In celebration of Women's History Month, the University of North Georgia will host three women to tell their stories at noon on March 23.
Speakers include Mariela Romero, regional community empowerment director for Univision; Mariah Parker, Athens-Clarke County commissioner and hip hop artist; and Rev. Charlotte Arsenault of the Georgia Mountains Unitarian Universalist Church.
Wade Manora, Jr., interim director of Multicultural Student Affairs, said choosing diverse speakers was of the utmost importance.
"By seeing yourself being represented in a space that you may not have known was available to you, it can actually inspire you to go for that particular career path," Manora said. "That's why the women that we chose are all in three different distinct areas, but they're also in areas where there's a little bit of marginalization for women."
Manora, along with Kyle Murphy, the interim assistant director of Multicultural Student Affairs, chose the three speakers collaboratively. Arsenault was invited to be a speaker at the event last year, but it was canceled due to COVID-19.
The talk will be conducted on Zoom and Manora mentioned they will look into areas on campus where students could watch it together.
In addition to the speakers, UNG faculty and staff can nominate female leaders online for several awards. That ceremony will be on March 31.
Manora said Women's History Month is just as important as any other identity-based month, although it is often overlooked.
"A lot of times, women don't get the credit or acknowledgment that they deserve in their different fields or different areas," Manora said. "To me, it's always about how can we amplify their stories, their voices, and give them a platform to speak on their experiences."
Registration for the events is available through UNG Connect.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2021/3/989965/ung-to-celebrate-womens-history-month-with-trio-of-speakers