Women: A Ray of Hope, a Note of Sorrow, Personal Pleasures and Problems
A Ray of Hope comes in the form of an article in the W. Post today
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/08/AR2005070801775.html
about some women in Kenya who established their own village to avoid or flee from forced marriages and abuse. It reminded me of what one of my former students, Katie Reidy, a member of the last graduating class of Mount Vernon College, said to me when she came back from her Peace Corps service in Malawi in 2001: "Don't worry, Dr. Ortman, Mount Vernon is alive and well and living in a third world country." She had emailed me on occasion from Malawi to report, excitedly, that she was teaching women things that she had learned in courses she had taken with me on women, including women's sexuality, and was perfectly and happily aware that this was subverting the male dominance of the those cultures and helping women to value themselves.
A Note of Sorrow also comes from the W. Post today in the form of an obituary for Judy Mann, long time W. Post columnist and feminist.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/08/AR2005070801671.html
As well as quoting me in one of her books when I was a professor at Mount Vernon ("The Difference"), at my behest she wrote a column on Myra Sadker, pioneering gender equity researcher, whose W. Post obituary several years ago was lacking in any understanding of just how important she was to that movement. Sadly and ironically, Ms. Mann also recently succumbed to the same disease, breast cancer.
Now that Mount Vernon is gone and I have turned my attention to art, I have the pleasure of being external program evaluator for an inspired staff development program between American University and the District of Columbia Public Schools focusing on upgrading the knowledge and skills of the District's art teachers. So I spent yesterday with them in one of this summer's workshops, the one on architecture. Things are going so well and it is so interesting that it was a true respite from the horrible happenings of the last couple of days, but even it was marred a little by some of the racist, sexist content of a short video which was simply outdated.
For dinner, Jim and I walked up to eat at Las Lomida Dos, which was lovely, but we made the mistake of wandering through the Safeway later. We ended up in the checkout line behind a presumably Muslim woman, in full Middle Eastern garb, and her male companion, presumably her husband, in his very Western golf shirt and chinos. It was a warm night and she looked hot while he looked entirely comfortable, as I presume he was. I regret not asking her/him/them how that makes sense. How come it's okay for him not to wear his Middle Eastern clothes/costume if she has to. But when I'm actually in the situation I get so angry that I feel like I can't talk without being angry, and I think it would be better to be able to have a conversation without that. Anyhow, one of these days I will have my wits about me at the time I need them and try to converse with people about some of this.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/08/AR2005070801775.html
about some women in Kenya who established their own village to avoid or flee from forced marriages and abuse. It reminded me of what one of my former students, Katie Reidy, a member of the last graduating class of Mount Vernon College, said to me when she came back from her Peace Corps service in Malawi in 2001: "Don't worry, Dr. Ortman, Mount Vernon is alive and well and living in a third world country." She had emailed me on occasion from Malawi to report, excitedly, that she was teaching women things that she had learned in courses she had taken with me on women, including women's sexuality, and was perfectly and happily aware that this was subverting the male dominance of the those cultures and helping women to value themselves.
A Note of Sorrow also comes from the W. Post today in the form of an obituary for Judy Mann, long time W. Post columnist and feminist.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/08/AR2005070801671.html
As well as quoting me in one of her books when I was a professor at Mount Vernon ("The Difference"), at my behest she wrote a column on Myra Sadker, pioneering gender equity researcher, whose W. Post obituary several years ago was lacking in any understanding of just how important she was to that movement. Sadly and ironically, Ms. Mann also recently succumbed to the same disease, breast cancer.
Now that Mount Vernon is gone and I have turned my attention to art, I have the pleasure of being external program evaluator for an inspired staff development program between American University and the District of Columbia Public Schools focusing on upgrading the knowledge and skills of the District's art teachers. So I spent yesterday with them in one of this summer's workshops, the one on architecture. Things are going so well and it is so interesting that it was a true respite from the horrible happenings of the last couple of days, but even it was marred a little by some of the racist, sexist content of a short video which was simply outdated.
For dinner, Jim and I walked up to eat at Las Lomida Dos, which was lovely, but we made the mistake of wandering through the Safeway later. We ended up in the checkout line behind a presumably Muslim woman, in full Middle Eastern garb, and her male companion, presumably her husband, in his very Western golf shirt and chinos. It was a warm night and she looked hot while he looked entirely comfortable, as I presume he was. I regret not asking her/him/them how that makes sense. How come it's okay for him not to wear his Middle Eastern clothes/costume if she has to. But when I'm actually in the situation I get so angry that I feel like I can't talk without being angry, and I think it would be better to be able to have a conversation without that. Anyhow, one of these days I will have my wits about me at the time I need them and try to converse with people about some of this.
posted by pat at 5:53 AM
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