Daily Vidette, IL
03-05-07
March kicks off Women's History Month, student organizations sponsor events
Vanessa Kaspar
March 1 kicked off Women's History Month. In celebration of Women's History
Month, several student organizations will be sponsoring events throughout the
month of March.
The first event, Women's History Month Kickoff Reception, took place March 1 in
the Old Main Room in the Bone Student Center, according to Enrique Rebolledo,
a political science graduate student and graduate assistant of Diversity Advocacy
office.
Diversity Advocacy's second event will be titled "Weight and Wellness:
Challenging the Myths with Dr. Venise Berry," according to Rebolledo. The
lecture will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Circus Room of the Bone
Student Center and is free to the public.
The event will take place all day, with a workshop on weight and wellness in SSB
375 from noon until 1:15 p.m. Cost is free to the public.
According to Rebolledo, interested participants must register with Kelly-Ann
Vassell by contacting her at kvassel@ilstu.edu by March 23.
"Dr. Berry is a professor from Iowa State University. She will explore the
women's images and beliefs about themselves and [their] weight," Rebolledo
said.
In addition to the events of Diversity Advocacy, the Feminists Led Activist
Movement to Empower, or FLAME, will be holding their "It Affects Me" event on
April 9 through April 12. The "It Affects Me" event is a nationwide campaign to
educate how sexual assault affects women, according to Jane Wear, a junior
early childhood education major and co-president of FLAME.
Exact details of the plans of "It Affects Me" have not been entirely confirmed yet,
but students can count on the "Hands Are Hurting" canvas event on the Quad, on
Tuesday, April 10 and Wednesday April 11, according to Wear. For 50 cents,
students will be able to stamp their hands on the canvas, which will represent the
hurting hands.
"We are taking a different spin on the event and each day will be a different thing.
We will also be focusing on pride, homophobia and eating disorders, as well as
sexual assault, because they also affect people in different ways," Wear said.
Women's History Month has been celebrated for many years, according to
Rebolledo.
"In 1978 the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the
Status of Women in California began a 'Women's History Week' celebration," he
said.
Since, International Women's Day is celebrated March 8 and has been since
1911 in Europe, they decided to make the week coincide with the day. Then,
three years later, the United States Congress established National Women's
History Week by passing a resolution. At the request of the National Women's
History Project, in 1987, Women's History Week was expanded to the entire
month of March, according to Rebolledo.
Women's History Month is important to celebrate because women have
contributed to America's history and were not always given the proper respect
they deserved, according to Rebolledo.
"For a number of years women were an underrepresented group in this country.
They were not allowed to do many things like vote or own land. I think that we
need to acknowledge them because they have been contributors to our society
as well. There have been many women that have accomplished great feats. I am
also a believer that in order to predict and shape our future we must understand
our past, and this gives everyone the opportunity to learn from our past,"
Rebolledo said.
FLAME will be holding their next meeting tonight at 7 p.m. in the second floor
lounge of Rachel Cooper to plan and confirm the rest of events for "It Affects
Me," according to Wear. For those who are interested, FLAME meets every other
Monday at 7 p.m. and all are welcome to attend.