Jackson Stone, Shayna Dotson, Madison Davis, Karrah Davidson 

Description: Period Pals is a community service project dedicated to providing free menstrual products to Radford University students. This panel presentation will discuss how period inequity impacts college students in addition to how gendered language excludes trans men and nonbinary individuals from the larger conversation about menstruation acceptance.  

Delivery: In Person and Zoom 

When & Where: March 17 (Thursday), 3:00-4:00pm, HE 22

5. Women on Ropes

Presenters: Nicole Sathre, Dr. Anja Whittington and RUABLE Staff, Recreation, Parks and Tourism

Description: RUABLE will open its indoor ropes course (and zip line weather permitting) to allow women and others the opportunity to experience the ropes course. Participants do not need to be there the whole time and are welcome to drop in. This will take place at RUWest. Family members or a friend are welcome. Children over 10 years old are also welcome with their parent/guardian attending. Please wear comfortable clothing and closed-toed shoes. Resources for women recreating in the outdoors will also be provided. 

Delivery: In Person & Drop-In

When & Where: March 18 (Friday), RUWest (directions to RUWest and view on Google Map), 1:00-4:00 pm 

Week 4 March 21-25

1. An Autoethnography in Five Parts: The Unique Challenges Faced by Women Faculty during the Pandemic 

Presenters: Sandra French, Lisa Baker Webster, Kim Herbert, Amy Rubens, Katie Garahan

Description: Through self-reflection, and anecdotes of personal experiences, this panel will discuss the unique challenges faced by women faculty during covid. We will discuss the many added roles women have taken on during the pandemic, from extra responsibilities at work and at home, to the strain of helping students navigate their own stress and trauma.

Delivery: In Person & Zoom

When & Where: March 21 (Monday), 2:00-3:00pm, HE 16 

2. Women in Fiction and Folk Music

Presenters: Dr. Courtney Watson and Dr. Lily Corwin

Description: This proposed presentation is a Zoom panel discussion of feminist scholarship focusing on the complex and complicated roles of women in contemporary folk music and the fiction of Margaret Atwood. By reflecting and reinterpreting the stories of women, too often left out or relegated to roles of silence or suffering, these pieces of art offer insight into the cultural shifts in how these women are perceived and understood. 

Delivery: Zoom

When & Where: March 22 (Tuesday), 2:00-3:00pm

3. Writing Women: Poetry by April J. Asbury and Angela Dribben

Presenters: April J. Asbury, Angela Dribben 

Description: A reading of original poetry by RU instructor April J. Asbury, author of Woman with Crows, and special guest Angela Dribben. Dribben, author of Everygirl, represents the Poetry Society of Virginia western region. Their poetry evokes the many experiences of girlhood and womanhood—heartbreaking and healing, earthy and fantastic.

Delivery: In Person & Zoom

When & Where: March 22 (Tuesday), 6:00pm-7:00pm, HE 22

4. Women in the Middle Ages

Presenters: Carlee Bradbury and Students

Description: An assortment of student papers and faculty research will explore the many roles women played in medieval Europe - from artist to patron to subject.

Delivery: In person 

When & Where: March 24 (Thursday), 12:00pm-1:00pm, HE 016 

Week 5 March 28 - 31 & Ongoing

1. Asian Women

Presenters: Dr. I-Ping Fu and Students

Description: Students in the CCST 103 class will conduct and present research 

Delivery: In person & Zoom

When & Where: March 28 (Monday), 10-10:50am, HH 3009 and Zoom 

2. “So … what do feminists do?": Reflections on a Sinuous Career Path

Presenters: Drs. Moira Baker & Ann Elliot

Description: Professor Moira Baker will share her reflections on the winding path that shaped her commitment to researching and teaching about literature that explores systemic injustice and human resistance, traumatic abuse and survival, and the intimate connection between the political and the aesthetic.

Delivery: Zoom

When & Where: March 29 (Tuesday), 5:00pm, Zoom. 

3. Women’s History Month Celebration

Presenters: Women’s and Gender Studies Program and Guests

Description: Join us as we celebrate the conclusion of Women’s History Month. We will recognize our Lifetime Achievement Award Winners, offer a donation to the Women’s Resource Center and celebrate our students. This program is co-sponsored by the Provost’s Office and light refreshments will be served. 

Delivery: In person

When & Where: March 31 (Thursday), 3:00-5:00pm, 1^st floor Atrium of Hemphill Hall. 

4. Book Discussion: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler 

You are invited to participate in a book club reading “The Parable of the Sower,” facilitated by Dr. Michele Ren, Ms. Christina LaFon, and Alyssa Archer. The first 25 people who sign up will get a free copy of the book by attending all three of the meetings. Currently these are planned to be in-person, but may be moved to hybrid or Zoom format for one or all. Sign up by Sunday, February 6th using this online form.  

Meetings will be held from Noon – 1 pm on the following dates: 

• Friday, February 25th – Read 2024 & 2025 

• Friday, March 18th – Read 2026 & bring articles that connect Butler’s predictions to present day. 

• Friday, April 8th – Read 2027 

In this dystopian novel, the country is marred by environmental and economic crises that have led to social chaos. Lauren Olamina, a Black teenager and a preacher's daughter, is protected from the worst of the cruelty by the walls of her gated community. But this tenuous existence is eroding. In a world fraught with danger, she must seek safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind. From MacArthur Fellow Octavia Butler, winner of multiple Nebula and Hugo Awards, this iconic novel is "a gripping tale of survival and a poignant account of growing up sane in a disintegrating world" (based on publisher summaries and The New York Times Book Review).  

Content warning: This book includes graphic descriptions of trauma including sexual assault, domestic abuse, and human trafficking, which will form part of our in-person discussions. For a more extensive list of content that may be disturbing to some readers, please read through the list of topics. 

Light refreshments. Sponsored by McConnell Library, the English Department, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and is part of Women’s History Month Programming organized by Women’s and Gender Studies. If you have questions, please contact Alyssa Archer at aarcher2@radford.edu or 540-831-5688.