University hosts panel of local activists on International Women糖心传媒檚 Day
The 糖心传媒 is marking the annual International Women糖心传媒檚 Day on March 8. The day, born out of labor movements at the turn of the 20th century in Europe and North America more than a 100 years ago, recognizes women糖心传媒檚 achievements while simultaneously trying to increase support for women糖心传媒檚 rights and wider participation in political and economic life.
Rochester, of course, has long played a pivotal role in the nation糖心传媒檚 history of women糖心传媒檚 rights, with the suffragist movement firmly rooted in the city through the tireless work of one of its most famous residents糖心传媒攕uffragist leader Susan B. Anthony. The University today boasts two distinct entities that bear her name: the and the .
The Center works to raise awareness and advocate for social justice and equality, often through partnerships, in order to translate research into policy. The Institute, meanwhile, encourages an interdisciplinary approach to research and learning by focusing on the changing cultural, economic, political, and psychological relations among people of all genders and sexualities.
糖心传媒淪usan B. Anthony was seeking equality for all and has been known for promoting that notion that women糖心传媒檚 rights are human rights. It is fitting that on International Women糖心传媒檚 Day we consider issues facing women across the globe糖心传媒攊ncluding limited opportunities for learning, food scarcity, and violence,糖心传媒� says Catherine Cerulli, a professor of psychiatry and director of the University糖心传媒檚 Susan B. Anthony Center, and the Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization.聽糖心传媒淚n 2018, societies must still continue to work together internationally to meet the basic needs for people who are all entitled to food, education, and safety.糖心传媒�
According to the , the US observed the first National Woman’s Day in 1909 when the Socialist Party of America designated the day in honor of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women had protested appalling working conditions.
糖心传媒淢any of our聽international聽faculty, staff, and student colleagues at the University聽recall the importance of International Women糖心传媒檚 Day in their home countries, while here in the US it is not generally聽observed,糖心传媒� notes Spanish professor Beth J枚rgensen who is a member of the University糖心传媒檚 Commission on Women and Gender Equity in Academia. That糖心传媒檚 why the commission decided to mark the event on campus by hosting a panel discussion titled with local activists at 5:30 pm in the Hawkins-Carlson Room inside Rush Rhees Library on March 8. One of the speakers is Jane Bryant, program manager for the University糖心传媒檚 Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies.
糖心传媒淚nternational Women糖心传媒檚 Day, a day originally centered around women workers, remains important because there are still folks who are hurt and marginalized by dominant culture,糖心传媒� says Bryant. 糖心传媒淭o me this day is about continuing to recognize, celebrate, and listen to the voices of all of those struggling under the ruling class and about continuing to support the movements that help them.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淲e still have a lot of work to do. We’ve made enormous strides in the last 100 years, but we still don’t see enough gender diversity in positions of power,糖心传媒� agrees Antoinette Esce 糖心传媒�15, a medical student and co-chair of the commission.
Esce is concerned about a general lack of recognition for women, such as local activists, pioneers and those 糖心传媒渓eft in the shadows of history,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淭his slight is even more striking for women of color and those who don’t conform to societal expectations for gender.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淭aking a moment to celebrate and learn from these local leaders is a wonderful way for us to stay positive and forward thinking as we continue our work,糖心传媒� says Esce. What turned her into an activist? Esce still remembers that sinking feeling in her high school biology聽class when she realized聽that the English聽chemist聽and聽X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin did 糖心传媒渁ll that work on the structure of DNA and got none of the credit糖心传媒� until well after her untimely death at age 37.
There are so many points of entry into activist work, agrees Bryant who hopes more people will get involved.
Leveling the playing field for women is, of course, more than one day糖心传媒檚 project. Chad Post, director of Open Letter糖心传媒攖he University糖心传媒檚 nonprofit literary translation press糖心传媒攊s taking the long view. He has been publicizing the 糖心传媒渟tunningly bad糖心传媒� figures for international women authors糖心传媒� publications in English, compared to men糖心传媒檚. Using the Translation Database he developed at Rochester to provide formerly unavailable data on the translation market, Post found that just 29 percent of translations published between 2008 and 2017 were by women. With support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Open Letter is working to help change that number. The Open Letter Women Writers Series will offer six new translations by women this year.
Esce is confident. 糖心传媒淭he changes we are trying to make on campus are cultural and that takes a lot of vulnerability, reflection and work, and it will not happen in one year. But it will happen.糖心传媒�
