Celebration promises art, education, vaginas

March 2, 2009 by Leslie Ventura 

Month-long celebration of the female sex kicks off with spoken word, lecture

It’s Women’s History Month and whether you call it history or herstory, everyone can participate in March’s celebrations of sex and female strength with events from spoken word poetry to live nude displays of art.

“The purpose of Women’s History Month is simple: to recognize women’s contributions to history, to celebrate notable women and to foreground a variety of issues affecting women from reproductive and sexual rights to violence against women and the issue of equal pay for equal work,” explained Lynn Comella an assistant professor in the women’s studies department.

“Women’s history and women’s contributions to politics, society, literature and the arts still comprise a very small part of high school and college curriculums,” she said. March brings an opportunity to counteract the long absence of that material.

The Jean Nidetch Women’s Center is promoting women’s rights this month with a range of special events. According to Director Christina Hernandez, a committee involving volunteers from organizations like the Multicultural Center-Centro Multicultural, Safe Nest and the women’s studies department have put together the activities.

Kicking off the month Tuesday,  Mary McKinney Edmonds will speak at “Who Are You and Whose Are You” in the Center-Centro Library from noon to 2 p.m.

“We’re [also] going to have an end of the month celebration,” Hernandez said. “That’s something new.”

Hernandez hopes for a large turnout of students for the final event, taking place at the Center-Centro March 28 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“We want them to come together on the last day and do some fun stuff,” Hernandez said.

“We’re going to have a live artist who is going to be painting a nude model… [and] some films and food.”

While the month’s events address serious and important issues, campus events provide ways for students to discuss topics they might be shy to talk about. There will be an arts and crafts session where participants can create representations of vaginas and a performance called “What Radical Women Want: Pleasure, Creativity and Intellect,” which Hernandez described as a mini-seminar on sex toys.

March will feature a lecture on women owning businesses, a two-day conference about sexual violence survivors and an event put on by Sigma Theta Psi and Kappa Delta Chi, aimed at raising funds for breast cancer research.

“It is a mistake to think that women’s history or women’s studies is just for women,” Comella said.

“That’s like saying that U.S. History or World History, which often times focuses on the contributions of men, is just for men. We are all affected by history and… we need to bring under-represented and marginalized voices into the mainstream. Women’s History Month is one way of doing this.”

[EDITOR'S NOTE: In an earlier edition of this article, we incorrectly stated that Crystal Irby would be attending the "Who Are You and Whose Are You" event. She did not. Irby was scheduled to participate in the open-mic night, held March 5 and 6 in Student Union Room 208A. Also, the article incorrectly identified Delta Chi as co-host of a philanthropic event for sexual violence survivors. The sorority is Kappa Delta Chi. The Rebel Yell regrets these errors. Please send any corrections or clarifications to chief@unlvrebelyell.com.]