The MSU Women’s Center will present a number of programs in October to keep you informed and inspired this fall. Sack Lunch Seminar Hip-Hop Sovereign Nations: Remixing Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy for American Indian Reservation Students will take place Wednesday, October 19th from noon–1pm in SUB 168. The hip-hop cultural elements of deejaying, break dancing, graffiti art, and emceeing, etc., have foundational parallel elements found in many Indigenous cultures centered around music, dance, art, language, creativity, resourcefulness, knowledge, social justice, self-determination, and sovereignty. Join Native American Studies professor and self-proclaimed “rez kid” Richard White—who grew up within the reservation public school system—for this discussion of the ways hip-hop culture has been a positive influence and provided a critical understanding of Indigeneity. Hip-hop culture can be utilized as a form of resistance against colonial pressures, and provide an avenue for students to understand many attributes of Indigenous thought and action. The strategic use of critical hip-hop pedagogy also has the potential to be a liberatory praxis that reiterates the importance of traditional American Indian cultures, while simultaneously providing American Indian students with the opportunity to critically assess their realities and the reality of their individual tribal nations.
Sack Lunch Seminar How to be a LGBTQIA Allied Feminist! will take place Wednesday, October 26th from noon–1pm in SUB 168. Celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer History Month with Ryan Erickson, MSU’s new Graduate Assistant for LGBTQ Student Support. Learn some basics about LGBTQIA experiences and the Do’s and Don’ts of sensitive and accepting interactions. Join in for this workshop focused on ways to avoid committing microaggressions, while learning about intersectionality. Also, come and find out ways in which feminists and LGBTQIA allies can help one another in the struggle for equality & inclusiveness!
The MSU Women’s Center is a department in the division of Student Success and was created to promote greater responsiveness to the needs of university women. Their focus is to empower women and create an equitable campus environment by offering educational programs to the university population about gender and women’s issues. The Center is open to all students, staff, faculty, and community members, male and female. The Center is physically accessible and a place for students to stop by, relax, and explore their concerns, issues, and options through information and conversation. Campus and community members are encouraged to become involved in the Center through work-study, volunteer, and internship positions. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm during the academic year when classes are in session. For more information, visit www.montana.edu/women/. •
