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Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon
Public information officer: Joan Aschim, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu
Contact: Tova Stabin, interim diversity coordinator, (541) 463-5852, stabint@lanecc.edu
For release May 10, 2006
Local women to discuss how race, gender and class affect their lives, following a showing of the film, "The Way Home"
EUGENE - The interim diversity coordinator at Lane Community College presents a panel of local women discussing how issues of gender, race and class affect their lives in Lane County. The panel will speak after a showing of the film, "The Way Home" in which eight ethnic councils of women (indigenous, Asian, European, African, Arab, Jewish, Latina and multiracial) came together to meet over the course of eight months and discuss the far-reaching effects of social oppression in the U.S. The event takes place Saturday, May 20, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. in the Center for Meeting and Learning, Building 19, Room 226, main campus in Eugene, 4000 E. 30th Avenue.
The panelists and moderator include:
- Kera Abraham, a writer at the Eugene Weekly. Abraham has written a chapter on Arab Oregonian history for the forthcoming book, “Oregon Mosaic,” and a master's project for the University of Oregon titled, "Arab-American Identity Post 9-11." She is a recipient of the Jack G. Shaheen Mass Communicaitons Award for Arab-American journalists.
- Judith Castro, the Latina outreach program coordinator for Sexual Assault Support Services and the bilingual outreach program specialist for the Eugene Public Library. She has a master's in women's studies from Florida Atlantic University, specializing in race, class, gender, and poverty. She will soon become a trainer for the Race Study Circles hosted by City Club and the Eugene Human Rights Commission.
- Leece Lee, an ethnic studies and women's and gender studies professor at Lane Community College and the University of Oregon, and a teacher and researcher on indigenous women.
- Nadia Raza, a sociology instructor at Lane Community College. Her focus within the discipline is race and ethnicity and social movements. She is the associate director of the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Eugene.
- Sabena Stark, a graduate student in the literary nonfiction program of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications, working on a non-fiction book project, a musician and composer, and a lay chaplain. She grew up in a Yiddish-speaking household, the youngest daughter of two survivors of Nazi internment camps. She is a member of Temple Beth Israel.
- Raquel Wells, a program supervisor for the City of Eugene, full-time student in the family and human services program at the University of Oregon, and the mother of four children ages 17, 14, 8, and 6. She is originally from Southern California and has lived in Eugene for seven years.
- Ruth Wren does workshops and classroom presentations on undoing racism and privilege. She is the author of, "Everywhere I Go, I'm White: Facing the Responsibility of Privilege," published in the 2005 issue of the Community College Moment academic journal. Ruth received a bachelor of science in psychology from the University of Oregon.
- tova stabin, moderator, is the interim diversity coordinator at Lane Community College. She is an educator, writer and activist.
The event will open with viewing the film, "The Way Home." Produced and directed by Shakti Butler, "The Way Home" shows what happened when eight ethnic councils of women came together over eight months time to talk honestly about resistance, love, assimilation, beauty standards, power, school experiences, and more. The stories of these 64 women present an inspiring picture of diverse women. Woven throughout are collages of historical and family photos, dance sequences, visual images, and music from over twenty cultures.
Following the film, the panel of local women will address their reactions to the film and discuss their lives living in Lane County. A question and answer period will follow.
The event is free and open to the public.
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