I make part of my living as a professional “speaker” -- that is I get to travel across the country giving lectures, primarily to college students. Mostly I am invited to address issues in contemporary feminism, sexual assault and numerous other gender injustices, and how to move our activism from a grand suggestion to personal, tangible gestures. In other words, I have become quite comfortable speaking in front of friends, foes and strangers. Talking recently, though, in front of ten fifth grade girls gave me great pause.
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MAKERS recently welcomed three new groundbreaking women!
Joining the ranks of amazing women already in our MAKERS community are iconic media mogul and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey; the sex therapist you can always count on to tell the truth, Dr. Ruth Westheimer; and the lawyer who pioneered the legal claim for sexual harassment, Catharine MacKinnon.
Happy birthday to newest MAKER, Oprah Winfrey!
As the visionary and leader behind OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and formerly the supervising producer and host The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah has inspired millions to live their best lives. Her accomplishments as a global media leader and philanthropist have established her as one of the most respected and admired public figures today.
While you probably know a lot about your favorite talk show host, Oprah shared with MAKERS some facts about herself that you might not know.
Well, how about that? Last week, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced the end of existing combat exclusion policies which for decades have prevented military women from being assigned to units performing direct combat roles. This change in policy has now been signed into being by both the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acting on behalf of all the military service chiefs.
MAKERS and PBS were recently featured in a Television Critics' Association (TCA) panel on the upcoming documentary MAKERS: Women Who Make America, the documentary which traces the last 50 years of the women’s movement. It premieres on PBS February 26 at 8PM (check local listings).
When Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Burger, said “Ms. Weddington, you may proceed whenever you are ready,” Sarah Weddington stood to address the Court, and her nerves washed away. Just 26 years old, Weddington went on to successfully argue the landmark case, Roe v. Wade.
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We recently welcomed four new MAKERS to our community! Joining the remarkable MAKERS already in our community, we added two musicians: the groundbreaking Marin Alsop, as well as Sleater-Kinney's multitalented Carrie Brownstein. We also added Claudia Chan, a forward-thinking entrepreneur and the youth empowerment organizer, Maritza Alarcón.
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy is a powerful and far-reaching one, extending way beyond his short life. His leadership moved a generation to do something bigger than themselves, including five MAKERS who transformed the world as groundbreakers in their own right. From seeing him on television to meeting him face-to-face, see how King impacted these five MAKERS' determination to make change.
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Gerda Lerner was fierce, brilliant and unique. She lived history by her bravery, restored history by her scholarship, and democratized its study by her activism. She understood, as Paula Gunn Allen wrote, that, "the root of oppression is the loss of memory."
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