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Uniting women, uniting the community
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“Women making history–through her story,” is the theme this year for Women’s History Month according to Melissa Wintrow who is the event coordinator for Boise State’s Women’s Center.
The center is located across from the Student Union Building on University Drive. The celebration does not begin until March, but plans for the events are already underway. The center is now calling for nominations to recognize women who are making a difference in their own community.
“It’s the ordinary that make the extraordinary,” Wintrow said, emphasizing that there are so many hard-working, female patrons in our community that fail to receive the recognition they deserve.
“They are the unsung heroes,” she said.
Nominations for these heroes need to be presented to her by Dec. 15, with applications that can be filled out at the center or mailed to her online at mwintrow@boisestate.edu.
Past themes for Women’s History month have primarily been focused on historical figures and events, and how women then have impacted lives today. This year, however, they want to delve into what is making active history now with women that surround us at this moment.
“It’s a very powerful thing,” Wintrow said about the theme of story-telling, and women willing to share their lives through the art of the written and spoken word.
Nominations are going to be reviewed in the next few weeks in order to present these women’s stories in written form before the celebration on March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Special Events Center. The women from the article will be featured at this time along with a performance of “The Divas,” a local, all-women’s band embodying a variety of music talents and styles. Speaker and folk musician, Rosalie Sorrels, will also tell the story of Melvina Reynolds, a mentor of hers who influenced a court ruling in the 1970s against a woman who was raped and chastised for the way she was dressed. Reynolds, a folk musician herself, created a record and a petition that affected the outcome of this famous case, ultimately leading to the disbarring of the judge that ruled it.
The center is also seeking journalism and writing students to feature these women being selected, interviewing and writing their stories for the publication. March will present a variety of celebrations throughout the month in addition to the ceremony being held for the nominated women throughout the treasure valley.
Another upcoming event to raise awareness and empower the women of the community is the “Take Back the Night…and the Day” walk on Dec. 7 at 6p.m. This walk will start at the footbridge behind BSU and proceed to the capitol to rally against violence against women and will remember and touch upon recent occurrences in the Treasure Valley that have greatly impacted the entire community.
It is not only about women, though, it is about the community as a whole. “If we can unite people,” said Wintrow, “we can create a critical voice. A voice that is hard to conquer.”
Wendy Venable