Capital University News, California State University, Sacramento
August
31, 2005
Noon
movies return to Women's Resource Center
The Sacramento State Women's Resource Center will be bringing
back its noon movie line up for the fall semester. The series begins on Thursday,
Sept. 15, and wraps up on Wednesday, Dec. 7. This fall's movies feature a series
of documentaries that highlight the different experiences and obstacles of
a variety of women. As part of the ongoing education mission of the Women's
Resource Center, a discussion about the character and conflict of the movie
will follow each session. The movies are free and popcorn will be provided
at each show.
The screenings begin at noon on Thursday, Sept. 15 with Escuela,
a documentary depicting a 13-year-old migrant farm worker. The film highlights
her struggles to succeed in her first year of high school while her family
makes the journey from her home in Texas to the agricultural fields in California.
The low high school retention rate of the approximate 800,000 migrant students
in the United States is the underlying theme of the film.
The series continues on Wednesday, Oct. 12 with Freedom to Marry, a
documentary about the events on Feb. 12, 2004 when Mayor Gavin Newsom permitted
the marriage of gay and lesbian couples at San Francisco City Hall. The film
is filled with insight and opinions about the controversial topic of homosexual
marriage from those who were present that day, members of the gay and lesbian
community, and others.
The third movie installment is Girl Wrestler on
Tuesday, Nov. 15. The
documentary follows a 13-year-old junior high wrestler Tara Neal, in her final
year of eligibility for the sport. Under Texas law, girls may not wrestle boys
once in high school and because of the lack of other girl wrestlers her opportunity
to wrestle will decrease dramatically. The film focuses on contemporary views
of gender roles and society's outlook on masculinity, femininity and sports.
The conclusion of the series will be on Wednesday, Dec.
7 with Maggie
Growls, the story of the founder of the senior advocacy organization
the Gray Panthers. After enduring a forced retirement in 1970, Maggie Kuhn
created the organization which lobbies for seniors' rights and helped repeal
several senior retirement laws. The film uses the Gray Panthers movement
as a catalyst for asserting its political influence in an attempt to reverse
the social scrutiny of aging.
