Highlighting Women's Issues ______Vol
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Highlighting Women's Issues ___________________________________________________ Vol. 13 No. 1 Mansfield University’s Women’s Studies Newsletter Fall 2006 Mansfield University Suffragists include women’s right to vote as part of their “Declaration of Sentiments.” Women did March in 1890s Parade not win the right to exercise their right to By Judith Sornberger vote until 1920. Most of the parade onlookers cheered our suffragists, but, as in the real 1890s, there were also detractors. A few men (all in fun) yelled “get back in the kitchen” and “go home,” which added to the historical accuracy of the march. Guest artist presentation in January By Nancy Boston ♪ ♫ We have something to look forward to at the beginning of the spring 2007 semester. On Friday, January 26, Lauren M.U. Suffragists ready to march. For more Pelon will present a program of women’s photos, see page 7. music, with narration of social settings, and performances on many instruments. In her As a way of joining in the fun of production: Lauren Pelon “Women in Music: 1890s Weekend, and to remind everyone Someone Will Remember Us”, she traces that women weren’t having all that much fun the story of women in music and perform in the 1890s, Women’s Studies faculty, music from around the world. The concert students, friends and their children marched celebrates music written by, or for, women. in the 1890s parade as suffragists on It is designed to cross the boundaries of Saturday, September 30, 2006. This is the time, distance and culture. The concert fourth year that the Women’s Studies features voice along with ancient and Program has participated in the parade modern instruments - some of which were wearing pennants (based on the ones worn traditionally played by women, some by suffragists in this period) that read “Votes forbidden to women. for Women” and singing the song from Mary Poppins that begins: “We’re merely soldiers Lauren Pelon, recipient of the 2001 in petticoats,/dauntless crusaders for "Artist of the Year" Award from women’s votes.” Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC), studied the history of music and Women’s fight to exercise the right instrumentation both in America and to vote (the Constitution already gave them overseas. She is noted for her soprano the right to vote; they were not allowed to voice and her accomplished performances exercise that right) began in 1845 when the using a variety of wind, string, percussion attendees at the first women’s rights and electronic instruments, both ancient and conference in Seneca Falls, NY, voted to 1 modern. Pelon has performed on television Reagon is the recipient of the 2003 specials, at the Russian Institute for the Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities for History of the Arts (St. Petersburg, Russia), her work as a scholar and artist in African and in concerts throughout the United American cultural history and music. She States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, also serves as Curator Emeritus at the Kazakhstan and China. In 2003, she was Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum invited to present the 18th annual Gordon of American History in Washington DC. She Athol Anderson Memorial Lecture at the recently retired after 30 years from University of New England, Armidale, New performing with Sweet Honey in The Rock, South Wales, Australia. Performing on over the internationally renowned a cappella 25 ancient and modern instruments, and ensemble she founded in 1973. Her work as vocals, Pelon's compositions and a scholar and composer is reflected in arrangements have been featured in her publications and productions on African solo concerts, with the Philadelphia String American culture and history, including: a Quartet, with symphony orchestras, and on collection of essays entitled If You Don’t Go, NPR's "All Things Considered." Don’t Hinder Me: The African American Sacred Song. Bernice Johnson Reagon Performs at Before her performance, Dr. Reagon M.U. agreed to have lunch with Frederick By Lynn Pifer Douglass Institute Scholarship recipients. One of these students, Xernalia Kayode, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, noted notes, “Having the opportunity to speak with Civil Rights activist, historian, singer, and Dr. Reagon was such a wonderful composer, performed a spoken word “Song experience. I was fortunate enough to hear Talk” entitled “Freedom Struggle for a about her singing group and the many other Battered Earth,” on Monday, September 18, performers that she has worked with.” She 2006. Her performance was sponsored by added, “Her performance was like none Mansfield University’s Frederick Douglass other than I have ever witnessed. She fused Institute, and was a part of the university mixed speech with her melodious voice and Faculty Lecture Series, “Environmental I was extremely amazed and inspired by Advocacy: Preserving the World for the such talent.” Future.” Dr. Reagon’s performance focused Dr. Reagon’s ended her on the ongoing struggles in her life, from the performance with an old gospel tune, “ ,” Civil Rights Movement to current and she asked the audience to join in. And environmental challenges. At one point she we did -- in harmony. joked with the crowd, “I come to you at a time when we wonder when we can eat From the Director . spinach again.” Dr. Reagon’s points were interspersed with song. She sang snippets of gospel songs, Civil Rights protest songs, Women’s Studies: and songs she has written herself. Her performance inspired the audience to do What’s Leadership Got to Do with It? something positive with the gift of life: “If you —a two-part article wake up in the morning, and you’re not dead, you were meant to be here.” She When we think of leadership, many encouraged us to improve our world and of us envision elected officials, bishops and live more harmoniously in it. popes, creators of breakthrough scientific theories, generals, and leaders of social and 2 political movements. Certainly, it is easy to and deliver them), but among the various recognize the ways that individuals who political groups of that time who supported hold such positions have influenced the women’s suffrage. And they learn that lives of many. Perhaps, however, this way leaders—if they are to succeed—must use of identifying leadership roles is too narrow. every means of power and persuasion What about someone who volunteers in a available, and even then may never see literacy program? How about a parent who their efforts come to fruition, as Stanton and eloquently addresses the local school Anthony did not. Nevertheless, Stanton and board? What about teachers? What about Anthony had faith in the generations of those who supervise other workers? How women they had influenced to finish the job. about those who write books or article that One could say that Women’s Studies offers influences others—or who write probing and an alternative approach to leadership—one convincing letters to the editor? based more on cooperation than competition. President Loeschke’s interest in creating a “brand” focused on leadership Leaders of all kinds need to be has produced a fair amount of discussion on culture-savvy. Women’s Studies courses campus. I recently heard one faculty help students to make sense of and critique member remark, “If everyone is a leader, their culture from the perspective of gender who will be the followers?” I cannot imagine issues. Courses such as Dr. Shawn a better scenario than living in a community Holderby’s “The History of Women through or nation in which everyone considered Television” give students the tools to herself or himself a leader. Imagine the analyze women’s roles in the popular level of involvement in our schools, local media. In order to enter into a conversation governments, places of worship, and our with one’s culture, to become a leader in communities in general if everyone believed one’s culture, one must be able to hear the that he or she had a leadership mission. cultural messages, both spoken and From its creation fifteen years ago unspoken, and read the subtexts. I don’t the Women’s Studies Program at Mansfield know how many times students in Intro University has been a leader in have told me that they cannot see a movie, interdisciplinary learning and student- watch a tv program, or listen to the radio empowered pedagogy, not to mention in anymore without recognizing messages teaching about gender and multicultural about women and their roles, whether issues. However, we also are proud of the positive or negative. They can’t open a many ways that we help students gain the newspaper or magazine without cringing at content, perspective, and skills they need to messages they would never have noticed become leaders in a number of contexts. before. They tell of their conversation with their parents, friends, and children about Women’s Studies courses expose what they view, hear, or read. I would posit students to ways of knowing and bodies of that, when a student points out a misogynist knowledge most of them have never song lyric or negative message about encountered in a formal way. For instance, women in a film to others, he or she is in Introduction to Women’s Studies displaying an act of leadership. (subsequently referred to as Intro), they learn how two women—Elizabeth Cady As a discipline, Women’s Studies Stanton and Susan B. Anthony— offers a critique, also, of the ways that impassioned by a dream—changed the knowledge has traditionally been acquired political landscape of a nation. Moreover, and taught. Freud, for instance, considered they learn of the cooperation needed, not women’s moral and ethical development only between those women (Stanton writing inferior to men’s because he observed that the speeches from her house filled with his women patients did not possess the children so Anthony could go on the road qualities that his research had ascertained 3 as crucial to adult development.