In recognition of Women’s History Month, The University of Toledo has planned a number of events to honor the female leaders of today and throughout history.

The kickoff event is a discussion of the best-selling book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The event, “Half the Sky Movement – Part 1,” will be 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 in Health and Human Services Building Room 1711 and will include a documentary of the book and a question-and-answer session.

The month will continue with events such as “Once Upon a Prom Dress” in which social work students have organized a donation drive to help local high school students pick out a free formal dress. It will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 17 in the Student Union. Dresses are still being collected and can be dropped off at the Eberly Center for Women, Tucker Hall Room 0168.

UT also will host “The Vagina Monologues” performances based on American playwright Eve Ensler’s monologue, which drew upon interviews of women of different age, race and origin about their personal experiences. The shows will be 7 p.m. Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 in the UT Scott Park Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for general admission with proceeds benefiting Toledo Take Back the Night and Alicia’s Voice, organizations that address violence against women.

Other events include:

Thursday, March 14

• 2013 YWCA Milestones: A Tribute to Women Awards Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., SeaGate Convention Centre. Wanda Butts, who started the Josh Project that teaches children and adults how to swim, and State Rep. Teresa Fedor are among the honorees this year. Tickets: $50 for individuals, $500 for table of 10. Information: 419.241.3235.
• Brown-Bag Luncheon, noon, Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women, Tucker Hall Room 0180. Dr. Celia Williamson, UT professor of social work, will give a talk on “How to Become a Social Justice Leader.”
• “Feminism and LGBTQA Movements,” 8 p.m., Student Union Room 3018. Individuals who identify as both feminist and LGBTQA will discuss their experiences and how their two roles interact. Faculty members also will talk about the movements’ similarities and differences. Event sponsored by Spectrum.

Friday, March 15

• Toledo Museum of Art tour, 1 p.m., meet at the Eberly Center for Women, Tucker Hall Room 0168 for chartered bus ride. Join the Eberly Center staff for a tour of the museum and see works by women and that speak to women.

Tuesday, March 19

• “Half the Sky Movement — Part II,” 5 p.m., Health and Human Services Building Room 1711. Continuation of the discussion about the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide and its documentary.
• “Hair,” 8 p.m., Student Union Room 3016. Students from different backgrounds will discuss the politics of hair, specifically the media’s politicization of women’s hair and how their ethnicity, personality and self-expression fit — and do not fit — the expectation of beauty.

Wednesday, March 20

• Women’s and Gender Studies Department Student Research Showcase, 12:30 p.m., University Hall Room 4180. Hillary Gyuras will discuss “Adolescence, Civil Rights and the Movement: A Review of Coming of Age in Mississippi,” Victoria Adkins will talk about “Educational Disadvantages for Women in India: A Perspective from Location, Tradition and Policies,” and Sarah Roberts will cover “The U.S. Military’s Ties to Prostitution.” Choice of soup or salad will be provided.

Thursday, March 21

• Panel Discussion on Women’s Issues, 6:30 p.m., Student Union Room 2592. Panelists — Wanda Butts, who started the Josh Project that teaches children and adults how to swim; State Rep. Teresa Fedor, a 1983 UT alumna; and Dr. Patricia Hogue, UT associate professor and chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and assistant dean of diversity, student recruitment and retention in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences — will discuss community activism.

Friday, March 22

• Women’s and Gender Studies Department Faculty Research Showcase, noon, University Hall Room 4180. Dr. Asma Abdel Halim, UT associate professor, will discuss “Women and Law in the Sudan.”

Tuesday, March 26

• Film Screening, 6 p.m., Center for Performing Arts Room. See “The Education of Shelby Knox,” a documentary about a teenage girl who while campaigning for comprehensive sex education in high schools in Lubbock, Texas, discovers she is a feminist and a liberal Christian. Filmmaker Marion Lipschutz will introduce the movie and take questions after the viewing.

Thursday, March 28

• Brown-Bag Luncheon, noon, Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women, Tucker Hall Room 0180. Alicia Wagner, founder of HEELS (Helping Energize and Educate Ladies Sooner), will address “Looking at Equality Since Women Won the Right to Vote.”

Saturday, March 30

• Women of the World (WOW) Symposium, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Scott Park Auditorium. Keynote speaker: Margaret Wong will share her story of going from an immigrant to an immigrant lawyer, building Margaret Wong & Associates Co., Cleveland. The free event will cover several topics of interest to women. For more information and to register, go to wowtoledo.org.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 14, 2013)
The Blade (March 14, 2013)
The Blade (March 21, 2013)
The Blade (March 31, 2013)