Fall,, 2011
AWS @ CGU
Applied
Women’s
Studies:
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.
Dr. Linda M. Perkins with Keeonna Harris, Allie Fernandez, Lindsay Stadler,
Pamela O’Leary, Jenell Morrow, and a prospective student.
Director’s
Comments
Since our last newsletter Applied Women's Studies has sponsored and co-sponsored many exciting events. In
the Spring, we hosted a two day conference on Gender, Society and Change. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, the former
president of the National Women's Studies Association and the Director of the Women's Research and
Resources Institute at Spelman College gave ion an impressive and informative keynote address on our
Feminist Foremothers. The article in the newsletter highlights the major panels and activities of the
conference. I joined the board of the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW), the umbrella
organization for the leading research and advocacy centers in the nation on women and girls. The NCRW
held it's Fall board meeting at Claremont Graduate University in October. In addition to the board meeting,
the NCRW in co-sponsorship with the Michelle R. Clayman Institute of Stanford University and CGU held a
one day forum on Stalled Pipeline: Opening Pathways to Women's Leadership. AWS co-sponsored with Scripps College the appearance of Tres Vidas, a Chamber Ensemble that highlights the lives of three
prominent Latin American women. Our students continue to hold impressive internships locally and
nationally. The Pacific Life Foundation has renewed a $10,000 grant to supplement our internship program. In 2012, among the many activities we will sponsor are commemorations of the 40th anniversary of Title IX
and the 40th anniversary of Ms. Magazine. We look forward to the New Year and your continued support. 1
AWS @ CGU, FALL 2011
Save the Dates:
Juliet E. K. Walker, Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin
“Oprah Winfrey: An American Entrepreneur”
February 22nd, 2012
Albrecht Auditorium, 7:00 pm
Michael Messner Lecture:
“The Cultural Impact of Title IX”
April 11th, 2012
Albrecht Auditorium, 7:00 pm
The National Council for
Research on Women at
Claremont Graduate University
By Tanya Kato
The National Council for Research on Women (NCRW) held its Western
Regional conference opening keynote panel on October 13, 2011 in Albrecht
Auditorium on the Claremont Graduate University campus. The panel was entitled
Stalled in the Pipelines: Opening Pathways to Women’s Leadership. The purpose of the panel
was to address the stall in women’s representation in professional leadership roles
across various sectors. The night’s speakers consisted of: Shelley Correll, director of
the Clayman Institute at Stanford; Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd
College; Amy Marcus-Newhall, vice president for academic affairs & dean of
Scripps College; and Beverly Ryder, president of the National Women’s Hall of
Fame and trustee of Claremont Graduate University.
The night opened with welcoming remarks by Deborah Freund,
president of Claremont Graduate University; Linda Perkins, director of the Applied
Women’s Studies program at Claremont Graduate University; and Linda Basch,
president of the National Council for Research on Women. Basch highlighted the
awarding of three Nobel prizes to women in 2011 and shared some statistics on
women in managerial positions and women living in poverty. She also noted that
the Wall Street demonstrations were gaining traction. Beverly Ryder, the moderator of the panel, introduced the three panel
participants. The discussion began with Correll stating that she was a gender
researcher at the core. She discussed the gender wage gap and asked how change
could occur in the workplace to reflect the workforce. Klawe then took the
microphone and shared her childhood love of math and her aspirations of
becoming an engineer. She also shared that she was the first female in many of the
department positions she has held in the last twenty plus years. Klawe, was quick to
note, however, the low number of women in deanship positions of engineering
schools. And lastly, Marcus-Newhall spoke about the work, Through the Labyrinth, and
asked if organizations were set to be barriers. She then talked about leadership, and
the need for women in positions of power in order to create change.
The night continued with dialogue discussing the panel participants’
research and experiences. Correll discussed her work in social psychology and the
strong bias against mothers. She talked about workplace flexibility, and noted that
she did not see the recession as helping women and harming men. Klawe discussed
her work creating a two-year computer science bachelor’s degree program for
individuals wishing to obtain a second degree, and her work as a university president
and board member of Microsoft. Marcus-Newhall discussed her work on
stereotypes and perceptions of moms, and the work of Joan Williams and the
maternal wall. Ameenah Fuller, an audience member, and former candidate for the
California State Senate, added to the discussion by saying that women felt a lot of
intimidation and fear running for office, but shared the success story of a mother
who became a city councilwoman and eventually mayor.
Ryder concluded the evening’s session by affirming the importance of
mentoring and giving wise advice to people coming along.
2
AWS Student and Alumna News
• Sami Poindexter (2012) attained an internship with
MADRE in New York City which is a global non-profit
organization that advance women’s human rights by
meeting urgent needs in communities and building last
solutions to crisis.
• Alum John Erickson (2011) got a job working for the City
Council of West Hollywood this past September. He has
helped draft new policies the council is considering
implementing or discussing, research policy initiatives, as
well as partake in planning and implementing many of the
City’s annual events. Specifically, he helped plan and
oversee the City’s 6th Annual Love Your Body Day which
was hosted this year by online blogger and political activist
Meghan McCain. John was also just recently appointed to
Co-Chair of the American Academy of Religion’s Queer
Studies in Religion for the Western Region of the country.
Along with his involvement in the American Academy of
Religion, he was asked to become a permanent contributor
for the new and highly publicized blog called Feminism and
Religion (www.feminismandreligion.com), which is home to
new, current, and veteran scholars in the study of Feminism
and Religion.
• Alumna Allie Fernandez (2011) was recently appointed as
the Development Manager for the National Council for
Research on Women in New York City.
• Alumna Rebecca Spence (2011) got a job working for the
University of California at Riverside as the Coordinator of
the Undergraduate Research in the Community. She
matches up faculty mentors, undergraduate students, and
community partners to do community based research
projects.
• Keeonna Harris (2012), Katie Driscoll (2012), and Sami
Poindexter (2012) attended a"Feminist Boot Camp" in New
York this Winter. The workshop is run by Jennifer
Baumgardner and Amy Richards, the authors of
Manifesta. They attended conference-themed events
throughout the week, all focused on various points of
interest within the feminist movement, and network with
women in positions of power.
AWS @ CGU, FALL 2011
3
Abigail Disney and “Women,
War and Peace.”
AWS and NCRW Host a Screening of
Abigail Disney’s NewPBS Documentary Series.
“Women aren’t victims. They’re the resisters, creators and the glue in their communities.”
-­‐Abigail Disney
By Amanda Lee
On a surprisingly warm Thursday afternoon,
audience members shuffled into their seats located
inside of the large newly remodeled and airconditioned Benson Auditorium at Claremont’s Pitzer
College. On October 13, Abigail Disney— the
executive director of the new film series “Women, War
and Peace” currently airing on PBS—spoke a few
powerful words to set the tone before an exclusive
screening of Episode Three titled “Peace Unveiled”.
“Women aren’t victims. They’re the resisters, creators
and the glue in their communities.” Disney’s bold
statement encouraged viewers to put aside their usual
assumptions about war to prepare their minds and
hearts for a side of war they probably have never seen
or imagined.
The film follows the lives of three specific Afghan
women all whom are active members of a women’s
organization called Afghan Women’s Network (AFN).
Part three of this five-part series focused on women’s
“involvement” in the war in Afghanistan. Incredible
camera footage paired with incredible interviews was
captured with the access that they received through
Hillary Clinton’s Administration.
With the fearless and perseverant belief that it is
their responsibility to change this nation, the AFN
risked their lives to attain seats in Afghanistan’s
Parliament and other key political positions in order to
represent women’s interests that are undoubtedly
pushed into the margins. In addition, with the
appalling statistic that 90% of Afghan women are
illiterate, another crucial goal of theirs is to educate
girls and women alike so that they could receive the
basic privileges like that of Afghan males.
Many women predict in fear that Afghan
President Hamid Karzai will bring their country to
further ruin because he has granted warlords and
conservative religious men a dangerous amount of
power that includes immunity over prosecution of any
war crime that they commit. In the international
public’s eye, Karzai advocates that negotiating with the
Taliban would be the best solution because it would
prevent further terrorist attacks on both his own
countrymen and on other nations worldwide.
Trusting Karzai’s “good intentions” and thinking
he has everything in line, the international council
seemed to have forgotten to speak up about the
treatment and lifestyle that Afghan children and
women endure daily. Like prisoners, they are locked up
inside their homes because they are prohibited from
attending school or going to work without being given
death threats, having acid thrown on their bodies, or
even being assassinated
without a second thought. To enhance the issue,
women are not given an equal amount or if at all any
seats in the international peace conferences or
government conflict meetings. “For women, peace has
never looked so threatening.”
After the screening, Professor Julia Liss of Scripps
College (also Department Chair of History) presented
her list of three great strengths she noticed in the film
which included the great attention to how women
experience war differently than men, the role of
women activists with the multiple focus on them as
victims and agents of social change, and the necessity
for increasing awareness of peace activism around the
world.
The much-awaited Q & A session with Abigail
Disney began with tough questions, but she handled
them with sincerity, bravery and poise. Viewers learned
that one of the challenges was the process of making
this film as a typical film. There would be no arc
tensions like normal films that followed a nice buildup
or plot line. So instead of following the traditional film
structure, Disney chose to treat this film as a slice of a
timeline that could be kept and watched even when the
current contents of the film became outdated. When
asked about how she decided on which parts to keep or
edit, the experienced filmmaker explained that films
needed breathing room to open up the heart, not just a
barrage of information.
In many ways, this film would be used to not only
inform others, but also to transform the perspective of
many who had never heard the Afghan women’s side of
war. Disney responded to her heart’s calling in setting
the stage for an opportunity where Afghan women’s
brave voices could be heard louder and spread wider to
those who could partner with them in building lasting
change in the country of Afghanistan.
AWS @ CGU, FALL 2011
AWS at the National Council for Research on Women’s Annual
Photo(s):
Top Left : Director Linda Basch (NCRW), AWS
Advisory Board Member Jean Lipman-Blumen
Top Middle: Director Linda Basch (NCRW)
Top Right: AWS Students: Katie Driscoll,
Keeonna Harris
Bottom Left: Brenda Gonzalez
Bottom Right: AWS Advisory Board Member,
Dr. Jean Schroedel
AWS at the National Women’s Studies Conference
John Erickson, Alexandra Fernandez, Keeonna Harris, Dr. Jenell Navarro, Pamela
O’Leary, and Dr. Linda Perkins Moderate and Present on “Feminist
Transformations”
By: John Erickson
Each fall students and alumnae from the Applied Women’s
Studies program travel to the annual National Women’s Studies
Conference to present, network, and participate in a conference
made up of Women and Gender Studies scholars from across
the country. This year the meeting was held in Atlanta, GA.
AWS students Keeonna Harris and alumnae John
Erickson, Alexandra Fernandez, Dr. Jenell Navarro, and
Pamela O’Leary alongside AWS Director Dr. Linda Perkins
partook in this years conference theme entitled “Feminist
Transformations.”
The conference this year was a success for many reasons.
The AWS community was able to gather in the same space and
enjoy and learn about the new, cutting edge feminist and
gender scholarship occurring throughout different institutions
nation wide as well as within our own.
4
Along with attending panels or moderating them, AWS
took part in a reception that promoted Women and Gender
studies program in the United States that offered graduate
degrees in the field. The AWS program was able to attract
multiple students to our table and talk with prospective students
who were interested in learning more about the applied aspect
of feminist scholarship happening at Claremont Graduate
University. Based on the number of people we talked with, the
AWS program is destined to become stronger in the next
couple of years because of the talented and dedicated students
who pass through our program.
AWS @ CGU, FALL 2011
5
Reflecting on the Gender, Society
and Change Conference
By: Dr. Linda M. Perkins
In April 2011, AWS held a two-day Bradshaw Conference on Gender,
Society and Change. The Thornton F. Bradshaw Programs and Endowment
Fund, the School of Politics and Economics, the Transdisciplinary Studies
Program and the Office of Advancement funded this event. The conference was
opened with a keynote address by Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Anna Julia Cooper
Professor of Women’s Studies and Director of the Women’s Research and
Resource Center at Spelman College. Guy-Sheftall is also the former president of
the National Women’s Studies Association. Guy-Sheftall set the tone for the two
days with an address entitled, “Women in Struggle-Feminist Legacies”.
The two days included panel discussions on all aspects of gender and change
– economics, politics, religion, and leadership in both profit and non-profit
organizations. The conference also highlighted the growing number of women
and girls incarcerated. A panel on Masculinities discussed the changing notion of
masculinities and highlighted the impact of changing gender roles on men and
boys. The panels were primarily comprised of the faculty and students of the
Claremont Graduate University as well as the Claremont Colleges.
The documentary, March On! that chronicled the 2009 National Equity
March was shown. Zoe Nickelson, veteran feminist activist was highlighted in the
film. She provided context to the audience and answered questions concerning
the Equity march and movement. Susan Burton, founder and executive director
of a New Way of Life of Los Angeles, a transitional home for formerly
incarcerated woman gave a presentation on the challenges of women in prison
and their lives after they are released. The film Me Facing Life: Cytoia’s Story
about a juvenile who was sentenced to a life sentence for murder was shown.
Rosalinda Vint, the founder and executive director of the organization, Women
of Substance and Men of Honor, Inc. a non-profit organization that works with
juveniles involved in the criminal justice system many who were foster children,
discussed the film and brought several formerly incarcerated youth with her to
react to the documentary. The conference was very successful and provided a
much-needed conversation about contemporary issues on gender and society.
Photo
Right: Current AWS
Student Alexandra
Fernandez
AWS @ CGU, FALL 2011
AWS Advisory Board News
• Gondy Leroy, Associate Professor in the School of Information
Systems and Technology created a project with Claremont
Graduate University and Scripps College to establish a pipeline
project that encompasses high school, undergraduate and
graduate students who will interact and collaborate during four
workshops. The first two workshops will focus on the
undergraduate-graduate connection, while the last two
workshops will focus on the high school-undergraduate
connection. The groups will work with their respective younger
group on appropriate but exciting and student-selected and
student-led projects. As part of these interactions, each group
will be trained to and have the opportunity to mentor, encourage
and support the younger group to start or continue to pursue a
career in computing technology.
• AWS Director Linda Perkins and Advisory Committee Members
Alexander Juhasz (Media Studies, Pitzer College) and Eve Oishi
(Cultural Studies, CGU) received a BLAIS grant for an
Feminist/Anti-Racist Digital Humanities Project. This project
will specifically explore incivility on the internet, particularly
focusing upon racist and sexist comments. There will be a small
reading group in the Spring to explore issues of race and gender
on line followed by a workshop in the fall on these issues. A
summer course on the topic is also being planned.
APPLIED WOMEN’S STUDIES
150 E. 10th Street, Claremont, CA 91711
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
John Erickson
Photo(s)
Top: AWS Advisory Board
Member Dr. Jean LipmanBlumen
Bottom: AWS Advisory Board
Member Sarah Smith Orr