Twink Frey Visiting Social Activists

The Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist Program
The Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist Program was created in order to bring social activists who work on gender equity issues to the Center for the Education of Women.  Made possible through a generous gift from UM alumna Twink Frey and her husband James McKay, the program allows CEW to tap the expertise of social activists who are committed to combining research, theory and practice into action that leads to social change. Each visit is intended to give the selected activist time for reflection, research and/or planning related to her area of activism.  Activists interact with University faculty and students, other policy activists, as well as community members in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and elsewhere in Michigan. A written work documenting the results of the Visiting Social Activist’s stay is created and presented to the general public.

Criteria for selection as a Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist includes:

    a) Extent of activism
    b) Focus on gender issues
    c) Success in working with groups as well as individuals

For more information about the Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist Program, contact Beth Sullivan at bsulliva@umich.edu or 734-764-6343.

Mallika Dutt, 2009 Visiting Social Activist
CEW looks forward to the arrival of Mallika Dutt in the winter of 2009. Ms. Dutt is the Executive Director of Breakthrough, an international human rights organization with offices in New York City and New Delhi, India. Breakthrough uses education and popular culture to promote values of dignity, equality, and justice. It addresses women's rights, sexual and reproductive rights, immigrant rights, racial, ethnic and caste equality and religion and peace. Breakthrough's video game, ICED, puts players in the shoes of an immigrant to illustrate how unfair immigration laws deny due process and violate human rights. The group's album Mann Ke Manjeere: An Album of Women's Dreams topped India's music charts for five months, and a music video from the album won India's Screen Awards. Breakthrough's latest campaign "Bell Bajao" (Ring the Bell), urges men to take a stand against domestic violence. For more information, see http://www.breakthrough.tv/

Read Dutt's paper: On Building Human Rights Culture Breakthrough’s Vision,
Mission and Strategy

Linda Burnham, 2008 Visiting Social Activist  
Ms. Burnham founded the Women of Color Resource Center (WCRC) in 1990 to promote an agenda that recognizes the interconnections between anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-homophobic organizing.  WCRC works locally and nationally with coalitions that oppose war, protect civil rights, and protect immigrant rights.  As a community-based organization, it trains women of color to work on social justice issues, links activists with scholars, and provides analysis and information on the social and political issues that affect most women of color. 

During Ms. Burnham's stay, she interviewed eleven social justice leaders and reflected on her own organizing experiences. The result was a paper entitled: "The Absence of a Gender Justice Framework in Social Justice Organizing." In it, she explains why many activists working in low-income communities have no framework for understanding how gender dynamics play out in their communities, among their members and constituents, or within their organizations. This, she notes, is despite their having fairly sophisticated understandings of the dynamics of racism and class privilege. Her paper offers social justice organizations several recommendations for increasing their understanding of, and commitment to, women's human rights and gender justice.  Ms. Burnham and CEW are currently exploring methods for developing gender-conscious analytic and training tools that could be used by social justice organizations.

Anne Ladky, 2007 Visiting Social Activist  
Despite the progress of the last thirty years, approximately one-third of women working full time earn less than $25,000 per year.  Many have no sick leave or paid time off for family needs, cope with unpredictable work schedules, and have limited access to benefits such as health insurance.

As Executive Director of Women Employed, Anne Ladky has developed and directed innovative advocacy and training programs designed to improve women’s economic status.  She is a nationally recognized expert on women’s employment issues, equal opportunity, workforce development and career advancement. While at CEW, Ms. Ladky met with over a dozen UM faculty members in such fields as business, public policy, labor & industrial relations, and economics to examine a variety of public policies and private sector practices impacting low-wage workers.  Based on those conversations and her CEW research, she outlined a business case to show how investing in low-wage workers is good for businesses, good for workers and good for society.   That business case is now being promoted through her organization’s Working Women for Change Initiative, which brings together women corporate and civic leaders to advocate for low-wage women workers.

Connie Evans – Inaugural Visiting Social Activist 
In 2006, Connie Evans came to CEW as the Cesnter’s first Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist.  Founder of the Women’s Self-Employment Project, the largest microenterprise program in the country assisting low-income urban women, Ms. Evans has also played an active role in global efforts to encourage investments that support the human rights of citizens, particularly women.   During her stay, Ms. Evans consulted with University researchers and then convened town meetings with local women of color to learn how the spend, save and manage their money. Her analysis is contained in the report: The Intersection of Gender, Race and Culture as Influencers on African American Women's Financial Fitness, Asset Accumulation, and Wealth Attainment.Thanks to her research experience as a Visiting Social Activist, Ms. Evans created a web-based financial lifestyle company that will provide culturally appropriate financial information and tools to women of color.  She is currently securing seed funding for this venture.