From BGSU OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
“Activism from Where You Are” is the theme of the keynote event in this year’s Women’s History Month celebrations at Bowling Green State University. New York poet and political activist Staceyann Chin will conduct a workshop on the topic Saturday, March 18 , from 5-8 p.m.
Chin, an “out” poet and Jamaican national, has starred in the Tony Award-nominated “Def Poetry Jam on Broadway,” has performed in “Voices of a People’s History of the United States,” in one-woman shows off-Broadway and at the Nuyorican Poets’ Café. The workshop, geared toward students, she will share her own story about how a girl “born into denial and contempt can grow up resilient, sane and full of purpose.” The workshop will include a gathering of participants’ family narratives and how those unique narratives can inform their activism. Pre-registration for the workshop is required. Email the Women’s Center at womencenter@bgsu.edu.
The overarching theme of the month’s events is “Get in Formation: Women of Color and Contemporary Activism.” Sponsored by the Women’s Center and the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, there are activities for people of all ages. Below is a sampling of what’s happening.
The annual “Toss the Tiara,” an alternative dress-up day for boys and girls, takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday (March 4) in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom at the Bowen-Thompson Student Union.
Also on March 18, the National Council of Negro Women Empowerment Conference will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Pre-registration is also required for this event.
Faculty members from BGSU and other universities will speak at and host conferences and events throughout the month. On March 22, “Focused Falcons: BGSU Alumni Activists” will feature a panel discussion facilitated by Dr. Sandra Faulkner, director of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. The discussion begins at noon in the Women’s Center, 107 Hanna Hall.
A discussion on “Indigenous and International Women Activists,” at 2:30 p.m. March 23 in 410 Kuhlin Center, will be moderated by Dr. Jackie Sievert, political science.
Dr. Nicole Jackson, history, will lead a screening and discussion of Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” at 7 p.m. March 27 in 107 Hanna Hall. She will also present “Say Her Name: Justice and Honor for Murdered Black Women” at noon March 15 in the Women’s Center.
The month wraps up with the annual Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Research Colloquium on March 31. Sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Union. The keynote speaker for the colloquium will be Dr. Roopika Risam of Salem State University. Her address, “Decolonizing Digital Cultural Memory: Digital Humanities as Digital Activism,” will take place at 2 p.m. in 308 Union.
