If not us……..Who?
If not now……..When?
If not Seneca Falls….Where?
Seneca Falls Dialogues
Meaningful dialogue inspiring awareness of inequality, inspiring activism and leadership, changing the face of politics and society as we move into the 21st century.
Keynote Speakers and Presenters:
Dr. Carolyn Hannan, United Nations Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women; US Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney; Dr. Peggy Brooks-Bertram and Dr. Barbara Seals Nevergold, Co-Founders of the Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research and Education on Women; Eleanor LeCain, President of World Innovation Network; United Nations High Commissioner and Former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson; Tina Orcutt, Superintendent of Women’s Rights National Historical Park; Christine Moulton, Executive Director of the National Women’s Hall of Fame; Seneca Falls Mayor Diana M. Smith, and a contingency of inspirational women from Russia to discuss Women in Leadership from their unique perspective.
Invited Guests:
Presidential Candidates Senator Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, and Consumer Activist Ralph Nader were asked to submit their responses to the question: How would your administration support such Women’s Rights issues as the Equal Rights Amendment, CEDAW, pay equity, and others?
Panel Discussions and Program Highlights:
Women’s Rights / Human Rights: Locally and Globally, Past and Present
Students and alumni from Hobart and William Smith Colleges explore women’s rights topics from five unique perspectives: Salvation and Civilization: Women’s Involvement in Native American Policy 1830 – 1920; Realizing the Right to Health; Women in Letters and Life in 17th Century France; Visibility and Invisibility: Women in Palestinian Society; Living Feminism: the Power of Local Activism, the Dilemmas of Global Policy.
Indigenous Historic Roots at the Seneca Falls Convention
A faculty / author panel from Gettysburg College regarding the roots of feminism in the United States springing from the culture of Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands, featuring topical discussions concerning the Iroquoian system of gender-complementary governing and its history; the roots of American feminism and scholarship that demonstrates the link between those theories and practices and indigenous culture; and how these models can assist us in thinking about women’s leadership today.
Multi-disciplinary Perspectives on Women’s Leadership / Activism: Past, Present, and Future
A Faculty / Student panel from SUNY Brockport exploring leadership with topics including: Women and Educational Activism in 19th Century America; Is “Islamic Feminism” Necessary? A Case in Point; 19th Century British Methodist Women’s Access to and Arguments for Religious Leadership; Women’s Leadership and Activism in the Catholic Faith: Contemporary Examples, with a special presentation from Barb LeSavoy entitled Women’s Stories: Intergenerational Portraits on Female Leadership and Activism.
Young, Opinionated & Educated: Feminism on the Rise in the Next Generation
A Student Scholar Panel featuring six young scholars from St. John Fisher College featuring Dream Big, Think Small: Issues of Language and Socially Constructed Gender Roles; Women Behind Bars: Locked Up But Not Forgotten; Feminist Reformation in the Academy: the Fourth Wave; a Radical, Social Constructivist’s Response to French Feminist Theory; Representations of Women in the Media; Equality in the Household: Challenging Gender Roles in a Changing World.
Art, Activism, and Women’s Rights
A faculty panel from Hobart and William Smith Colleges featuring Melancholic Bodies and the Public Face of Private Grief; Loyalty and Borders; Art of a Newly Born Feminist; Writing Our Own Lives; Life Stories in Word and Film; Art Meets Feminism.
The World Café
All participants will be invited to engage in this dynamic, interactive, collaboratively creative process specifically focusing on the “Call to Action” created by the Seneca Falls Dialogues. Elizabeth Cady Stanton would be so proud!
Stories: Let Your Voice Be Heard Around the World
A sharing of stories among panelists and participants will be captured, archived, and made accessible via the world-wide-web.
The Power of Place: Walk in the Footsteps of…
Special VIP tours of the landmarks and attractions in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of women’s rights.
Art and Artists of Seneca Falls
A special area dedicated to women in the arts and media, featuring local artists and authors.
