2015
AWS @ CGU
Applied
Women’s
Studies:
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At CGU, the
internship is the
focus of the
applied aspect of
the Applied
Women's Studies
Program.
Students take
classes in their
field of focus and
intern at an
organization that
will best utilize
the skills and
knowledge
gained in the
classroom to
provide them
with real - life
experiences
to make real-life
impacts.
!!
Pictured: AWS Graduates Caeli Waldron, 15’; Shannon Skov, 15’; Elizabeth “Lily” Rowan, 15’; Angela Tilley,
15’; Dr. Linda Perkins; Mercy Ajuonu, 15’ at the 2015 Applied Women’s Studies Graduate Reception
Director’s
Comments
This has been an extremely exciting year. As noted by the
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articles and photos in this issue, we took a group of students to
the National Women' s Studies Conference in San Juan, Puerto
Rico in the fall. This was the largest attended NWSA
conference in the history of the organization. It was full of
exciting sessions and the keynote address by belle hooks was a
major highlight of the conference. AWS was represented at the
conference by not only students but also by alums who were on
the program. AWS’ emphases on both domestic and global
women's issues are infused in our activities and courses.
A couple of our students, Mercy Ajuonu originally from
Nigeria and Reem Alrowaithy from Saudi Arabia accompanied
me to the United Nations Commission on the Status of
Women's conference in New York City in March. Both Mercy
and Reem are focusing on global women issues in their studies.
In this issue, Mercy reports on the many sessions she attended.
It was indeed an exciting and informative conference with more
than 11,000 participants in attendance. I attended a wide array
of sessions including ones on child marriage, sex trafficking and
the issue of the plight of older women in the global society.
The United Nations has made inroads into the participation
of men in the quest for gender equity. An initiative entitled He
for She is one such effort. Our program will offer a course in
Masculinities next academic year and will also sponsor a forum
on male allies.
Dr. Sallama Shaker, one of our valued professors of AWS and I
are invited members of an international planning committee of
a upcoming international forum at the University of California Riverside next fall on Women and University Leadership in PostConflict and Transitional Societies. This forum is being funded
through a grant from the Ford Foundation and will culminate
with an Institute of the same name.
I continue to serve on the Board of Re:Gender, formerly the
National Council for Research on Women and on the Board of
Scholars for Ms. Magazine. This is the second year that I have
served on the fellowship selection committee for the American
Association for University Women's Dissertation Year
Fellowships, Postdoctoral Fellowship and Summer Writing
Fellowships. I also made a presentation on the history of Title
IX and Sexual Assault on College Campuses at an invited
presidential session at the American Education Research
Association’s conference in Chicago in April.
Our students continue to complete internships in a wide
variety of organizations and our alums are working in impressive
positions as noted in the section on updates on our alumni. One
of our most supportive Advisory Committee members, Sarah
Smith Orr is retiring from her post as Executive Director of the
Kravis Institute on Leadership at Claremont McKenna College.
We congratulate our eight graduates for 2015. Enjoy the
summer.
AWS @ CGU, 2015
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Top Insights form the Conference on the United Nations
Commission on the Status of Women
By: Mercy Ajuonu, 15’
Bringing an End to Sex Traf1icking: It ceases to be an ordinary conversation when it happens to your loved one, when you are faced with helping a girl victim with food and shelter or when you have to treat a girl victim with a disease. This is the case of Mrs. Ruchira Gupta who was the Woman of Distinction awardee during the conference and also winner of Clinton Global Citizen award for publishing her work and sharing her experiences on her encounters with girls who were sold for sex work. Her speech on “The selling of Innocence” wraps up the global concern about sex trafGicking. !
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Africa Caucus agenda: To End Violence Against Women: Violence against women continues to be a problem in the world especially in war-­‐torn nations. The different areas that women experience violence include gender-­‐based violence, war-­‐
related violence, domestic violence, rape and other forms of assaults are considered as “rights of women to safety”. The African caucus in one voice considers violence against women as a major issue that the continent needs to focus on in order to achieve women right to safety. The caucus also agreed to ‘Gight’ for more women representation and involvement in peace and security. !
Voices of Faith Communities in Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights The inGluence of faith-­‐based communities and the decisions that women make regarding reproductive choices and rights were highlighted in this session. Such decisions include when to have sex, whether to use condom, if to have abortion and if to adopt a child or not among others. The reality of times as the sessions highlighted is that women lives are inGluenced by their religion which they Gind themselves in, and which serves as the foundation of their being. Hence, faith-­‐
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based organizations are strongly advocated for to become strong allies in Gighting for women reproductive health and rights because of their inGluence to help women reconcile their decision making power. There was a call to action to support faith-­‐based organizations to be included in the UN agenda. !
Maternal and Child Health What can be done to increase Maternal and child health is a key issue during this session. Statistics shows that it is still a public health concern especially in developing nations. Most of the problems highlighted include inadequate healthcare systems, lack of access to quality health care, lack of enough health care personnel, lack of education and awareness, long distances to healthcare centers and clinics, and lack of transportation. The session focused on calls for action by the different governments and non-­‐governmental organizations. !
Reproductive and Mental Health of Women This is an area that has generated interest among many women from developing countries who did not consider mental health as a huge concern for women. The session ended with the issue of what deGines mental health. One thing that made the conference worth attending apart from all the issues raised is the consciousness by all participants calling for implementation and accountability rather than discussing issues which have been identiGied. One surprising thing at the conference however is the disagreement amongst different women groups about the solution to sex trafGicking. Some believe in a legal framework of legalizing prostitution while the rest of the group are endorsing stiffer punishments by different governments.
AWS @ CGU, 2015
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AWS at National Women’s Studies Association Conference:
Feminist Transgressions
By: Angela Tilley, 15’
Several AWS students were fortunate enough to attend the 2014 National Women’s Studies Association Conference which took place November 13-­‐16 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. With over 2,000 attendees, it marked the largest NWSA conference to date. Even before touching down in San Juan, there was a palpable excitement in the air as each Glight contained dozens of folks discussing their panels of interest and carefully planning out their days. The Claremont Graduate University booth was set up soon after our arrival and each representative from AWS had the opportunity to meet and chat with prospective students about the program both in the exhibit hall throughout the conference and during the MA/PhD reception. Opening the conference was a Keynote Address by scholar, author, poet, and social activist bell hooks. A highlight of the conference, Dr. hooks discussed the importance of love within intersectional feminism, violence against women, the role of the academy, and the matrix of oppressions. Angela Davis, Islah Jad, Rebecca Vilkomerson, and Chandea Talpade Mohanty gathered for the Plenary Session: The Imperial Politics of Nation-­‐States: U.S., Israel, and Palestine. The session itself was a springboard for an action-­‐based discussion on the possibility of passing a Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions resolution by NWSA members. Additionally, several Puerto Rican protestors rose from their seats, proudly held up the Puerto Rican Glag, and asserted their stance on Puerto Rican independence and decolonization, which was met with resounding applause and cheers in solidarity.
Intellectually fulGilling, my experience at the NWSA conference was deeply meaningful. While it was impossible to attend the hundreds of sessions I had hoped to, the AWS crew worked as a team to ensure each person was able to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to us. We took notes for each other in Pictured - Angela Tilley, 15’; Ashley Shew, 15’;
Caeli Waldron, 15’; Miriam [Last Name], 15’
sessions that others were not able to attend and in true AWS fashion, spent hours engaging in feminist dialogue reGlecting on our day while making the best of every moment possible both at the conference and in the city. Creating the World We Want to See: A Crunk Feminist Collective Roundtable, New Body Politics: Challenging Disciplinary Approaches to Embodiment, Black Feminist and Black Queer Theory, Creating a Just Classroom: Curriculum Design to Combat Violence Against Women, Beyonce in Love: Black Women and the Politics of Transgressive Love, and Infertility and (Be)longing are just a few titles of the types of sessions we attended. The 2015 National Women’s Studies Conference: Precarity is scheduled for November 12-­‐15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. !
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AWS @ CGU, 2015
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Applied Women’s Studies Excels at National Women’s
Studies Association : Feminist Transgressions
By: John Erickson, 11’
Each year the Applied Women’s Studies program travels to the National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference and offers new, current, and alums the opportunity to network, attend panels, and learn from senior scholars in their Gields. Applied Women’s Studies students and alums have always excelled at not only being accepted to present at the conference but also further their knowledge about current feminist issues in the Gield. Having presented at each conference since I was accepted into the Applied Women’s Studies in 2009, one of the major assets that the conference offers to students if the graduate program networking hour where students who are interested in or have applied to various Ph.D. or other graduate programs in women and gender studies Gields can meet representatives and professors from those schools and learn more about the programs without having to travel to multiple universities in a time where student funding is minimal. It is a honor to be able to meet with new students and reconnect with current ones at this annual conference and see how all the students are not only Glourishing but applied real life knowledge in ways that only can be learned in the Applied Women’s Studies program. !
Pictured - AWS Students Ashley Shew, 15’; and Caeli Waldron, 15 at the NWSA Convention
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Dr. Linda Perkins and Dr. Sallama Shaker
Invited to Serve on the Planning Committee of
“Women in Higher Education Leadership in
Countries in Conflict”
By: John Erickson, 15’
Through a grant from the Ford Foundation, UC-­‐ Riverside will host a ten day leadership institute and conference on women in higher education in war torn countries and those in conGlict and post-­‐conGlict in late 2016. Both Drs. Perkins and Shaker were invited to participate in a 12 person planning committee for this event. Professor Shaker is a member of the faculty of Applied Women's Studies and the Women's and Gender Studies CertiGicate Program as well as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Applied Women's Studies Program. Professor Shaker was a major presenter at the planning meeting. The planning committee included women from Pictured - Ambassador
Afghanistan, Egypt, the Sallama Shaker
Philippines , Nepal. !
Pictured - Dr. Linda Perkins
Dr. Linda Perkins Meets with Afghan Delegation
By: John Erickson,15’
Professor Perkins met with four members of the Afghan Institute of Learning who were the recipients of the Kravis Prize of the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College. The Afghan Institute of Learning oversees more than 40 Learning Centers in Afghanistan. It also trains teachers in K-­‐12 schools in the country. They met with Professor Perkins to discuss strategies for gender equity in schools in Afghanistan. !
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Applied Women’s Studies Sponsors African American
Film Screenings
By: John Erickson, 11’
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In April, AWS sponsored two desegregation cases. In addition to documentary Gilm screenings of two writing briefs in Brown v. Board of African American women. The Girst Education, Motley was trial or Gilm, “The Passionate Pursuits of appellate counsel in 57 cases in the Angela Bowen” United States by Gilmmaker Supreme Court, 82 Jennifer Abod cases in federal chronicles the courts of appeals, career of this 48 cases in federal classical trained district courts, dancer , teacher, and numerous feminist and cases in state activist scholar courts. She won and her cases that ended contribution to de jure developing Black segregation in dancers though white only Pictured - Angela Bowen
her Bowen restaurants and and Jennifer Abod
Peters Dance lunch counters, School in New protected the right of Haven, protestors to march, sit-­‐
Connecticut. A short interview with in, freedom ride, and demonstrate Gilmmaker Abod with CGU student in other ways, and secured the right Sophia Silva highlights her work. To for blacks to register, vote, and have view a clip from the Gilm, visit: access to the political power https://youtu.be/U5EeVOhz6-­‐k. structure. She became the Girst Dr. Gary Ford, assistant African American woman federal professor of African American judge in 1966. Studies and Women’s Studies at Lehman College of the City University of New York did a screening and discussion of the documentary “Justice is a Black Woman: the Life and Work of Constance Baker Motley”. This Gilm is based on Ford’s doctoral dissertation at the University of Maryland in American Studies. Ford is a producer of the documentary. Judge Motley, the only woman attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense And Educational Fund (LDF) during most of the civil rights movement from 1946 -­‐ 1964 was the LDF attorney who tried and won most of the important Pictured - Dr. Linda Perkins
and Dr. Gary Ford
AWS @ CGU, FALL 2015
Applied Women’s Studies Alumni Updates
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Debbie Palacios, 11’ was promoted to Media Monitoring Director at American Bridge 21st Century in Washington, DC. American Bridge is a progressive research and communications organization that monitors, fact checks and holds accountable the statements of Republican candidates. Meredith Anderson, 12’ has started a thriving childcare cooperative called Meredith and Company -­‐ http://meredithandcompany.com that Gind part-­‐time, full time or last minute childcare in the Los Angeles area. Caeli Waldron, 15’ is Chapter Coordinator of Girl Learn International (GLI) for the Feminist Majority Foundation in Beverly Hills. Her role in the program right now is mainly to assist all of our existing 174 high school, middle school, and some elementary school Chapters across 33 states in the United States and assist and recruit new Chapters. The program recently took 43 GLI Delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in NY (March 7-­‐13), where the Delegates helped write the "Girls' Statement," hosted panels on global girls' rights, and contributed to panel discussions on what to include in the next Sustainable Development Goals after the MDGs. Rebecca Fernandez, 10’ is a Community Organizer with the Parent Education Organizing Council in Paterson, NJ and the Dignity in School Campaign. She is organizing mothers, youth, and community leaders in one of the countries poorest performing school districts to utilize community power to regain local control of education and stop school pushout. Andaye Hill, 14’, is the Lead Health Education Manager for Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s (GAMC) Community Services Department. After her internship as a Randall Lewis Health Policy Fellow at GAMC, Andaye was hired as Program Implementer for Choose Health LA Kids, a population health initiative funded by First 5 LA and the LA County Department of Public Health. CHLAKids is designed to reduce the prevalence and incidence of diabetes and obesity among children 0-­‐5 years of age, and their families. As Program Implementer, a few of Andaye responsibilities entailed aiding in the conceptualization, planning, and growth of the GAMC chapter of CHLAKids by supporting long term improvement change in the systems, policies, and infrastructure that serve young children and their families through strategic planning, cultivation, and execution of community based participatory partnerships with key external stakeholders. !
AWS @ CGU, FALL 2015
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Applied Women’s Studies Alumni Updates
John Erickson, 11’ is the Community Events Technician for the City of West Hollywood. After serving as the Chief of Staff and Deputy to Councilmember Abbe Land, John was promoted to the position of the City of West Hollywood’s Girst ever Community Events Technicians where he works on events directly sponsored or cosponsored by the City Council. In addition, John was recently elected as the Girst ever President of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh LGBTQA+ Alumni Board. In the October of 2015, he will be awarded the Outstanding Young Alumni Award for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. !
Molly Berger, 10’ recently became a consultant with Beautycounter, a socially-­‐
responsible and innovative startup company that is women-­‐led that empower women to take control of their personal care products while changing the industry. You can learn more about the organization by visiting www.beautycounter.com/mollyberger Pamela O’Leary, 09’ graduated from Emerge California's Class of 2015. Emerge California is the premier training program for Democratic women pursuing public leadership. During the program, Pamela was appointed to the City of San Mateo's Planning Commission and the County of San Mateo's Commission on Aging. Pictured - New AWS Alumnas Caeli Waldron,
Mariam Youseff, and Angela Tilley at the 2015
CGU Graduation
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AWS @ CGU, SPRING, 2015
AWS Advisory
Committee Updates Sarah Smith Orr Retires
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AWS Advisory Committee Member Sarah Smith Orr retires as Executive Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College. Sarah, an expert in social entrepreneurship and women’s leadership have been an important mentor to our students and instrumental in helping them obtain key internships and jobs. Thank you Sarah and best wishes to your future endeavors. !
APPLIED WOMEN’S STUDIES
150 E. 10th Street, Claremont, CA 91711
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
John Erickson
Pictured - Sarah Smith Orr