We invite you to our 11th Annual Local to Global Forum – Women in North Carolina: Health and Wellness
Wednesday, March 4 – 7:00 PM
RTI International
Horizon Auditorium
3040 East Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709
Join WomenNC’s scholars from Duke, UNC-CH, NCSU, and NCCU with their mentors from RTI’s Global Gender Center as they present their research on gender disparities affecting women’s health and wellness in North Carolina.
Join us as we send the scholars off to New York to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women where they will present their work to a global audience of social justice advocates celebrating and assessing the status of women 25 years after the seminal Beijing Conference on Women.
WomenNC’s 11th Annual Local to Global Forum: A success by any measure
“Remember: you stand on the shoulders of others—of those that have come before,” said North Carolina Representative Cynthia Ball as she spoke to the 8 2019-20 WomenNC Juanita M. Bryant Leadership Training Program scholars on Wednesday, March 5th at RTI International. Indeed, the intergenerational audience of feminist activists, scholars, researchers, and advocates suggested just how much the younger generation has to learn from those that have come before them. With a few anecdotes about her rise to several key leadership positions, including in 1996 becoming the first woman to be elected to statewide executive office in North Carolina, North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall noted the difficulty she endured in her rise to power—influence that has been used in service to all North Carolinians and has paved the way for other female leaders in both the public and private sectors. But just as importantly, by the end of the evening, after hearing the scholars’ research and advocacy projects, those of more mature years understood how much they have to learn from these university students from Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Central University. They were impressive!
In her remarks, Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes, the youngest person to sit on the commission, reminded the scholars that they needn’t, as she didn’t, wait to assume leadership positions: the world is open to young female leaders. WomenNC scholars are up for this leadership challenge are well-prepared for it, beginning the last phase of their leadership training program with WomenNC. Working with individual “femtors” from RTI’s Global Gender Center under the direction of Dr. Wendee Wechsberg to craft research projects focused on the status of women and girls in particular North Carolina communities, they are now prepared for the advocacy part of the program, having been paired up with “advocacy mentors” from such organizations as NC PTA, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Equality NC.
And while this year’s scholars will unfortunately not present their work to a global audience at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) due to its cancellation because of the coronavirus, this spring, scholars will present their work to more audiences in the state, including on April 9th at North Carolina State’s Gender and Equity Symposium and on March 23rd to the Durham County Women’s Commission as they seek to influence policy at the local level.
This year’s scholar’s projects included research about and policy solutions to improve the lives of women and girls in these areas:
- Oral Health Disparities in Women Within Rural Eastern North Carolina, Siani Antoine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- An Examination of Dress Code Policies Influencing Body Shame, Sexualization and the Learning Environment of African American Middle School Girls, Bridget Pittman-Blackwell, North Carolina Central University
- Barriers to Reproductive Health and Economic Empowerment in Durham, NC, Isa van der Drift, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- The Impact of Environmental Toxins on Maternal & Child Health in Durham, North Carolina, Jackie Lanning, North Carolina State University
- How to Reduce Violence Against Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence in Durham, North Carolina, Samia Noor, Duke University
- Employment Experiences for Women Transitioning from Incarceration Back Home to Durham, NC, Leticia Ross, North Carolina Central University
- The State of Trans-Inclusive Healthcare at the UNC System Universities, Naila Segule, North Carolina State University
- Menstruation, Stigma, & Reproductive Health Education in North Carolina, Rosie Tran, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
