March is all about the “Power of Expression” at Sacramento State as the university celebrates Women’s Herstory Month, dedicated to educating students about gender discrimination and to highlight women’s self-expression through different media.

“All the events showcase the opportunities in which women express in different venues, in art, work, leadership, intellectual contribution,” said Alysson Satterlund, director of Student Organizations & Leadership and interim director of the Women’s Resource Center.

Lynnzi Brent, senior psychology major and co-coordinator at the Women’s Resource Center, said women need to be aware of women’s struggles for equality.

“I think it’s important on a campus so close to the state Capitol,” Brent said. “Women need to be more aware of what has happened through history and the rights and privileges we have now, not always have been.”

The struggle for equality, however, is still continuing into 2010, said women studies professor Moni Sujatha.

“We live in a society which likes to believe that women achieved equal rights long ago, and the struggles of the feminist movement are a thing of the past,” Sujatha said in an e-mail. “Young college students need to be informed that many of those rights have yet to be won.”

Sujatha said there’s still a wage difference between male and female employees who do the same job, and a number of women earn 77 cents to the dollar earned by their male counterparts.

“The glass ceiling is not a myth, but a lived reality for hundreds of women working in the corporate industry,” Sujatha said. “Further, women’s basic rights over our own bodies are constantly being threatened, and on the brink of being taken away from us. These and many other issues women face every day in our society compel us to pay attention to them at least one month in a year.”

Satterlund and Brent both have helped coordinate events for the Women’s Herstory Month. They started preparing for these events back in December.

One of the events is a month-long exhibit titled “Stop the Pain &- Photographic Reflections on Breast Cancer” by A.J. Pero, an artist whose sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“It’s really touching and a positive expression of their experience,” Satterlund said.

The exhibit aims to use photography as a medium to raise breast cancer awareness.

“This is an important event using art to understand another person’s perspective and experience,” Brent said.

Women’s Herstory Month also hopes to dispel myths about feminism through the F-word Panel. The panel of students, staff and faculty members who will share their thoughts and experiences about feminism, for which the letter F stands for.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for awhile. To say what feminism is and what feminism isn’t,” Brent said. “It is 2010 now (and) it’s time to dispel some of the myths about feminism.”

Brent said she hoped to challenge the notion that men can’t be feminists, noting that celebrity Ryan Reynolds is a feminist.

“It’s a great opportunity to dialogue about the generations of feminism,” Satterlund said.

The experiences between different generations of feminists over the years will be represented at the panel and by the audience.

Another myth the event hopes to dispel is notion that there’s no place for feminism in 2010.

“It’s easier to think of the anti-power in today’s age than the powerful role model,” Satterlund said. “Think of Mother Teresa. What if all women could aspire to do that sort of contribution to humanity?”

The Women’s Herstory Month events end with the Women of Influence Award Reception at 5 p.m. on March 23 in the American River Courtyard Conference Room. This event celebrates and honors Sac State’s female students, faculty and staff who have been a positive influence on campus.

Anyone who’s had a positive influence on campus can be nominated, Satterlund said.

“This event is really special and we’re hoping to get a ton of nominations,” Brent said.

Women’s Herstory Month is an event crossing over cultures.

“This whole experience is new to me. I came from a society where no one talks about this,” said Anu Raghavan, engineering graduate student and program assistant at the Women’s Resource Center. “I think about feminism now. If I wasn’t associated with the Women’s Resource Center, I would not have ever known.”

Sujatha said she’s looking forward to seeing more feminists at Sac State.

“I would live to see more feminists (both men and women) in top administrative positions who could positively impact our university,” she said.

Cahil Bhanji can be reached at [email protected].