OXFORD, Miss. – As national political dialogue intensifies
leading up to the November presidential election, the Sarah
Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies at the University
of Mississippi has scheduled a workshop to discuss federal
budget priorities.
Bobbie Wrenn Banks, a member of the Women’s Action for New
Directions, is to facilitate the program “Women In Charge
of the Money” from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. March 1 in Bryant
Hall, Room 209. It is free and open to the public, with
lunch provided for those who request reservations at
662-915-5916 by Feb. 22.
“The program is not an endorsement of any political party
but an effort to stimulate awareness and discussion about
the federal government’s budget priorities,” said Mary
Carruth, Isom Center director.
WAND is a national women’s organization, which according to
its Web site, http://www.wand.org/, “empowers women to take
political action, to change our culture and our national
priorities: toward peace and real security, away from
militarism and violence.”
Banks is scheduled to visit eight states and participate in
three national conferences the first half of this year.
“The Great American Pie Campaign offers a new way to look
at our country,” Banks said. “If we spend all our money on
the Pentagon, is it any wonder we find ourselves at war? We
will use this new, vital lens to approach the upcoming
elections. We will assess candidates and thus serve
American democracy at a potentially transformative time in
our history.”
The workshop is scheduled for the first day of Women’s
History Month and is part of the Isom Center’s annual
Gender Studies Conference. It is also held as part of the
university’s programming leading up to the first of the
presidential debates, set for Sept. 26 at UM.
The center plans to schedule other events, which will be
listed on its Web site,
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/sarah?isom?center/,
on a special page devoted to posting articles and other
information analyzing gender and race in the 2008
election.
For more information or to request assistance related to a
disability, call 662-915-5916.