Are you a leader in your school? Or have you taken your leadership skills back to your school or other community schools? Jennifer Martin works at a public alternative school in Michigan and is conducting research on feminism and leadership in public schools and needs your help!

What’s even cooler is that she’s set up the research on her blog: http://womenasleadersineducation2010.blogspot.com/

To submit your feedback and contribute to her project and thus forwarding the field of feminist public education just check out her message below. She’s even throwing in an iPod as a prize to one lucky winning contributor!

Study information:

I am conducting a qualitative study on women leaders in education for the purpose of gaining insight into women’s unique experiences as educators (in K-12 and higher education). I am looking for women who work as leaders in education—either in higher education or in PK-12 education (and adult education). “Leaders in education” can mean formal leadership: administrators, deans, principals, department heads, or informal leaders (those who work within their systems for social change, for example).

I have created a web blog where participants can respond to a variety of questions. Participants will also be able to engage with one another in an online dialogue about a variety of issues women in education face.

I ask that participants create an account in Google blogger using information that will protect their anonymity (for instance, do not use your name as your username). Participants may respond to any or all of the questions listed. I have created separate posts for each individual question (which are listed below). You can respond to questions by clicking on their links either on the blog home page, or on the menu on the right. Participants are not required to answer all questions, and can return to the site, answer additional questions, and repost. Participants can choose whether or not to interact with others in online dialogues.

After making your decision to participate, please email me at jlmarti2@oakland.edu. I will then email you a consent form for you to sign which will indicate your agreement to participate in this study. After signing, please scan the document, or create a PDF, and email it back to me at the same email address. If you do not have access to these technologies, you may mail the consent form to me. Postage will be provided. I will provide you with the information for mailing upon your email contact.

As an incentive to gain participants in this study, I will conduct a drawing for an 8 GB iPod Nano based upon posted responses. Drawing will be done on December 31, 2010.

Check out this call for submissions for a book the wonderful Jessica Yee is putting together! If you’ve ever gone to “university” or “post-secondary education” or didn’t go but had your own brush with it and have something to say check this out! The deadline is September 10th, 2010 so time is short. But, in my experience passionate tales of feministy academy often ramble off our tongues.

Call for submissions for book: Deconstructing the academic industrial complex of feminism - Feminist education now: youth, activism, and intersectionality (working title – tentatively to be changed) edited by Jessica Yee

To be published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Winter 2011

Why the new title? Because I was getting A LOT of “I just want my name to be published” submissions that weren’t really dealing with the question of where is feminist education today? So I decided to be more in your face and say that this is about “deconstructing the academic industrial complex of feminism” meaning this is about where feminism exists OUTSIDE the university/school walls - or why so much of the so-called “recognizable” feminism is just within academia.

Where is feminist education today? This is a question many people are asking, and I’d like to answer them in a book I’m putting together. Where do young people get to learn about feminism? And what the heck does feminism even mean to young people today? (and I’m talking about young, young people, not you 3rd year women’s studies person who might roll your eyes at my next set of questions. Maybe think of yourself before you got into women’s studies. Or if you ARE/WERE in women’s studies and think it’s kinda messed up, I’d like to hear about that too.) How come as a “theory” we don’t really hear about it unless we get to go to post-secondary type schooling, but in practice lots of us have been feminists of sorts throughout our entire lives. Why does it still look like a white-woman’s thing? Or not entirely sex-positive? What do young men have to say about it? Has there really been any intergenerational information sharing between those who might have “paved the way” and those who are thinking about identifying as feminists now?

With the working title of “Feminist education now: youth, activism, and intersectionality” I’d like to talk about all these issues and everything in between. Don’t like the word feminism? Please be my guest and talk about that – or if it helps to use words like “womanist” or “humanist” instead, or working for women’s rights, women’s empowerment, girls stuff, etc. then go that direction. I’m really interested in talking about the intersectionality of feminist education and breaking down the barriers of what constitutes “education”, where that might be, and according to whom. Education does not have to solely be within a school or school-type setting – if it happened on the street, in your kitchen, if it’s not happening at all, if you want it to happen some particular place – I want to hear about it.

What do I mean by feminism? No I don’t mean that it’s just about women, I mean all identities/definitions/euphemisms/pseudonyms than the English language of the colonizer can do justice to. Expand your mind.

What do I mean by intersectionality? Think of a street intersection and put yourself in the middle. There are lots of things that intersect the way people identify – for example I identify as a woman, as Indigenous, as bisexual, as multiracial and all of those things and way more come into play when I think about the way I want to learn things, i.e. feminist education. For me, I don’t exist as just one thing or another. In this book - I’d like to know about how feminism intersects (or doesn’t intersect) who you are.

Why is the word activism in the title? Because I think a lot of us are activists and even feminists and do education about the things we believe in without necessarily being sign-waving, chanting, picket-lining groups en-masse. I’ve often said some of the best activists I know are the ones who do it at home, wherever “home” might be – since that can sometimes be the hardest place to be passionate and true to the things you are fighting for.

What are we looking for in this book? Written, artistic, and otherwise creative submissions between 700 to 3000 words length if it’s an article. You are also very welcome to submit a photograph, an art piece, a poem, spoken word, etc. as well.

Can only “youth” submit something? Yes and no – preference will be given to young people under the age of 30 to be published in this book, however if you are over the age of 30 and would really like to say something – please submit and we’ll try and find a place for it, especially if you talk about young people in your piece.

Why would I want to write/create something for this book? Some folks like to have their name and stuff published, others just want their voices and ideas out there. You decide!

When do we want submissions by? Submission deadline is Friday September 10 2010.

What if I don’t really understand what you are asking for or want help putting something together? Please feel free to get in touch with me and let’s chat! E-mail me directly at jessica.j.yee@gmail.com

All written, artistic, and creative submissions should be e-mailed with a Word doc. attachment and a 3 line author bio to Jessica Yee at jessica.j.yee@gmail.com no later than Friday September 10th 2010. If you would like to mail yours to a physical address instead, please let me know.

Being a word/books person, I do a lot of thinking about the power of language. The more progressive blogs and new sources I read, and the more I talk and think about feminist and progressive issues on a daily basis, the more I notice the words people drop into casual conversation that make me pause.

Language is more powerful than we realize. At its best, it can facilitate communication, bridge huge distances and build communities. But as we’ve heard, with great power comes great responsibility, and I believe that as feminists, it’s important for us to be conscious of the words we choose when communicating and to avoid problematic and alienating language as much as possible – not only to avoid offending or alienating others, but to hold ourselves to the highest standards and set a positive example.

Problematic or triggering language is all around us: everything from “that’s so gay” to “what a pussy” to “that exam totally raped me.” Examples like these are obvious, but some that are more often overlooked include “that’s so lame” and “you’re insane” (ableist, physically and mentally, respectively). Personally, expressions that are dismissive of mental/emotional differing abilities (“insane,” “crazy,” “stupid”) are ones I’m currently working on eliminating from my vocabulary.

I’m not necessarily advocating becoming the language police, and I know that different social situations have different standards of communication. It’s just something to think about.

I’ve only given a few examples in this post. What are some of your personal language peeves, and are you working on being more conscious of your words? Do you call out others who use problematic language?

Do you have role-models? Mentors? A woman you look up to for some reason or other?

Every other week I profile “positive female role models for young women” in my Shameless Women column. They are amazing ladies that I hope inspire the women who read each interview. However, the women I interview tend to be “regular” people.

Back in December, columnist Kate Carraway wrote in her article, “What’s next for sex? Feminism didn’t really work. Oopsie!” that the reason for the lack of motivation and accomplishment (and in her opinion, the failure) of the “third-wave” of feminism is because we have no visible leaders:
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The holidays are approaching and if you celebrate by exchanging gifts, some of you might be wondering what to ask for.

In my never-ending quest to see more women significantly recognized in the music world, I’ve put together a little gift guide for all you awesome girls who rock.

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Mariah Carey’s newest single has been leaked! Not only that, but the video as well! The best part is that Mariah is in drag.

While I am incredibly excited for my favourite mainstream diva to be performing in drag, it is a little concerning that she is pretty much dressed like Eminem. When will this epic battle of Mariah Carey/Nick Canon versus Eminem come to an end? This very public dual has reached a new level, which actually makes for interesting analysis around Mariah’s identity as a diva and a mixed race woman. Women who know what they want are often brushed off as catty, revengeful divas. To add to that, Mariah is a mixed race woman and women of colour have long had to live with stereotypes of themselves as dangerous and evil. But that’s another post.

For now, let’s just oogle Mariah, international songstress babe, in drag.

A page from Amy’s Diary (The Amy Diary)

Amy Barbara of Vancouver recently posted her junior high diaries on her new blog the amy diary. A testament to the power of a grade-school diaries, the amy diary is a sweet little snapshot into the language and life of a young woman.

I am procrastinating from the home stretch of my thesis and singing along to this karaoke version of Sister Suffragette from Mary Poppins! What a great way to send a thesis about feminism into the future!

Students of the Women’s Studies Program at UCF have started a blog to foster discussion about girls and girls’ issues and share cultural products developed by and for girls. The postings cover a number of topics about girls: the Glam Council for America, poetry readings by girls, girls’ events (like rock camps), analysis of images found on the internet, and a healthy dose of Obama. I love the low-key DIY look because it drives home the point that in this over-processed blogging world (ie. Salon and The Daily Intel) it’s content that really matters.

Grrrl Power! Girls’ Studies at UCF