Celebrations of Women’s History Month under the theme, “Generations of Women Moving History Forward,” are in full swing at ETSU this month.
“The purpose of women’s history is not to idealize women,” said an article in the ETSU Women’s Resource Center Newsletter. “On the contrary, the stories of women’s achievements present an expanded view of the complexity and contradiction of living a full and purposeful life.”
One such achievement story is that of author Tayari Jones, who the Atlanta Journal Constitution has proclaimed to be “one of the best writers of her generation,” according to a press release. Jones was the guest speaker at a book reading and signing for her novel “The Untelling” last Thursday, which was held in the Main Gallery of the Carroll Reece Museum.
“She’s a wonderful reader,” said Dr. Phyllis Thompson, an assistant English professor who attended the event. “She captures so well the spirit of exuberance that exists in the South.”
“The Untelling” is Jones’ second novel. Published in 2005, it “is the story of a family struggling to overcome the aftermath of a fatal car accident,” according to a press release. “When asked why she chose to focus on a particular family in this work . Jones explains, “The Untelling is a novel about personal history and individual and familial myth-making. These personal stories are what come together to determine the story of a community, the unofficial history of a neighborhood, of a city, of a nation.'”
Another achievement story is that of Carmaleta Littlejohn Monteith, an educational consultant with the Cherokee Central School Board who will be presenting “Environmental Issues and the Seventh Generation,” the keynote lecture for Women’s History month March 29 in the Main Gallery of the Carroll Reece Museum at 5 p.m.
“Monteith’s lecture draws on her distinguished career as an educator and as a Native American scholar and lecturer,” a press release said. The release also noted that the lecture “will focus on environmental concerns from the perspective of a Cherokee mother and grandmother . and will share the tribal initiatives addressing those concerns.”
Activities are also planned to support women and the advocation of non-violence, such as the “Clothesline Project,” sponsored by the Campus Advocates Against Sexual Violence and the Counseling Center. The project will be held March 26-29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the D.P. Culp University Center Atrium.
“Students can come by and decorate cardboard cutouts of T-shirts to hang up and display with their own personal message in support of non-violence,” said Heather Deyton, a graduate assistant for the Counseling Center. “They also have the option of purchasing a candle for the candlelight vigil for $1.”
The candlelight vigil is planned for March 29 in honor of survivors of sexual violence. Each candle has a place for someone’s name to be written in their honor, and all proceeds go to the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program at the Johnson City Medical Center.
One last event to look for as part of Women’s History Month is the “Take Back the Night,” 5K race on March 31. For more information about this event, call the Counseling Center at 439-4841.

Author