Vol. 17, No. 21	Feb. 26, 1998

Film series to mark Women's History Month

The 12th annual Women's History/Women's Lives Film Series will be presented on Tuesdays from March 3-31 at the University.

All free public films will be shown at 7 p.m. in Room 204 of Kirkbride Lecture Hall. Each documentary will be followed by a discussion, led by a speaker with expertise in the film's subject matter.

The series begins March 3 with A Midwife's Tale, based on a diary Martha Ballard kept between 1785 and 1812, recording her arduous work as a midwife and healer and chronicling her domestic life on the Maine frontier. Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich used the diary to reconstruct Ballard's life story, in the process recapturing the medical practices, religious squabbles and sexual mores of a bygone time. Through historical re-enactments and interviews, the film tells both stories-the midwife's and the historian's-and provides viewers with an intimate glimpse into that long-ago world. Featured speaker for the program will be Kathleen Doherty Turkel, women's studies.

On March 10, Madam C. J. Walker: Two Dollars And A Dream will be shown. Born in 1867 to former slave parents, Sarah Breedlove Walker became a millionaire by developing hair products for African-American women. This film chronicles the life of the pioneering businesswoman, philanthropist and political activist and that of her daughter, A'lelia, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Featured speaker for the evening will be Carole Marks, Black American Studies Program.

Jane: An Abortion Service is scheduled for March 17. This eye-opening film depicts the work of a group of grassroots activists in Chicago during the late 1960s. Convinced that laws making abortion illegal were unjust, they took matters into their own hands and opened "the service," making safe abortions available to desperate women. Their story is controversial and surprising, recalling a painful era in history and raising important questions about the continuing controversy over reproductive choice. Laura Kaplan, author of The Story of Jane, will be the guest speaker.

On March 24, Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision will be shown. When the committee designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., chose a proposal from a young female graduate architecture student, howls of protest erupted. Yet today, the memorial is one of the most visited sites in the nation's capital. The film tells the story of how Lin created her design and then won the battle to have it built. Her saga is a study in creativity and quiet perseverance. J. Susan Isaacs of Towson University will be the featured speaker.

On March 31, Calling The Ghosts will be screened. The film tells the tale of one woman's experience of wartime rape. Although based on current events in the former Yugoslavia, this film recalls the plight of women across time and around the world who have become casualties of war. The women in this film have triumphed over personal pain and humiliation, and sought justice at the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague. Through their efforts, for the first time in history, rape is being understood as a weapon of war and a violation of fundamental human rights. Joann Kingsley, graduate student in political science and international relations, will be the guest speaker.

The series is sponsored by the Black American Studies Program, the Faculty Senate Committee on Cultural Activities and Public Events, the departments of History and Sociology, the Office of Women's Affairs, the Visiting Women Scholars Fund, and the Women's Studies Interdisciplinary Program. For more information, call 831-8474 or 831-8063.