Susan B. Anthony Institute

Happy Commencement and Congratulations, Grads!

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Kaitlin Legg

Students waiting for the ceremony to start!

Aaaand… we’re back!

Angela Clark-Taylor, Erika Howard, and Kaitlin Legg

You may have noticed that the SBAI blog airwaves have been relatively quiet over the past couple weeks. We have been busy bees: sending off our senior students, tying up the loose ends from spring semester, and inviting into our classroom the four wonderful students who are participating in the Roc(xx)y summer internship program in feminist activism and leadership.

Last weekend, we celebrated commencement with our biggest ceremony yet! We even ran out of programs. If you need a program, please contact sbai@rochester.edu and we are happy to send one your way. Also, learn about some of our graduates online at our website!

On Sunday May 19, SBAI awarded Olivia Coffaro with a diploma in Women’s Studies

Olivia Coffaro and her family

AND the SBAI award for Community Connections, an annual award presented at year’s end to the student whose work in gender and women’s studies has contributed most significantly to the local campus or Rochester community during the academic year. This year, Olivia responded to very negative comments about rape on campus using facts, outreach, and a strategic and creative performance art campaign. Not only did she raise awareness on campus, but she did so in a novel and convincing way. She lives her activist spirit through her past internship with Planned Parenthood in community affairs, through her work within her sorority, and through her classroom pursuits. We are honored to know her!

Hilary Wermers also received a Women’s Studies diploma (with distinction!), which will complement her additional major in English. Hilary has been an academic superstar, presenting at TWO conferences this year, receiving the Jane Plitt award from the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership in 2011, directing The Vagina Monologues for Women’s Caucus, and interning at Congresswoman Louise Slaughter’s Rochester office this spring. She even wrote a haiku for her time here:

Sue B. Anthony,
My inspirational grrrl
Bad ass feminist.

Tiffany Barber and Hilary Wermers

As Director Honey Meconi says, “SBAI minors are just majors in waiting.” Most of our minors are well qualified to be majors and just as active with the institute (though, they usually have two other majors already!). We awarded minors to: Erika Howard, Alykhan Alani, Samuel Stewart, Kirsten Williamson, and Jonathan Richardson.

Marius “Mimi” Kothor received the SBAI Independent Research Award for her award winning research on female genital cutting in Togo, Africa. Mimi designed and executed the research project and paper completely outside of her coursework. Mimi graduates with a double major in African and African-American Studies and Public Health.

SBAI Faculty Associates Jeff Runner, Cilas Kemedjio, and Jennifer Creech

Graduate Certificates went to four student from the Program in Visual and Cultural Studies: Hend Alawadhi, Berin Goloni, Tiffany Barber, and Erin Leary.

Angela Clark-Taylor, Jonathan Richardson, and Kaitlin Legg

Dissertation awards, split between the two most distinguished dissertations in gender and women’s studies, were awarded to: Adrienne Morgan and Kristen Willmott, who both received their PhD from the Warner School of Education at the University.

We wish all of our students the best of luck and invite them all to stay in touch! Check out more photos at our Facebook page.

Posted in News, SBAI Events | Tagged #award, #classof2013, #commencement, #intern, #research, #rocxxy, #seniors | Leave a comment

AAUW Awards SBAI Grant to Start Feminist Activism and Leadership Intern Program

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Kaitlin Legg

In April, SBAI received the news that we were being awarded a 2013 AAUW (American Association of University Women) Community Action Grant to put towards our newly developed Roc(xx)y: Summer Internship in Feminist Activism and Leadership!

The two-year grant from AAUW will help SBAI develop the internship program and make it accessible to all students, regardless of income. SBAI will be running a small pilot program of Roc(xx)y this summer with a talented and inspiring group of undergraduates who are driven leaders on campus.

Via AAUW:

Two-year grants provide startup funds for new projects that address the particular needs of the community and develop girls’ sense of efficacy through leadership or advocacy opportunities. Topic areas are unrestricted, but should include a clearly defined activity that promotes education and equality for women and girls.

SBAI Program Manager Angela Clark-Taylor began developing Roc(xx)y when SBAI noticed some trends among newly graduating students and recent alumnae and alumni: confusion about how to turn a passion for social justice into a career, and early burnout from difficult careers in jobs like social work and community organizing. Thus, some priorities in Roc(xx)y include: giving students an idea about what working for feminist causes is like, helping students strive and grow as a professionals (through real life experience), and introducing students to key players in the feminist and social justice communities of Rochester.

Some of the 2013 ROC(XX)Y Site Supervisers and Interns

More about Roc(xx)y:
Roc(xx)y or Rocx(xy), pronounced “Roxie,” stands for Rochester (Roc) women (xx) and men (xy). Roc(xx)y is a 12-week summer program for undergraduate students coordinated by the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Rochester. The program combines a professional internship experience with guest speakers, field trips to historic sites, and reflection on feminist activism and leadership. This combination of academic, experiential, and professional experiences is meant to inspire and equip students to become stronger, more prepared leaders upon graduation. You can read more about Roc(xx)y at our website.

Students will intern at Planned Parenthood of the Rochester/Syracuse Region, the Genesee Valley Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, SAFER Campus (Students Active for Ending Rape), Girls Rock! Rochester, and the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership. Every internship site offers services based on feminist activism and leadership

The cohort of students will work for 20 hours per week during the 12-week summer session. On Fridays, students will meet for the day and participate in a speaker series event or a field trip to a historic site. Students will also meet to reflect on experiences. At the end of the summer, students will submit a journal that reflects their overall experiences in the community and in the cohort.

THANK YOU to AAUW for making Roc(xx)y possible!

Posted in Announcements | Tagged #feminist, #intern, #nyclu, #pprsr, #rocxxy, #students | Leave a comment

Looking Back: What Women’s Studies Has Meant to Me

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Kaitlin Legg

This is a guest post from Kirsten Williamson. Kirsten graduates this May with majors in Studio Art and Film and Media Studies and a minor in Women’s Studies. She started working at the SBAI office in fall of 2011 and has been blogging for us ever since! We will miss her very much and wish her the best in all of her future endeavors.

I took my first Women’s Studies course kind of by accident. It was spring semester my freshman year and Intro to Visual & Cultural Studies just so happened to be cross-listed in the Film & Media Studies, Art, and Women’s Studies departments. I credit this course as the beginning of the “right path” for me. I came into the University of Rochester as an International Relations major, and while taking Intro to Visual & Cultural Studies I realized how important art was to me and how much I enjoyed engaging with it in a personal and academic setting. The next semester I took two additional Women’s Studies courses, this time on purpose, and before I knew it I had completed my Women’s Studies minor!

I have taken so many different Women’s Studies courses across my four years here. Everything I learned in these Women’s Studies courses has been applicable to other areas of my academic and personal life. I was often able to incorporate my interests and got to write about Alaska Native female political leaders, representations of lesbian identity in photography, and expressions of minority experience through performative videos, just to name a few!

It is in my Women’s Studies Colloquium that I finally came to peace with the word feminist. Our readings and class discussions helped me break down the mental barriers, misinterpretations, and negative connotations I had with self-identifying as a feminist. I am so glad that I was given the time to learn about the complex, multi-faceted, and truly nuanced nature of feminism, and to figure out where and how my views aligned with different schools of thought.

The courses I took have prompted me to things differently, especially art. The texts I was exposed to have urged me to think critically about literature, power structures, and the way we communicate. I have gotten a greater sense of history in these classes by learning about the experiences of women and other marginalized groups of people. Women’s Studies courses laid a great foundation of critical thinking skills that have carried me through my time at the University. These courses and my time with the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender & Women’s Studies have also made me hungry for change. I feel as though I better understand the current state of things (our successes and our failures) but I do not feel bogged down by the status quo. Taking Women’s Studies courses was one of the best things I did with my time here at UR. I feel like a stronger, more enriched, and more critically engaged human being, and want to thank everyone at SBAI for their hard work and help along the way.

All the best!
Kirsten

Posted in Guest Blogger | Tagged #art, #classof2013, #commencement, #experience, #guest, #guestblog, #guestblogger, #minor, #seniors, #student, #women'sstudies, undergraduates | Leave a comment

SBAI Program Assistant Named Finalist for the 2013 Staff Community Service Award

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Angela Clark-Taylor

This blog post is a guest post written by SBAI Program Manager Angela Clark-Taylor and SBAI Student Office Assistant Kirsten Williamson.

We already realized how great SBAI’s Program Assistant Kaitlin Legg is. She is friendly, dedicated, and inspiring. When Kaitlin came in as a finalist for the University of Rochester’s Staff Community Service Award it was no surprise to us, it was simply icing on the cake! Kaitlin has been a continuous, outstanding, and dedicated volunteer to women’s issues in the greater Rochester area for the last 5 years.

Kaitlin has been “leading the charge” in setting an example for young professionals across Rochester, showing other young women that they can give back to their community and make the same positive impact she makes every day. Outside her normal capacity at the University as Program Assistant, Kaitlin has helped SBAI connect with her community partners with for events, student internships, and community service opportunities.

She has a record of high achievement for local organizations such as Planned Parenthood of the Rochester Syracuse Region (PPRSR) and Rochester Rape Crisis Service. When she graduated college she began working at Habitat for Humanity and continued volunteering for Planned Parenthood, but gave additional time to other organizations serving women and girls including Girls Rock!, a summer camp devoted to creating young women leaders through music. Kaitlin presented on her scholarship and volunteerism at the Seneca Falls Dialogues Conference in 2010 and was hired as the Program Assistant at SBAI in 2011 from over 90 applicants. What made Kaitlin stand-out among the rest of the applicants was her true commitment to women and girls through education and innovative community based programs. Her passion and drive is clear to see.

Kaitlin now serves as the Advocacy Chair for Planned Parenthoods young professionals group Rising, Educators, Advocates, and Leaders (REAL), inspiring other young professionals to lead and stand up for all the women and girls of the Rochester community. This past fall PPRSR gave her their coveted advocacy award, the Catharine Rowntree Award, making her the youngest woman to ever win this award. Many people would take this award as a sign they were doing good, doing enough, but not Kaitlin! She quickly joined forces with Bruce Lindsay, Ms. Rowntree’s son, to bring an art show to Rochester to raise funds for Rape Crisis Services. Kaitlin was also selected to speak at the PPRSR Action Fund Pink Bus Tour Rally, to introduce Sandra Fluke at a PPRSR Action Fund donor event, and an op-ed she wrote commemorating on the 40^th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade was published in the Democrat and Chronicle.

Kaitlin Legg is a truly exceptional employee and committed volunteer. She is exceedingly gracious and humble; we could all learn a lot from her example. She is willing to go above and beyond and completely immerses herself in her work whether that is at SBAI or in the community. We could not be more proud of her and wish her continued success in the future!

Posted in Announcements, Guest Blogger | Tagged #Activism, #community, #girls, #girlsrock!, #kaitlin, #kaitlinlegg, #legg, #PlannedParenthood, #pprsr, #professionals, #SBAI, #service, #staff, #women, #young | Leave a comment

Sitting With the Questions: Remarks from Activist, Musician, and Professor Jennifer Kyker

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Kaitlin Legg

The following are remarks from SBAI faculty associate Jennifer Kyker, Assistant Professor of Music at University of Rochester and Assistant Professor of Musicology at the Eastman School of Music, upon receiving an alumna award from Mount Holyoke. Professor Kyker’s comments were so inspirational that we wanted to share them here. They are a must read for any individual who is committed to social justice, activism, and the big problems of the world (and for those who are committed so solving them through research, teaching, and direct grass roots action).

Besides her work teaching at the University, Professor Kyker is deeply involved in HIV/AIDS research and activism and founded the nonprofit organization Tariro, which works to educate and empower teenaged girls in Zimbabwean communities affected by HIV/AIDS (www.tariro.org). In recognition of her work on HIV/AIDS, she has been honored with several fellowships and awards, including a Leboy-Davies Fellowship in Women’s Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an alumnae fellowship from Mount Holyoke College.
____________________________________________

Remarks on receiving the Mary Lyon Award on April 16, 2013
Jennifer Kyker

I am deeply honored to receive the Mary Lyon Award, and I want to thank the Alumnae Association for recognizing me in this way. In the few minutes I have with you today, I want to talk not only about what I do, but also why I do it. As an ethnomusicologist, I have a job that is in many ways very wonderful. Playing music is something people do because it makes them happy, expresses something about their identity, or connects them to their community. I, too, love playing music, particularly the Zimbabwean mbira. And I also love sharing Zimbabwean music with the world through my writing and teaching.

But ethnomusicology can also be very hard, because I see people’s pain, their suffering, and their struggles in addition to the joy they feel playing music. In the Zimbabwean context, this suffering has been especially apparent to me as the AIDS epidemic has unfolded. Since I first traveled to Zimbabwe in 1995, almost half of the musicians I have studied and performed with have died, almost all of them from complications of AIDS. My first host family was especially affected, and they are all gone, really, leaving only several young, orphaned grandchildren. Reflecting back on my experiences, I see that the questions I’ve spent much of my time trying to answer since graduating from Mount Holyoke are in some ways very particular, but in other ways, they are deeply universal, and questions that we may all be especially attuned to right now. How do we respond to suffering in a meaningful way? What do we do when the magnitude of people’s struggle seems to great to comprehend? And where do we turn, when we realize that maybe we shall not overcome, win the fight, solve the problem, or see peace and social justice in our lifetimes?

I don’t have the answers for you. But I think that sitting with the questions is important, just sitting with them, in order to make peace with them, and with ourselves. So this is the first thing I would encourage you to do.

What comes next? I believe that our lives derive beauty from the productive tension between our dreams and our acts. So I would tell you, the next step is to dream big – dream the biggest dream you can – and to act small. That one, small act, if it is intentional, authentic, thoughtful and passionate, holds within it the kernel of your dream. Small acts are the seeds from which big dreams germinate and grow. So if you dream of women’s equality, sponsor a single girl to go to school. If you dream of a sustainable economy, buy a bicycle instead of a car. And if you dream of a world without AIDS, join a vaccine trial. Each small act will inspire you not only to see the possibility of taking other, bigger actions, but also of imagining other, bigger dreams.

So in this sense, my message is a difficult one. It is that we will never arrive, that our struggles will never be over, our dreams never fully realized. But it is also a message not to be afraid of the space in between your acts and your dreams – it is a space of beauty, and of possibility, as wee as struggle. It is both the hardest, and the richest, space to occupy, and in which to work for change.

Posted in Guest Blogger, Uncategorized | Tagged #Activism, #Africa, #AIDS, #eastman, #girls, #guestblog, #guestblogger, #hiv, #jenniferkyker, #music, #musicology, #research | 3 Comments

Undergraduate Students Presenting Interdisciplinary Research in African and African-American Studies

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Kaitlin Legg

The Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African American Studies is holding its annual Undergraduate Research conference this Thursday (May 2) from 10am-1pm in Morey Hall Room 321. Refreshments are provided and the conference is free and open to the public! Recent SBAI Research Grant Recipient Marius Kother will discuss her work “Cross-Cultural Perceptions of Female Genital Cutting in Togo.”

Event Schedule:
9:45AM – Coffee available
10:10AM - Welcome Remarks: Cilas Kemedjio
10:15AM – Chizoba Umesi: “Race and Political Representation: Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses”
10:30AM – Ariana Valderrama: “Caucasian Storms Black America”
10:45AM - Enobong Okung: “The Flying Lula: Allegory and Symbolism in LeRoi Jones’ Dutchman”
11:00AM – BREAK
11:15AM - Adam Ondo: “Subsidence & Sea Level Rise: How Long Until Egypt is Underwater?”
11:30AM - Rebecca Baer: “Perspectives of Disability in Gowa, Malawi”
11:45AM – Marius Kothor: “Cross-Cultural Perceptions of Female Genital Cutting in Togo”
12:00PM – Audience Questions / Discussion

Posted in UR Events | Tagged #african, #africanamerican, #critical, #fdi, #gender, #race, #research, #theory, #undergraduate | Leave a comment

Fish Out of Water: Out in Reel Film Screening

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Kaitlin Legg

Join us tonight for a free screening of Fish Out of Water at 7pm in Hoyt Auditorium, University of Rochester River Campus. Tonight is the last film in our Out in Reel: LGBTQI Awareness Month Film Series.

via IMDb:

The film tackles the seven Bible verses used to condemn homosexuality and justify marriage discrimination. This feature documentary uses humor and original animation to make a traditionally complex and controversial topic accessible to those who don’t like talking about religion and sexuality. Fish out of Water dives into the underbelly of America, crisscrosses red and blue states and talks to ministers from every denomination to uncover America’s impassioned relationship with homosexuality and the Bible. The film’s topic spans across culture, race, religion, age, socio-economic status.

This is the third year of our annual Out in Reel series, and we were excited to partner with ImageOut for the first time to bring you all of the films.

via ImageOut:

ImageOut presents LGBT arts and cultural experiences showcasing films, other creative works and artists to promote awareness, foster dialogue and build community.

We are also grateful to our individual University co-sponsors for each film, including sororities and fraternities, campus clubs, and other student groups. Fish Out of Water is co-sponsored by Women’s Caucus. Out in Reel is part of our larger LGBTQI awareness month, which is generously supported by the LGBT Fund of Greater Rochester, as well as programs and departments across the University.

Posted in SBAI Events | Tagged #fishoutofwater, #homosexuality, #LGBTQI, #marriage, #religion, #sexuality | Leave a comment

National Day of Silence Calls Attention to Anti-LGBT Bullying

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Kaitlin Legg

Students in schools and colleges across the country will participate in the National Day of Silence of silence today.

Via the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN):

The National Day of Silence is a day of action in which students across the country vow to take form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools.

The first National Day of Silence took place in 1996 at the University of Virginia. According to GLSEN, it is the largest student-led action advocating for safe schools for all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. GLSEN has many resources for individuals participating in the Day of Silence, including legal advice and rights. For example, if you are a student you do have a right to participate in the Day of Silence, but you must still speak during instructional time if a teacher asks you to speak.

The University of Rochester community is invited to join in the National Day of Silence. Pride Network will have stickers available for students to wear. GLSEN is asking students who participate in the Day of Silence to share a photo of yourself with a sign about why you participate. You can share yours through the Day of Silence Facebook Page or by using the hashtag #dayofsilence on Twitter and Tumblr.

Posted in Announcements, National News, News | Tagged #anti-bullying, #dayofsilence, #education, #glsen, #legal, #LGBT, #national, #rights, #selfies, #silence | Leave a comment

TOMORROW! LGBTQI Basics: How to be an Ally

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Kaitlin Legg

Posted in Announcements, SBAI Events | Tagged #ally, #basics, #LGBTQI, #LGBTQIawarenessmonth, #safespace, #safezone, #workshop | Leave a comment

Happy Commencement and Congratulations, Grads!

More Than a Blog Post: Looking Back Over Four Years of Women’s Studies

AAUW Awards SBAI Grant to Start Feminist Activism and Leadership Intern Program

Looking Back: What Women’s Studies Has Meant to Me

SBAI Program Assistant Named Finalist for the 2013 Staff Community Service Award

Sitting With the Questions: Remarks from Activist, Musician, and Professor Jennifer Kyker

Undergraduate Students Presenting Interdisciplinary Research in African and African-American Studies

Fish Out of Water: Out in Reel Film Screening

National Day of Silence Calls Attention to Anti-LGBT Bullying

TOMORROW! LGBTQI Basics: How to be an Ally

Recent Posts

Reader Options

Archives

RSS Feed

Recent Posts

Reader Options

Archives

Tags