Women InspireWho

Women’s Histroy Month March 2015

The Kutztown University Multicultural Center Presents:

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This booklet is dedicated to all of the women around the world, past and present, who often go unrecognized for their achievements. Let’s continue to break down barriers and empower

one another for the women of the future.

“Here’s to strong women: May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”

-Unknown

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Debra DeAngeles.........................3Leeydra Wilson.........................4

Lauryn Hill.........................6One Day at a Time.........................7

Adrian’s Mom.........................9Toni Morrison.........................10Terri Lomax..........................11

I Cannot Choose.........................13

Table of Contents

“Here’s to strong women: May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”

-Unknown

Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez...............14Sally Ride..............................15

Angela Merkel...........................16 Malala Yousafzai......................17Maya Angelou.......................19

Dorothea Lange...............21Indra Nooyi............22

Women Then & Now

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Debra DeAngelesSubmitted by: Amanda DeAngeles,

MCC Graduate Assistant

At the risk of sounding cliche, the woman who has always inspired me is my mother, Debra Anne DeAngeles. She was born to an unwed mother, who was poor and disabled. She grew up in an impoverished household, not surrounded by material possessions, but surrounded by love from many family members who lived close by. Debra was the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree, a dual certification in early childhood and elementary education, from Kutztown University. She married my father, Anthony DeAngeles, and gave life to my brother and I. Growing up, she could be strict, yet her adherence to the rules has instilled in me a healthy dose of pragmatism. My mother inspires me every day with her enduring faith and positivity. Although she has experienced much loss and heartache, she has never fallen into despair. When life was cruel to her, she kept on moving and made the best of what she was given. She has always selflessly given her time, money, energy, and love, no matter the stress it put on her. I am forever grateful for the woman who has given me such a great example to live by, my mother.

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Leeydra WilsonSubmitted by: Maya Wilson,

Sophomore, MCC Student Worker

Leeydra Wilson, my mother, is one of my biggest inspirations in

my life. She inspires me because she always put her children’s

dreams first but never forgot hers. Having children young can lead

some parents to completely give up their dreams and leave them

to feel unaccomplished, something that my mother felt

for some years. Seeing me in college gave her the

strength to go back to school and to be the person she has always

wanted to be. My mother strived to be more than just the wife or the mother. Soon, not only will she be a wife and mother but

also a trained chef. She juggles going to work during the day and

taking night classes at the Art Institute, while still caring for my brothers and I.

My mom tells me every day how much I inspire her, but she has truly inspired me

to be the strong intellectual woman I am today.

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“I’ve learned from experience that the greater part of our

happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and

not on our circumstances.” -Martha Washington

“As you keep another person down, some part of you

has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you

cannot soar as you otherwise might.”

-Marian Anderson

“I decided it is better to scream. Silence is the real

crime against humanity.” -Nadezhda Mandelstam

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Lauryn HillSubmitted by: John Zabala,

Junior, MCC Student Worker

It says a lot when you only release one album during your entire career and that album is able to catapult you into the stratosphere of an iconic pop figure. It says something even more when you’re an African American woman from the small state of New Jersey. Ms. Lauryn Hill was that individual. Born on May 26, 1975, Lauryn Hill released the iconic hip hop, soul classic record, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998. The album has influenced me as a person, taught me to respect who I am as individual, and made me learn the value of women in our society. Her music and her stance against the music industry made me see that you have to defend what you believe. Also, she’s born on May 26, which is the greatest date to ever born on. I was born on her 19th birthday! Greatness indeed.

“As you keep another person down, some part of you

has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you

cannot soar as you otherwise might.”

-Marian Anderson

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One Day at a TimeSubmitted by: Michael G. Halko

Environmental Health & Safety AssociateCollege of Liberal Arts and Sciences

a On the Ides of March 1926 my mother took her first breathe. She was not alone, her namesake Sophie delivered her twin sister Katie just moments before, or was it after? As mom now says “It comes and goes.” The newly minted twin girls joined their sisters Elizabeth and Joanne as the third and fourth daughters born to my grandparents, Michael and Sophie Kovacs, second- generation immigrants from Hungry. A fifth sister, Gizilla, would arrive a few years later along with the Great Depression. The 1930s were tough times by any measure, much of the nation’s farmland lay barren, and factory assembly lines sat idle. Soup kitchens welcomed people regardless of pedigree. Hope and belief in the American Dream was scarce. Everyone was taking life “one day at a time.” Mom’s family pulled together the best they could during those lean years. Everyone chipped in to make ends meet. Nothing was wasted. They were practicing recycling and sustainability before it was in vogue. Pass down the dresses, wear out the shoes, stitch and patch trousers.

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The Kovacs sisterhood rallied to cover the basics, like thousands of families across our nation they worked together to survive the hard times of their era. “It comes and goes.” A measure of stability came back to the US only to be forsaken by the surge of the mankind, war. After Pearl Harbor, Americans were “All In” and mom along with her sisters worked assembly lines and tended Victory Gardens to support the our troops. Yes, mom is part of what many historians call the Greatest Generation. Mom married her dancing partner George, my dad. Together they chased the elusive American Dream, the proverbial Happy Days. In short order, they contributed to the Baby Boom with 3 sons, Gregory, Jeffery, and Michael. Mother kept a stellar house for her family, a true domestic engineer, then suddenly she became a widow; her husband died of a heart attack at 37. She took it in stride “one day at a time” fed the boys; made sure they got to church and school . Boys become men and move on to their own careers, and as time passed, her sisters died as did one of her sons. She took it “One day at a time” grieving but not buckling. Now the clock ticks toward 89, the memory fading but the sweet smiling still shines and repeats “It comes and goes” taking it one day at a time.

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Adrian’s MomSubmitted by: Adrian Perez, Senior,

MCC Student Worker

The woman that has inspired me the most is my mother. She was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1978 to Lucy Borrero and Felix Roman. While attending school she had straight A’s and wanted to become a flight attendant or work with animals when she got older. My grandparents and mother ended up moving to the city of New York just before she turned ten years old and faced many problems. They were very poor at the time and had to live in a shelter for a couple of weeks. It was very tough for my mother because she was also attending school in these poor conditions and constantly got bullied and beat up by other students. My mother eventually ended up in Puerto Rico again where she became pregnant by my father Adrian Perez. This was very tough because my mother was pregnant at a very young age and my father was very young as well. After I was born they had my sister, Zuryan Perez. At age 16 my mother had two kids, no job, and a very imbalanced relationship with my father. My mother did have a lot of support from my grandparents, but even still it was a very difficult experience. My mother is tough though and she worked her way out of her dependency on her parents and on men in general. She worked whatever job she could find, put our lives first and did everything she could so that we could be happy and successful. My mother has dedicated her life to her family so that we can have a better future and she has done this with much love and a lot of hard work. Now she has three kids that have been doing pretty well and heading in the right direction. My younger sister is currently in school to become a medical assistant and my youngest sister, Zurica, is currently in high school and attaining good grades. Soon I am going to be the first in my family to graduate from college and continue my education in graduate school. My mother has inspired me to work hard every single day and to break the barriers that I face every day. She has showed me to love and to do everything I do with love. My mother has had a huge influence in my life and unfortunately has had to play both the roles of father and the mother for my sisters and I. However, she has come far and I’m very proud of her and I can definitely say that she inspires me every day.

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Toni MorrisonSubmitted by: Joey Jobes,

Graduate Student, English Marjor Throughout my undergraduate and graduate career, there have been multiple authors who have inspired me. Whether this is through their intellect, their characters, their stories, or the questions they’ve forced me to consider, there have been many names that have appeared on my papers over and over again. The most resilient one of these figures is Toni Morrison, an award winning black author. I first encountered Morrison’s writing as a freshman in Experiences in American Literature, a 100-level required course. We read her slave novel, A Mercy. Her prose was so difficult for me to get through, and when I finished a chapter I had no idea what I had just read, who was speaking, or what plot I was supposed to be following. Eventually, though, through persistence and the help of a few professors, I learned to read her impressive stream of consciousness style, and the beauty and wit of her language became clear to me. I was so inspired and moved by this text that the next year I decided to do an Independent Study on Morrison’s works, and read her other famous slave tale Beloved, her Jazz era tragedy (entitled, simply, Jazz), and her father-son Odyssey, Song of Solomon. Each of these texts have stayed with me for years, and I often find myself recapping them in courses or writing assignments in order to make some point. What makes Morrison’s work so inspiring and intelligent is hard to define. Sure, her use of language is great, and the way she highlights the voices of those traditionally marginalized throughout American history is fantastic, but there’s more going on that just that. What it really comes down to is that Morrison is able to make what can be so every day and commonplace (race, gender, identity, home) foreign and mystical, and that she can do the opposite just as well: bringing those apparition-like feelings that we have no words to describe right to the forefront of the page, close and tangible enough that you can brush against it, feel it, and be both terrified and amazed by its strength, foreignness, and familiarity simultaneously. Morrison herself said, of writing, “The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and to mystify the familiar, is the test of their power”. This is a test she has succeeded in every single one of her works, and is the largest reason that she is a woman who inspires me to constantly think harder, write better, and read more than I have in the past.

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Terri LomaxSubmitted by: Deshawn Harper, Senior,

MCC Student Worker

Terri Lomax is truly the definition of a woman who inspires and has dedicated her life to help others. While keeping the saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” saying in mind, Terri finds great joy in helping people turn the negatives (lemons) in their lives, into positives (lemonade). Terri is the creator of a nationally recognized blog entitled, Mocha Girls Pit Stop. She is a speaker and an author who is dedicated to empowering youth to overcome adversity. Terri says that her desire to help others was birthed in a place of hurt and pain. Throughout her life she was victim of both verbal and physical abuse from her mother, which led to low self-esteem. In addition to that, Terri lost her father when she was just 17 years old during a family vacation. These series of unfortunate events led to depression, hopelessness and even thoughts of suicide. Still Terri made lemonade out of the lemons she was given. Now her personal story of triumph over tragedy inspires youth to overcome life’s obstacles and turn their pain intopurpose. Terri is also a Kutztown University alumna and was even the Keynote Commencement Speaker at graduation. Terri holds a Master’s Degree in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution from Salisbury University and is the author of the book, Break up with Procrastination: 7 Steps to Help You Follow Through With Your Goals. Today Terri is still making lemonade for herself and helping other make lemonade out of the lemons in their lives.

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who

is going to stop me.” -Ayn Rand

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Terri LomaxSubmitted by: Deshawn Harper, Senior,

MCC Student Worker

Terri Lomax is truly the definition of a woman who inspires and has dedicated her life to help others. While keeping the saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” saying in mind, Terri finds great joy in helping people turn the negatives (lemons) in their lives, into positives (lemonade). Terri is the creator of a nationally recognized blog entitled, Mocha Girls Pit Stop. She is a speaker and an author who is dedicated to empowering youth to overcome adversity. Terri says that her desire to help others was birthed in a place of hurt and pain. Throughout her life she was victim of both verbal and physical abuse from her mother, which led to low self-esteem. In addition to that, Terri lost her father when she was just 17 years old during a family vacation. These series of unfortunate events led to depression, hopelessness and even thoughts of suicide. Still Terri made lemonade out of the lemons she was given. Now her personal story of triumph over tragedy inspires youth to overcome life’s obstacles and turn their pain intopurpose. Terri is also a Kutztown University alumna and was even the Keynote Commencement Speaker at graduation. Terri holds a Master’s Degree in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution from Salisbury University and is the author of the book, Break up with Procrastination: 7 Steps to Help You Follow Through With Your Goals. Today Terri is still making lemonade for herself and helping other make lemonade out of the lemons in their lives.

“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have

more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never

have enough.” -Oprah Winfrey“The question isn’t who is

going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”

-Ayn Rand

“How wonderful it is that nobody need to wait a single moment before beginning to improve the world.” -Anne Frank

“Don’t look for big things, do small things with great love.”

-Mother Teresa

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I Cannot ChooseSubmitted by: Dr. Clemens,

English Department

I cannot choose one because they all showed me how to be a girl, a woman, a human walking this tired and tiring earth. They wrote and they showed me that figuring out the story myself was better than waiting for a bunch of boys to do it. They wrote and showed me that one can make art from life, music that I blared from the speakers of my first car. They wrote and showed me that being a mother is the most dangerous thing a woman can do, because mother love is dangerous. They wrote and showed me that committing one’s life to words and the struggle to be heard through the cries of a baby matters. They wrote and showed me that being a girl who wants to learn is sometimes the most dangerous thing one can be in this world. They wrote and showed me that to end oppression, we must end all oppression, not just some. From sitting in my childhood room reading Nancy Drew stories to driving my car shouting Tracy Chapman and Tori Amos’s lyrics. From sitting in a college classroom discussing Toni Morrison to sitting in my house, rocking my crying daughter while reading Louise Erdrich. From standing in an auditorium states away lecturing on Malala Yousafzai to standing in Lytle leading discussions of bell hooks. I cannot choose. I cannot choose. I cannot choose. They are the voices, emblematic of the so, so many more. They are my foundation. My safe places to land. My touchstones of a life only half lived. I stand in awe of them. In gratitude. In sisterhood. And in love.

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Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez (born in 1925), was a Chicana feminist and an American activist who fought against poverty, racism and militarism in the U.S. Her mother was a school teacher and social activist. In 1946, Betita graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in history and literature. In 1947, she began working for the United Nations, first as a translator and later, she worked as a researcher and office administrator. In the 1960s, she then helped serve in the Civil Rights Movement with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the South. She also served as a coordinator of the committee’s New York office. In 1968, she decided to move to New Mexico and started a newspaper to support the Alianza Federal de Mercedes. Eventually with help from her lawyer, Martinez founded the bilingual movement newspaper El Grito del Norte, which she worked on for five years. In 1973, she co-founded and directed the Chicano Communications Center, a barrio-based organizing and education project 500 years of Chicano History in Pictures, is her best-known bilingual work which eventually led to the production of the educational video: ¡Viva la Causa! 500 Years of Chicano History. Her works are one of the most important living histories of progressive activism in today’s world.

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://latinopia.com/latino-history/elizabeth-betita-martinez/

 

Women Then & Now

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Sally Ride Dr. Sally Ride was the first American women in space. Dr. Ride was born on May 26, 1951, in Encino California and always had a fascination with science. She says that her childhood toys included chemistry sets and telescopes, which helped to spark her interest in the sciences. Ride went on to study Physics and English at Stanford University and was just about to finish her Ph.D. in physics when she saw an article in the Stanford student newspaper about becoming an astronaut. Up until that point, most NASA astronauts have been military pilots and they all were males. With this particular ad listing, for the first time, NASA allowed women to apply. Dr. Ride immediately sent in her application alongside 8,000 other candidates. From that group, 35 applications were choosen, of which 6 were women. Dr. Sally Ride was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in January 1978. Following her training, she became part of the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983; making her the first American woman and at only 32 years old, the youngest American in space. Dr. Ride broke barriers,

(n.d). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/sal-

ly-ride-9458284

a hero to generations of courageous young women. A few years later in 1984, she flew on the Challenger again; becoming the only person to serve on both panels that investigated the nation’s space shuttle disaster. Post retirement, Dr. Ride became a physics professor and an award winning author. Dr. Ride also went on to start Sally Ride Science in 2001, which was created to inspire young women to pursue careers in science. In 2003, Dr. Ride was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

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Angela Merkel Born in Hamburg, West Germany, on July 17th 1954, Angela was the eldest of three children. She was raised on the country side of Templin in the German Democratic Republic which meant that she was part of the socialist–led Free German Youth Movement. At a young age she became a district board representative and secretary of Agitprop. Merkel ended up attending the University of Leipzig, where she ended up studying physics from 1973-1978. After the fall of Berlin, she entered politics where she entered East Germany’s first Democratic Party, Demokratischer Aufbruchfirst. She was elected to be their deputy spokesperson, in the first and only democratic elections. After the unification of East and West Germany, Angela was elected to the German Parliament. She represented a dramatic change in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a male dominated, socially conservative party. Merkel ended up becoming Germany’s first female chancellor in 2005 by narrowly defeating Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. As a leader for Germany in a male dominated world, she has become an inspiration to many women.

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/angela-merkel-9406424

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Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai is the youngest Pakistan activist for education to ever receive a Nobel Prize for her outstanding work. She is from a town called Mingora in the Swat District in Pakistan where women are strictly prohibited from attending school. This is also why she is mainly known not only for activism for women’s rights, but, also known for being allowed to go to school. Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997, and as a child, she became an advocate for girls’ education. This eventually resulted in the Taliban sending death threats against her. On October 9, 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while she was going home from school. Although she survived the attack and was flown from Peshawar to Birmingham, England, for surgery, the Pakistani Taliban took responsibility for this horrible event. This horrible incident brought about protests, and her cause was taken up world-wide, including the UN. In December 2012, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari launched a $10 million education fund on behalf of Yousafzai which was around the same time, that the Malala Fund was established. The Malala Fund was to support education for all girls around the world. After her recovery, Yousafzai made her first public appearance on her 16th birthday. During this time, she delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The U.N. declared this day to be “Malala Day.” On 10 October 2014, Yousafzai was announced as the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to be educated. She is the second Pakistani to receive a Nobel Prize, but she is the youngest to ever receive a Nobel Prize. Yousafzai has gone on to receive world-wide acclaim for her efforts to promote women’s rights and education. She states, “I hope my story will inspire girls to raise their voice and embrace the power within themselves.”

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/malala-yousafzai-21362253

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.biographyonline.net/women/malala.html

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“Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.”

-Malala Yousafzai

“I speak not for myself but for those without voice... those who have fought for their rights... their right to live in

peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.”

-Malala Yousafzai

“There are many problems, but I think there is a solution to all these problems; it’s just one, and it’s education.”

-Malala Yousafzai

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Maya Angelou Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri but then changed her name to promote her writing. Before she wrote her autobiography entitled, I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings, before she read “On the Pulse of the Morning” at Bill Clinton’s inaugural, and before Barack Obama draped the Presidential Medal of Freedom around her shoulders, she was an activist. Angelou’s career started as a singer at the Purple Onion Club, in San Francisco. She later began to write lyrics that turned into poetry, and short stories. She then moved to New York to join the Harlem Writers Guild. In 1960. She became the Northeastern Regional Coordinator for Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and appears in the off-Broadway play, “The Blacks”, produced as a benefit for the SCLC. She married her second husband, South African freedom fighter Vusumi Make, and moves to Africa with him and her son, Guy, in 1962. While in Africa, she becomes an associate editor for Arab Observer in Cairo, Egypt and serves as assistant administrator at the School of Music and Drama, University of Ghana. Angelou also worked as feature editor for the African Review, and contributor to the Ghanaian Times and GhanaianBroadcasting Company. In 1970 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiographical novel nominated for National Book Award, is published. The main theme of the novel is Maya’s struggle to survive and grow up in a complicated and harsh world. Maya is extremely young when she and her brother are sent from their parents’ house to live with their grandmother and uncle in Stamps, Arkansas. Life in Stamps is not easy. There is a great deal of prejudice against blacks in Stamps. Maya’s life became even more of a struggle when she went to live with her mother in California. Maya, at the age of eight, is raped by Mr. Freeman, her mother’s boyfriend.

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“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them

feel.”

Maya was then stabbed by her father’s girlfriend after moving in with them. The act brings back to Maya thoughts of her frightening past. As a result, she decides to run away. For over a month, she survives in a junkyard commune of runaways, where she finds her independence and a sense of self-worth. Maya proves that she can overcome the struggles of life. She has overcome many obstacles in life to achieve her status. In her poem “And Still I Rise,” she speaks of being a woman during those times. With the words, “You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.” Angelou became the voice many needed to know that they are more than what society depicts them to be. Maya Angelou recently passed away in May 28, 2014. Her death was a tragedy but she leaves behind important, artistic work that influenced several generations. Her works will continue to influence those who believed in her as well as influence future generations. She was a legacy that will never be forgotten.

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/maya-angelou

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Dorothea Lange Dorothea Lange, born May 26 1895, took the country by storm with her documentary photography in the 1930s. She has been called the America’s best documentary photographer for her work with documenting the Great Depression, dislocation and internment of Japanese Americans and many more pieces of work. When she was hired by the Farm Security Administration, she was able to truly capture the hardships and pain that many Americans were going through and feeling during the Great Depression. Lange is best known for her photograph “Migrant Mother” which became an iconic image showing the struggle of a mother trying to make ends meet. Dorothea Lange’s photographs touched many lives and opened eyes to the people of the world. Lange died in October 1965 and left a legacy of history making photographs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/dorothea-lange-9372993#final-years

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/128_migm.html

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Indra Nooyi Indra Nooyi is the symbol for what the American dream encompasses. This Indian-born business executive is the current CEO of PepsiCo, the second largest food and beverage business in the world. This Yale graduate consistently ranks as one of top influential people in the world and is the culmination of hard work and dedication to her business. She was named the third most powerful woman in business by Fortune in 2013. Her success is a reminder to women, and men alike, that all people, no matter what age, race, size, or background, they can achieve to the highest of standards in American culture.

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.makers.com/indra-nooyi

Booklet concept developed by theKutztown University Multicultural Center.

Project Coordinator: Amanda DeAngeles Graduate Assistant, Multicultural Center

Booklet Design: Bailey TobiasGraduate Assistant, Multicultural Center

The opinions expressed in this booklet are not necessarily those

of the staff members of the Multicultural Center.

Women’s History MonthMarch 2015

Kutztown University The Multicultural Center