Theatre
March 3, 2008March 5
March 5, 2008
L.E. Fletcher Community Technical College has tapped into the local heritage of women, hosting a two-day celebration March 5 and 6 to promote awareness.
As recently as the 1970s, women’s history was virtually an ignored subject in schools until the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women created “Women’s History Week” in 1978.
Word spread rapidly across the United States. Before long, thousands of female organizations were celebrating women’s week.
In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) co-sponsored a joint effort to recognize the contributions of women throughout March.
Two Fletcher instructors have spearheaded the local Women’s History Month celebration for the past two years. Together, history instructor Vanessa Jacobs and English instructor Alyson Blythe teach a cross-curriculum course called “Writing Women Back into History.”
Students – male and female – write about women literary and historical figures that have not received proper recognition in history.
“The class is actually an English class, but prior to each section, I come in and give the students the history of the person they are studying,” Jacobs said.
The instructors have incorporated the course into the National Women’s History Month celebration in March. “Together, we thought that since we were already working on projects that promote awareness of what women contributed to history, let’s turn it into a celebration and open it up to the public,” Jacobs said. “And that’s how it started.”
The 2007 celebration was highlighted by several student performances and presentations on influential women. This year’s theme embraces the challenges and empowerment women achieved to be successful.
An outreach grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities is funding this year’s program, Jacobs said.
“The LEH was willing to help us because they bought into the idea of empowering women and showing them that there are many more career opportunities for them,” she explained.
Keeping with the 2008 national theme, “Women’s Art: Women’s Vision,” Dr. Carol Britt, director of the Division of Music and associate professor of music at Nicholls State University, is the guest speaker at tonight’s celebration.
The program is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. at the Allied Health Building, 5396 Highway 311 in Houma.
Second-year participant and local musician Bonnie Le, as well as several other musicians, will perform a musical tribute to women composers. Le is a graduate of Nicholls State’s Division of Music.
Britt’s presentation will detail women’s impact on academia. She will ask all in attendance, “What can this mean for me?”
“This is my lifelong involvement in music and my lifelong involvement in education,” Britt said. “I want to tell them about being a non-traditional student and having the job I’ve always dreamed about. I think most women that will be in attendance can relate to being a non-traditional student.”
“Dr. Britt was selected to speak at the event because she is a prime example of how there are more options out there for them than just being housewives and having children,” Jacobs said.
Britt has had an ear for music since she was 5 years old learning to play the piano in Salem, Ill. She honed her talent as an organist playing for churches, directing her church choir and, in time, teaching music.
“All my education and degrees lie in music,” Britt said.
For years, she taught music appreciation at the elementary school level before moving to Thibodaux in 1993. There, Britt took over as Nicholls’ director of music. She also teaches music theory.
“Every music major at Nicholls has to take my class. I have the opportunity to show them how to be a success beyond their skilled talent,” she said. “That’s one reason I came to this area, because there are a lot of opportunities for musicians because of the University and New Orleans being so close.”
When asked whether the music industry was harder for females, Britt said, “No. It’s not harder for women. It’s just different because women take on so many other roles like being mothers and wives. So I would say it’s a different challenge.”
Tomorrow’s celebration at Fletcher’s Main Campus (310 St. Charles St. in Houma from noon to 2 p.m.) deals with academia. The guest speakers include McNeese State University’s Women’s Studies Director Dr. Janet Allured and St. Genevieve Catholic Church pastor, the Rev. P.J. Madden.
“Each of them will bring something unique to the celebrations,” Jacobs said.
Allured will speak about women’s liberation in Louisiana from 1968 to 1982. Madden brings the male perspective on how society has failed to acknowledge the woman’s contribution to history.
