Featured Events

Tuesday, March 1

Women's History Month Opening Reception

Motherhood, Politics, and the Environment

Winona LaDuke

4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Illinois Room, Student Center East

Native American activist and environmentalist, Winona LaDuke, will examine the relationship between personal responsibility and civil responsibility as a framework to discuss and redefine women's issues, drawing upon the topics of politics, motherhood, and the environment. LaDuke gained nationwide attention as vice presidential running mate to Ralph Nader on the 1996 and 2000 Green Party tickets. Her forthcoming book, Recovering the Sacred , will be released by South End Press in March 2005. Presentation to begin at 5:15 p.m. Free catered reception. Co-hosted by the City of Chicago 's Commission on Human Relations Advisory Council on Women.

March 7 – April 8

Art Exhibit

Women's Liberation Posters of the 1970's

Chicago Women's Graphics Collective

Exhibit Reception: Friday, March 11, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

A. Montgomery Ward Gallery , Student Center East

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 12-9 p.m.; Friday, 12-5 p.m.

The Women's Graphics Collective (1970 – 1983) produced over 50 silk-screened posters that explored social and political issues from a feminist viewpoint. These large colorful posters decorated the offices and homes of feminists across North America . They were printed by hand and sold for a few dollars by the tens of thousands during the rise of the Women's Liberation Movement in the 70's and 80's. This collection was assembled by the Chicago Women's Liberation Union Herstory Project.

Tuesday, March 8

International Women's Day

Tehran , March 8, 1979: What Iranian Women Learned from the Revolution

Roya Hakakian

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Cardinal Room, Student Center East

In Journey from the Land of No , Roya Hakakian recalls her childhood and adolescence in pre-revolutionary Iran , a coming-of-age story about a girl's attempt to find an authentic voice of her own at a time of cultural closing and repression. Hakakian will read from her work and discuss what life was like for women in post-revolutionary Iran , relating her own experience to women in an international perspective. Book signing to follow. Refreshments will be provided.

Wednesday, March 16

Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Room 605, Student Center East

Please join us for a short film and panel discussion about reproductive rights here in Illinois and across the country. The film, "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" playfully explores the absurdities and ironies of the reproductive rights issue in the United States . Panelists include: Courtney Bell, Chicago Women's Health Center ; Lorie Chaiten, ACLU of Illinois; Claudia Morrissey, UIC Center for Research on Women and Gender; Robyn Nardone, Planned Parenthood. Refreshments will be provided.

Tuesday, March 29

Preview of Asian American Awareness Month

Free?

Kristina Wong

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Illinois Room, Student Center East

Renegade solo artist Kristina Wong subverts your typical notions of pretentious performance art with a dash of arty, farty and downright smartass — giving a fresh perspective on identity politics, culture, war, sexuality, memory, family and guilt in "Free?" Noted for her quirky, culture-jamming, subversive style, Kristina takes an offbeat artistic approach to political activism that upstages the strangeness of our times. Discussion to follow. Refreshments will be provided.

Thursday, March 31

Lunch n' Learn Series

Religious Perspectives on Gay Marriage

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Cardinal Room, Student Center East

Representatives from some of the nation's major faiths sit down together for an engaging inter-religious discussion on the current hot-button issue of homosexual marriage. Sometimes agreeable, sometimes argumentative, but always captivating, this discussion will bring to the table many ideas and beliefs that practitioners of the major religions hold about this touchy-yet-timely subject. A panel will be moderated by Patrick Finnessy, Director of the Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Concerns. Lunch will be provided. Reservation required. Please visit http://www.uic.edu/depts/quic/oglbc/chicken.htm to RSVP. Call (312) 413-1025 for more information.

Wednesday, April 6

Kick-Off Event and Preview

Asian American Awareness Month

Featured Performance by Kayhan Irani

4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Montgomery Ward Lounge, Student Center East

Join us in kicking off Asian American Awareness Month! This event marks the opening of the Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) on campus. See a preview of upcoming shows by various Asian American student organizations followed by a featured excerpt performance of "We've Come Undone," written and performed by activist Kayhan Irani. A series of monologues inspired by stories from Arab American, Muslim, and South Asian communities, this poignant multidisciplinary piece explores the impact of post-9/11 legislation on several communities in the U.S. that are experiencing the trauma of detention, disappearance and deportation. Free catered reception to follow. Organized in conjunction with Women's History Month.