March Celebration of Women's History at RCC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: February 25, 2015
CONTACT: Maralin Roffino
845 -574-4244
mroffino@sunyrockland.edu

March Celebration of Women’s History at RCC
free and open to the public

Ramapo, NY—Please join us at these free and open to the public events at Rockland Community College in celebration of women’s history.

Student Poster Exhibit - Anti Sexual Violence
March 1 - March 31
Nelson Mandela Activity Center
Student Union, Second Floor, Room 3214

Wednesday, March 18, 12 noon – 12:50 pm
Cultural Arts Center, Black Box Theater
Slide-Illustrated Lecture: A History of Jazz: The Life and Music of Pianist-Composer Mary Lou Williams
Erica Kaplan, RCC Instructor of Music, will present music, slides, and a lecture on the life of American jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981). Williams recorded more than a hundred records and worked with Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis among other notables. She played at Jimmy Carter’s White House Jazz Party, and taught at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and at Duke University. She passed away in 1981, leaving more than 350 compositions and having established the Mary Lou Williams Foundation to help children and young adults learn about jazz. Both the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, and Duke University’s Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, were created in her honor.
Monday, March 23, 9 am – 9:50 am
Technology Center, Room 8180 (Ellipse)
Lecture/Discussion: Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBTQ Community:
A Talk by The New York City Anti-Violence Project
Please join the Women’s History Month Committee and The New York City Anti-Violence Project for an educational program about the dynamics of intimate partner violence within LGBTQ communities. For more information about the organization’s mission and programs, please visit www.avp.org. They also offer a 24-hour hotline at 212-714-1141.

Wednesday, March 25, 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm
Technology Center, Room 8180 (Ellipse)
Panel/Discussion: Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBTQ Community: Survivor
Stories
In this follow-up to the event of Monday, March 23, representatives of The New York City Anti-Violence Project’s Speakers Bureau and Real Talks Committee members will be sharing some of their experiences with intimate partner violence within the LGBTQ community.

Wednesday, March 25, 3 pm – 4 pm
Academic I, Room 1106
Slide-Illustrated Lecture: Power and Persecution: Witch Persecutions in the Late Medieval to Early Modern Era
RCC instructors Sabrina Rieder, Psychology; and Dino Ritsatos, History, will investigate the witch persecutions of the late 1400s to 1700s and discuss how the label of “witch” was used as a tool to demonize autonomous women within the context of Europe and the Americas.

Thursday, March 26, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Academic II, Room 2102
Seminar: Women and Finance: Importance of Financial Planning and Investing Financial planning and investing is critical for women. Women, on average, are living longer than men, and they are the sole or main breadwinners in almost a third of US households. This seminar will explore the importance of financial planning and investments for a better financial future and empowerment. George Repic, RCC Instructor of Business, will lead the discussion.

Monday, March 30, 11 am – 12 noon
Technology Building, Room 8180 (Ellipse)
Lecture: Exploring the Lives of Modern Women: New Angles and Insights
Explore innovations in the study of women’s history in the Modern Era with noted historian Dr. Peter Petschauer, professor emeritus at Appalachian State University.

Monday, April 20, 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm
Technology Building, Room 8180 (Ellipse)
Lecture: Politics, Passion and Poison: Women and Strategies of Power in the Ancient World
RCC Asst. Professor of History, Bruce Delfini, will analyze the ruling strategies of some of the ancient era’s most formidable women, including Cleopatra, Julia Augusta, and other controversial figures.

For more information about the events, please contact Women’s History Month Co-Chairs, Dr. Kristie Morris, Assistant Professor of Psychology, at 845-574-4434, kmorris@sunyrockland.edu or Dr. Christina Stern, Assistant Professor of History, at 845-574-4438, cstern@sunyrockland.edu.

###

Photo 1 caption: Mary Lou Williams in her apartment with Jack Teagarden, Tadd Dameron, Hank Jones and Dizzy Gillespie
photo credit: William P. Gottlieb, Library of Congress Collection

Photo 2 caption: Mary Lou Williams
photo credit: William P. Gottlieb, Library of Congress Collection

Photo 3 caption: The Anti Violence Project Logo

Photo 4 caption: Witches lithographic
photo credit: Kupferstich von W. Jury nach Johann Heinrich Ramberg- Walpurgisnachtszene aus Faust 1 (1829)

Photo 5 caption: Coin depiction of Julia Augusta
Photo 6 caption: Coin depiction of Cleopatra