KU's 'February Sisters' seek founding members for 30th anniversary forum

LAWRENCE -- Thirty years ago this month, about 100 women, inspired by a speech by a leading feminist poet, occupied a classroom near KU's Corbin Hall for 13 hours.

Among their demands for better conditions for women on campus was a child care center and a women's studies department. Less than a year after the peaceful Feb. 4 demonstration ended, Hilltop Child Care Development Center opened, a women's studies program was created and annual February Sisters educational forums on women's issues began.

To commemorate the actions and impact of the February Sisters' occupation of the East Asian Studies building, February Sisters Association, a campus organization, and the women's studies program are co-sponsoring the 30th annual February Sisters Forum this month. They are issuing special invitations all of the original "sisters," many of whom chose to remain anonymous, to participate in the anniversary event.

The forum, titled "Honor Crimes and Crimes of Passion," will feature Robin Morgan, author, poet and former editor-in-chief of Ms. Magazine whose speech on campus spurred the "sisters" to action. There also will be several performances of "The Vagina Monologues."

"This year's focus on honor crimes and crimes of passion is a necessary discussion as world leaders, for the first time, take seriously and pay attention to the global terrorism committed against women in the name of honor," said Christine Robinson, graduate instructor in women's studies and co-founder of the February Sisters Association. "Robin Morgan and Pamela Shifman have been researching, writing, and speaking about the relationship among gender, sexuality, and terrorism for over a decade."

Scheduled events include:

 • "Honor Crimes and Crimes of Passion," 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, in Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. Speakers included Robin Morgan, international women's rights expert and author and editor of several books, including "Sisterhood Is Powerful" and "The Demon Lover: The Roots of Terrorism," and Pamela Shifman, co-executive director of Equality Now, a New York-based international human rights organization for women. Panel discussion with Morgan, Shifman and the original February Sisters will follow. A reception for the panelists and a book signing with Morgan is set for at 9:15 p.m. in the Big 12 Room of the Kansas Union. Open to the public.

 • A staged reading of "I, Unseen" by Marika Mashburn from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Plymouth Congregational Church. The KU Department of Theatre and Film co-sponsors the event, which is free and open to the public. Mashburn depicts the struggles of Afghan women living under the Taliban rule. In their efforts to find dignity and justice for themselves and their families, they must confront not only the government but also their own husbands.

 • Three performances of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" will take place in Lawrence at 8 p.m. on Feb. 21, 22, and 23 in the Kansas Union ballroom as part of the V-Day 2002 College Campaign to end violence against women. A V-Day festival will begin at 7 p.m. before the Feb. 22 and 23 performances. Sign language interpreters will be provided for the Feb. 23 performance. Washburn University sponsors two more performances, March 8 and 9. Contact Murphy Hall box office, (785) 864-3982, for tickets and locations for all of these performances, which are $6 each. All proceeds will be donated to women's organizations in Douglas and Shawnee counties.

 • The University Forum scheduled for noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, focuses on "Honor Crimes in the U.S.: The Parental Kidnapping of Miranda Budiman" at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries in Lawrence. Speakers include Lawrence attorney Karen Eager; Miranda Budiman's mother, Tara; and Christine Robinson and Sarah Trowbridge-Alford, co-directors of the Miranda Project, a community-based organization that helps parents locate missing children. This event is free and open to the public and takes place at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread.

 • From Feb. 1 to 28, the February Sisters are participating in "Call to Protect," a national wireless phone collection drive designed to provide one of the most powerful tools in the fight against abuse -- a wireless phone -- for domestic violence victims. The program is a partnership between the Wireless Foundation, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Motorola and participating wireless service providers.

Donate your unused wireless phones (with any available accessories) to benefit victims of domestic violence. "Call to Protect" distributes new and recycled preprogrammed emergency wireless phones free of charge to domestic violence victims. To these women, the phone serves as an emergency lifeline -- one they might not have access to otherwise. Donation drop-off sites include the Lawrence Public Library, 700 Vermont St., and the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, 22 Strong Hall at KU.

Sponsors for these events include the KU Student Senate, Student Union Activities, the women's studies program, the Department of Theatre and Film, Coca-Cola, the dean of students office, the office of the vice chancellor for student affairs, the provost's office, KU Greens, Hillel Foundation, Womyn's Empowerment Action Coalition, the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, University Theatre, the Murphy Hall box office and Queers & Allies: LesBiGayTrans Services of Kansas.