The Women's Outreach Center and OU Women's Studies Program will sponsor a series of events this month to commemorate women of all ethnicities and nationalities.
This month's activities include International Women's Day, a series of discussions and lectures and a keynote presentation by a prominent civil rights activist. Women's History Month begins today with International Women's Day at 10 a.m. in the first floor lobby of Dale Hall, said Hannah Brenner, director of Women's Outreach Center.
"One of our objectives this semester here at the center is to reach out to different communities on campus," Brenner said.
Market Day, a volunteer-run, non-profit organization, will participate in International Women's day. The organization sells ethnic clothing, coffee, soapstone carvings and textiles made by citizens of India, Bosnia, Thailand, Indonesia and other areas of the world, said Joanne Nicholas, intern at the Woman's Outreach Center and human relations graduate student.
"The money received from the purchases will go back to the countries to benefit women and hopefully better the conditions there," Nicholas said .
Members of World Neighbors, an Oklahoma-based international development organization, will be discussing practical solutions to hunger, disease and poverty for women in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Jaylene Watkins, World Neighbors public relations coordinator, said her organization will also have information about Work of Women, a global initiative designed to celebrate the collective strengths of women across the world.
Other participants in International Women's Day include Yawnie Knox, African djembe drum instructor, and Women's Bold Journeys, a lobbyist group for women and children's rights, Brenner said.
Martha Skeeters, professor of history and women's studies, will moderate "Integrating Gender into the Curriculum," a faculty colloquium on Tuesday.
"Several faculty members will talk about their experiences of integrating gender into their courses," Skeeters said.
Panelists for the discussion include Catherine Kelly, history professor, Susan Sharp, sociology professor, and Melissa Homestead, English professor.
Skeeters said that though this discussion is exclusive to faculty, there will be a colloquium for students to share their views.
Judith Lewis, history professor, is the featured speaker for "Portraits and Power: Aristocratic Women in 18th Century England" on March 26 at the Physical Sciences Center.
Lewis said her lecture will be supplemented by portraits of upper-class women in Britain, a topic of her latest book "Sacred to Female Patriotism."
"I'll use the portraits to show the type of political power that these women had," Lewis said.
Civil rights activist Clara Luper will give a keynote presentation later this month. There is no date set at this time, Brenner said.
Luper, who marched with Martin Luther King Jr., was scheduled to speak last week but was forced to reschedule because of bad weather.
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