Advocacy, Activism, and Women's History:
A Women's History Salon

Join the conversation! Please join us for a discussion of how the study of women’s history applies to the political agenda of today's women.

Sunday, February 17, 2013 
2-5 p.m.

New York City
Location to be shared upon RSVP; please contact Tara James at tjames@sarahlawrence.edu for reservations and directions.

How does the study of Women’s History inform the political agenda of today’s women?

Our most recent national election has shown that women’s issues remain significant in shaping political narrative. Those things that impact women’s lives directly, such as pay equity, healthcare of all kinds, rights to privacy and more, seem ripe for political manipulation in overt ways that have not been blatantly represented in recent elections. Perhaps this resurgence of what appears as anti-woman rhetoric to many is representative of institutionalized sexism that has been ignored over recent years because of changes in opportunities for many women overall. Can the study of women’s history uncover the threads of sexism, racism, and classism, that interact and work on making such contentiousness possible in 2012? Why are such comments and attitudes about women’s place, rights, opportunities as we heard recently still possible and why do they still cut to the core for people from all points of view? Can the study of women’s history help us understand these current issues? One of our current students will share her experiences as an intern with the Women’s Campaign Fund in Washington, D.C.

This is our second salon. Last June we discussed how the study of women’s history applies to activism and advocacy outside of the academy. Meet with current and former students and faculty to hear about their scholarly work and interests. Together, we will continue our discussion about the relationship between scholarship, work, and life after graduation with special attention to the political agenda.

Established in 1972, Sarah Lawrence's Women's History graduate program is the first of its kind in the United States, and its diverse student body proves year in and year out that scholarship in the area of women’s history is alive and well.

From Director Rona Holub, Women's History Salon UPDATE:

Our salon on Sunday, Feb 17 was a great success thanks to the great people who attended!!!! We started off with readings from the work of poet, playwright, essayist, memoirist, activist Susan Sherman. Susan shared some insights into her own history as a woman in the 60s and more and her views on the importance of knowing our histories as women. She was followed by Carol Polcovar, the founding director and artisitc director of All Out Arts Fresh Fruit Festival, an LGBT arts organization that fights prejudice through the arts. Carol, a poet, playwright, and director, read from her memoirs and expressed her experiences in the 50s and 60s by telling a story of a play that she saw about the consequences a single woman seeking adventure on her own faced in the gendered narratives of the 1950s. Their insights, stories and questions started off a vibrant discussion about the importance of Women's History as a discipline and necessity for our own survival and led to the main question of the day: How does the study of Women’s History inform the political agenda of today’s women? You can imagine that the 25ish people in attendance had varied points of view. The discussion was lively, pointed, and at times poignant. The wide range of ages in the group made the event especially textured and nuanced (and fun). thanks to all!