Foster speaks for women’s rights

     For the past three years, the Women’s Studies Program of GCSU has sponsored an informative lecture that delivers words of encouragement to the viewing audience.
     During the fourth Annual Begemann-Gordon Lecture, the founders of the Women’s Studies Program at GCSU were honored. This year’s speaker was Dr. Frances Smith Foster who teaches Women’s Studies at Emory University.
     Dr. Susan Cummings, GCSU’s Women’s Studies Program coordinator, introduced Foster and revealed that she was a woman of so many accolades they all could not be presented at this time. However, she would not leave without letting the audience know that Foster was a woman with “work ethic and passion for discovery.”
     Being a very humble speaker, Foster first acknowledged that she was “honored to speak in front of the founders” of such an amazing program. After a brief thanks for being invited to speak at this year’s program, Foster begins her speech by telling the audience what they will receive from her lecture.
     “Reconstruction of memory is important for everyone of us,” not just women or African Americans, Foster said.
     While mentioning the key points of her speech, she tells the audience that they should “do their own research,” and “question age old rules.”
     Recognizing the past in the present and one’s self in society is how “women’s studies leads to critical thinking.” This critical thinking allows the uncovering of inaccuracy to occur. After her brief synopsis, she revealed the title of her lecture, which was “Researching, Rememory, and Antebellum African American Women Writers.”
     “If there is to be a future, we must remember the past,” Foster said. She also revealed that there are several ways to study the past; however, she chose antebellum work of women writers as her research material.
     While she is very supportive of her studies, she was very firm in letting the audience know that women’s studies was not demeaning or rejecting other theories. She believes that ultimately, all studies should work together to create a “useful diversity.”
     Foster then simplifies her entire speech in three distinct breakdowns. “Researching” is finding the “primary sources” which can be facts or untruth. “Rememory” is remembering memories that at times “even good parts can be awful.” And last but not least, Foster concentrates on the “Antebellum African American Women Writers” who do not often get the praise they deserve.
     After she was done with her speech, she was willing to answer any question that the audience was willing to ask.
“That is a good question,” Foster said, after being asked what initially brought about her love for women’s studies and discovering the truth.
     “Curiosity brought about the passion I have today,” Foster said.
     Even as a young girl she remembers always being more interested in the story line than the actually actors presenting the story.
     Simply by living life she has realized that “facts and thoughts change with time and place.” The only way to keep up with the facts is to constantly continue to research and find the truth even if it is changing before one’s eyes.
     While it is evident that Foster is intrigued by her studies, at the end of her speech so were several GSCU students.
     Sarah Jones, an English graduate student, said that she was “interested in the topic of the lecture because of her love for Toni Morrison.” Through out the lecture, Jones found that many of Foster’s example of rememory were supported through Morrison’s works.
     “The message was very important,” said Robert Galyean, a junior English major, “it is important to remember where you came from.”
     Athena Smith, who is a senior history major, believes that “women’s studies are soon going to influence history.”
     Thanks to the Women’s Studies Program and the co-sponsors, Phi Kappa Phi and the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, this wonderful lecture was brought to GCSU and has been greatly appreciated.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 28 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry