Women’s History Month begins with intergenerational conversation
“Girl Talk: An Inter-Generational Conversation” will kick off Women’s History Month at the University of Maine noon-1:30 p.m. March 1 in the Bangor Room of Memorial Union.
The conversation will recognize 2019 as the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment that granted some — but of course, and significantly, not all — women the right to vote.
Women from Generation Z, Generation Y, Generation X and the baby-boom generation will reflect on what women’s suffrage means to them, and discuss women and voting.
Judicaelle Irakoze, founder of the Portland, Maine-based organization Choose Yourself and the Girl Talk platform, will facilitate the conversation. Panelists will include Olivia Baldacci, activist and campaign volunteer; Maulian Dana, Penobscot Indian Nation tribal ambassador; Dana Carver-Bialer, coordinator of leadership development at UMaine; Bev Uhlenhake, mayor of Brewer; Mary Cathcart, former state legislator and founder of Maine NEW (National Education for Women) Leadership; and others.
The panel discussion and ensuing reception are free and open to the public.
Event sponsors are the UMaine Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program; the UMaine Office of Leadership Development; Maine NEW Leadership; and Choose Yourself. A Facebook page has been created for more information.
March at UMaine is packed with Women’s History activities, films, events and talks, all of which are free and open to the public.
- March 1, 8 and 29, a Friday Feminist Craft Series will be held at 3 p.m. in the Women’s Resource Center. And all month, a Reproductive Justice Display will be at Fogler Library.
- March 4, a Feminist Collective (FemC) kickoff event will be held from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. in the North Pod of the Memorial Union. From 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. there will be an Interfaith Luncheon titled “Gender and Religious Attire Panel” at the Wilson Center. Some religious traditions have encouraged or required particular attire for worship or everyday wear. Panelists will share practices from Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Mormon perspectives, and consider ways individuals navigate tradition, gender expressions and roles, religious authority, and their own beliefs when they “wear” their faith in public and private settings. An RSVP is needed.
- March 5, there will be a pancake breakfast and feminist crafting 9–11 a.m. in the Memorial Union lobby.
- March 6, Almut Rochowanski will discuss “A Global Perspective and the Status of Women” noon–1 p.m. in the Multicultural Lounge in Memorial Union. The talk will center on issues surrounding outreach, social justice and activist work. WGS and FemC are sponsors of the Lunch and Learn Series. From 6–8 p.m., the Rev. Dr. Anu Dudley will talk about “Reclaiming Women’s Power: Leading While Female” at the Wilson Center. Dudley will examine the history of the goddess and women’s disempowerment, and the resultant understanding of what it means to be feminine and masculine in society. This will be enhanced by a discussion about personal experiences and reflections on women’s empowerment today. At 8 p.m., Kickin’ Flicks will show “Suffragette” in the North Pod of Memorial Union. The movie highlights a young working mother in 1912 London who is galvanized into radical political activism. She supports the right for women to vote, and is willing to meet violence with violence to achieve this end. WGS and Campus Activities and Student Engagement are sponsors.
- March 7, an LGBTea Party: Feminism and Queerness will be held 2–3 p.m. in the Rainbow Resource Center (RCC) in Memorial Union. Discussion will center around nuances of modern-day feminism and how it intersects, and is influenced by, queer movements and people. At 4:30 p.m., Diane Tye will talk about “Baking as Autobiography: Lessons from a Contemporary Recipe Collection” in the Estabrooke Hall Ballroom. The lecture is sponsored in part by the McGillicuddy Humanities Center, the Canadian-American Center, the History Department, the Department of Sociology, the Maine Folklife Center and WGS.
- March 8, the “No Man’s Land” Film Festival will he held 6:30–8:30 p.m. in Room 100 of the Donald P. Corbett Business Building. In its fourth year, the festival seeks to break down national and international borders and become an international voice for women in adventure, sport and film. Sponsored by Maine Bound Adventure Center, CASE, WGS and the Rising Tide Center.
- March 9, a women’s climbing event will be held 10 a.m.–noon at the Maine Bound Adventure Center. As a follow-up to the “No Man’s Land” screening, the free climbing event is centered around the mission of undefining “feminine” and what it means to be a woman in adventure, sport and film. Sponsored by Maine Bound Adventure Center, CASE, WGS and the Rising Tide Center. At 8 p.m., Kickin’ Flicks will again show “Suffragette” in the North Pod of Memorial Union.
- March 11–15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., learn about the history and significance of the Women’s Resource Center at UMaine with a visual timeline, in the Walker Room of Memorial Union.
- March 13, Anne Gass will discuss women’s suffrage at 3:30 p.m. in the Bangor Room of Memorial Union. Gass wrote the 2014 book, “Voting Down the Rose: Florence Brooks Whitehouse and Maine’s Fight for Woman Suffrage.” Hosted by FemC.
- March 14, Mazie Hough, associate professor of history and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, will moderate a Socialist and Marxist Series panel titled “Women and Resistance,” 12:30–1:45 p.m. in the Bangor Room of Memorial Union. Panelists are students An Nguyen, Sarah Witthauer and Lucretia Grindle from the History Department. At 5:30 p.m., a Dine-In Discourse titled, “Who’s Counting: Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies, and Global Economics” will be held in the Multicultural Lounge in Memorial Union. A group discussion will follow the free dinner and film screening.
- March 26, a pop-up panel with the theme “Men’s Role in Feminism?” will take place noon–1 p.m. in the Bangor Room of Memorial Union. A panel of students and faculty will discuss the topic. Audience participation is encouraged. Sponsored by WGS. From noon–2 p.m., “Looking for the Vote” will be held in the Lown Room of Memorial Union. In honor of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Maine, participants are encouraged to take a deeper look at who was excluded from Maine voting rights.
- March 27, a Tunnel of Oppression will be open from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. in the Memorial Union. During the immersive experience, community members can step into the realities of oppressed and marginalized groups. The program is intended to make participants feel uncomfortable and to challenge views and opinions on a multitude of topics. A team will guide participants through discussions. Counseling will be available. From 5:30–8 p.m., the Maryann Hartman Awards dinner will be held at Buchanan Alumni House. The award recognizes distinguished Maine women and their accomplishments in the arts, politics, business, education and community service. An RSVP is needed. At 8 p.m., Kickin’ Flicks shows “On the Basis of Sex” in the North Pod of Memorial Union. Inspired by a true story, the movie is about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggle for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that led to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice. Sponsored by CASE, WGS and FemC.
- March 28, 2–3 p.m. an LGBTea Party will be held in the RCC in Memorial Union. There will be a talk about “Femininity & Identity,” including how femininity plays out in identity, performance and queer bodies.
- March 30, Kickin’ Flicks will again offer “On the Basis of Sex” at 8 p.m. in the North Pod of Memorial Union.