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Virginia (Ginny) Wolf was a professor of Physical Education at the University of Idaho from 1964-1982. Ginny took an active role in addressing issues affecting women on campus, including chairing the UI Women’s Caucus and helping to launch the campaign that brought about the establishment of a permanent UI Women’s Center. This award was created in 2002 in recognition of others, like Ginny, whose long-term dedication to activism for gender justice brings about lasting change. It is given to individuals who reflect the same commitment Ginny gave more than 30 years ago. Each year, one student and one faculty or staff member receives the awards. In 2006, a third award was added to recognize a local community member.
The awards recipients to date:
2002 - Emily Sly (student), Kay Keskinen (faculty)
2003 - Lori van Buggenum (student), Debbie Storrs (faculty)
2004 - No awards given
2005 - Selena Lloyd (student), Betsy Thomas and Valerie Russo (staff)
2006 - Cassie Searle (student), Kathy Aiken (faculty), Ginny Foote (community)
2007 - James French (student), Traci Craig (faculty), Mary Jo Hamilton (community)
2008 - Tara Malmquist (student), Liz Brandt (faculty), Amy Stone Ford (community)
2009 - Anne-Marije Rook (student), Rebecca Rod (staff), Joann Muneta (community), Jeannie Harvey (lifetime activist)
Click here for bios of this year's award winners!
The 2009 awards ceremony was held in the Silver/Gold Rooms in the Student Union Building on Wednesday, April 8, and featured a full banquet luncheon and keynote address by feminist activists and best-selling authors, Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner, entitled "Manifesting Feminism: Practicing our Politics."
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AMY RICHARDS
When Amy Richard's graduated from Barnard College in 1992, she did not know that her summer project would be the beginning of her career as a feminist activist, writer, and organizer. Amy expected to use her degree in Art History to work in a museum or gallery. Instead, after she organized Freedom Summer ’92, a cross-country voter registration drive, Amy went on to co-found the Third Wave Foundation, a national organization for young feminist activists between the ages of 15 and 30.
For a decade, Amy led Third Wave as it grew from a small grassroots organization into a national institution. At Third Wave, Amy created and sustained the organization’s program areas—grant-making, public education campaigns and a national membership—and initiated projects such as "I Spy Sexism," a public education and postcard campaign encouraging people to take action on the injustices that they witness every day, and "Why Vote?," a series of panel discussions on funding for the arts, education, reproductive rights, and affirmative action. Through this leadership, Amy became a spokesperson and leading voice for young feminist issues.
JENNIFER BAUMGARDNER
Since the early 90s, Fargo-native Jennifer Baumgardner has made her career in New York City as a prominent voice for women and girls. After a five-year stint as the youngest editor at Ms. magazine (1993-1997), Jennifer began writing for a diverse array of publications, doing investigative pieces for Harper’s and The Nation, exploring stories such as why younger women appear to be less pro-choice and the fact that “rape kits” are routinely lost or rendered inadmissible in sexual assault cases. She has written several commentaries for NPR’s All Things Considered. She also writes for many of the major women’s magazines (including Real Simple, Glamour, Redbook, Babble, and Elle), for which she has written about her "accidental" family, the first female deemed a sexually violent predator, and "Purity Balls."
Her first book, Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future, co-authored with colleague Amy Richards, was published in October 2000. Gloria Steinem, Eve Ensler, and Naomi Wolf (as well as thousands of young women and men who have read it and written to Jen and Amy) enthusiastically endorsed Manifesta.
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The Women's Center welcomes and encourages nominations of outstanding individuals whose service and commitment to gender justice issues is reflected in all areas of their life. For infomration on how to nominate an individual for this award, please contact the Women's Center at wcenter@uidaho.edu or (208) 885-6616.
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