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Film Series To Celebrate Women�s History Month
March 2, 2012
SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Women’s Caucus and the Multicultural Student Services program will tell “Herstory” through a series of documentaries that focus on how one woman can change lives.
The first presentation of the Women’s History Month Film Festival will be on Tuesday (March 6), when the two groups will show “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” from 6-8 p.m. in CHSS Room 120.
"Pray the Devil Back to Hell” chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country, according to Mary Ann Davis, assistant professor of sociology.
“Thousands of women—ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim—came together to pray for peace and then staged a silent protest outside of the Presidential Palace,” she said. “Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they demanded a resolution to the country’s civil war. Their actions were a critical element in bringing about an agreement during the stalled peace talks.”
On Wednesday (Feb. 7), the caucus will share a pair’s recorded exchanges in 1996 and 2008 that range in topics from Jim Crow laws and Japanese American internment camps to Civil Rights, anti-war, women’s and gay liberation movements to today’s campaigns for political prisoners and prison reform.
“Mountains that Take Wing: Angela Davis and Yuri Kochiyama A Conversation on Life, Struggles and Liberation” will be presented from 4-6 p.m. in CHSS Room 120.
“Intercut with compelling period footage, Davis and Kochiyama’s cogent observations, keen analyses, and steadfast resolve to create a more equitable, humane world offer inspiring lessons in empowerment and community building for current and future generations,” Davis said.
This is the sixth year the CHSS Women’s Caucus has sponsored a film series and second year the festival will focus on documentaries, according to Davis.
“The general idea of women’s history month is ‘Herstory.’ Our history is focused on men who win wars, less is written about women,” she said. “The usual question is why is there not a white man’s history month? The answer is open any text, all of western history is written with a focus on the dominant race and sex, those who win the wars and elections. This allows a focus for a brief time on the other sex.
“Initially we focused on the stories of everyday women. This year three women won the Nobel Peace Prize, so we selected ‘Pray the Devil Back to Hell,’ the peace movement organized by one of the Nobel Winners Leymah Gbowee.”
Other stories of extraordinary women will include “License to Thrive: Title IX at 35,” the “smart and highly-entertaining exploration of the unique history of the Title IX legislation and its critical role over the past 35 years in creating female leaders,” which will be presented on March 21 from 6-8 p.m.; and “Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority,” about the first woman of color in the United States Congress, which will be presented on March 27 from 4-6 p.m. Both showings also will be in CHSS Room 120.
For more information, contact Davis at mad011@shsu.edu or 936.294.4083.
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