WINGS

December 7, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

Play Like a Girl (or not)

Think computer games are just a boy's world? Think again. Brenda Laurel deeply transformed the gaming and computer worlds from their early days - and she got her start in Theatre. She advocates for diversity and inclusiveness in video games, designed some games to appeal to girls' strengths, and pioneered virtual reality. Her Ph.D. dissertation, published in 1986, was titled Toward the Design of a Computer-Based Interactive Fantasy System, and it formed the basis of her 1993 book "Computers as Theater". Brenda told her life story to Suki Wessling, host of the podcast The Babblery, and Suki shared part of that longer interview with WINGS. 

November 30, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

FIRE at Cairo

According to the United Nations Population Fund website: In 1994 the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo, transformed global thinking on population and development issues and defined a bold agenda, placing peoples dignity and rights at the heart of sustainable development. Their page does not mention that this shift was birthed through strategic coordinated actions of the global women's movement.

In 1995, Maria Suarez, founding producer of Costa-Rica-based daily shortwave program Feminist International Radio Endeavour (FIRE/Radio Feminista Internacional), and author of the book "Women's Voices", told WINGS the exciting story of feminist media's central role in this organizing effort. Updated in advance of the 30th anniversary of the women and media section of the Beijing Platform for Action, Section J, adopted at the UN's 4th World Conference on Women.

November 23, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

Witch Survival (from prehistory to today)

This is the finale of Mindy Ran's 2-part 2024 interview with feminist historian and archivist Max Dashu, creator of "The Suppressed Histories Archives" and the 16-volume series "The Secret History of the Witches." Part 1 surveyed the long history of persecution of women in Europe for alleged witchcraft, in a power grab by patriarchal elites. In Part 2, Dashu first looks back at the linguistic and folk culture evidence of early earth-based goddess practices that worked with the cycles of nature. She then contrasts modern examples of witch images in popular culture vs. revived and re-created earth-based rituals today. Honouring relations with nature is essential to survival!

November 16, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

In Memoriam, Dorothy Allison (Author, Lesbian, Working-class Escapee)

American author, activist, lesbian, teacher, anthropologist, and working-class escapee, Dorothy Allison, died November 6th, 2024. She was 75 years old. In her honor, Arlene Zaucha shared the radio program she produced featuring Allison's 2013 talk to the newly-formed Working Class Student Union, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It originally aired in the program series Her Turn, on local community radio station WORT-FM. Among Dorothy Allison's published writings are a book of poetry titled "Women Who Hate Me", a book of short stories titled "Trash", and the semi-fictional novel "Bastard Out of Carolina", which became a best-seller and was made into a film directed by Anjelica Huston. Allison talked of her experience of the class divide in America, and the effect it had on her own life and university experiences.

November 9, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

US Violence Against Women Act

On September 12, 2024, the Biden-Harris administration celebrated 30 years since the passage of the US Violence Against Women Act, with an announcement of new funds and new areas of coverage. Although passed by Congress in 1994, the VAWA bill was first introduced in 1990. From the WINGS archive 1991, here is then-81-year-old Washington reporter Sarah McClendon, interviewing then-49-year-old Senator Joe Biden, about the bill he drafted and introduced in the Senate, and would finally successfully shepherd through. He explains his first realization that the problem existed, and many of the angles to address it written into that bill. A similar version was introduced in the House by Barbara Boxer of California. The VAWA finally passed in both houses in 1994 and has been renewed - although with stops and starts and amendments - ever since. McClendon opined that Biden's work on this bill would make up for his performance as chair of the Judiciary Committee, when Anita Hill's testimony was dismissed and Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the US Supreme Court. 

November 2, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

History of Witches (a recurring persecution)

Max Dashu has spent over 50 years collecting and researching oral traditions, folklore, written records and artifacts to discover what's there about women. She created The Suppressed Histories Archives to communicate her findings; they include a 16-volume series on The Secret History of The Witches. In today's episode, she explains some of the long history of sexist witch persecutions and murders, who and what was behind them, and how such practices recur. 

October 26, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

Birthing in Genocide (Parenting in Palestine)

Today on WINGS, the guest is Sherene Seikaly, Associate Professor of History at University of California Santa Barbara (affiliated with the Feminist Studies Department) and an editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies (JPS). JPS, since its founding in 1971, has been the English-language academic journal of record on Palestinian affairs. Elizabeth Robinson interviewed Professor Seikaly in September 2024, about her fully documented and heart-rending editor's note in the August 2024 edition. Seikaly points out that suppression of the voices and views of Palestinians continues to be severe. She brings forward the personal experiences of those who must parent under the ongoing assault. 

October 19, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

Child Protector in Kenya

Kenya is home to 54 million people - half of them younger than 20 years of age. Elizabeth Kadzo is a primary school teacher in the Mombasa area, and a member of the Giriyama tribal grouping. She has also long made it her calling to rescue children from abuse. She co-founded the community-based organization PACYA - which stands for Protection Against Child and Youth Abuse. Diana Wanyonyi interviewed her for WINGS. NOTE that this interview contains descriptions of sexual abuse. 

October 12, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

Life as Diversity (Part 2 of 2-part Talk by Vandana Shiva)

Second and final part of a speech delivered in California by Dr. Vandana Shiva, influential scientist, policy analyst, and activist from India. In last week's episode, Dr. Shiva deconstructed the rhetoric of genetically modified agriculture. This week, she speaks to movements for solutions, especially solutions based in human rights allied to rights of nature.

September 28, 2024 National, News & Public Affairs

Selma James (Archival Interview with Wages for Housework Co-Founder )

Selma James, now 94 years old, co-founded Wages for Housework and coordinated the Global Women's Strike; her books include "Our Time Is Now: Sex, Race and Class" and "Caring for People and Planet". Ten years ago, an 83 year old Selma James spoke to San Francisco-based journalist Kellia Ramares-Watson about analysis and theories. During the discussion, Kellia and Selma butted heads a bit over the role of money vs. the gift economy, but ended on an amicable note.