The Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program at Boston University announces the annual Sarah Joanne Davis Scholarship Award competition. This award will be given to a Women’s,. Gender, & Sexuality Studies minor who has made a significant contribution by either writing a paper (10-15 pages, double spaced) in one of her WGS courses, or to her community through activism, leadership, artistic creation, publication, political engagement, or other initiatives. Submit your WGS course paper, or your project, including artworks, publications, letters, etc.
Deadline is for April 2, 2012 for the 2011 – 2012 Academic Year. Papers or project descriptions should be submitted to the WGS office at 704 Comm. Ave., Suite 101 or online.
Please note: Only declared female Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Minors are eligible for the award. For further information contact Diane Balser dbalser@bu.edu or Barbara Gottfried gotfried@bu.edu
2010 – 2011 Sarah Joanne Davis Scholarship Recipient
Lisa Dukart, Sarah Joanne Davis Award Recipient, wrote “activism and awareness come in many forms, but for me, writing has always been the best way to get my message across.” Lisa has used her writing to draw 
attention to the lives of women here and abroad, to explore problems and potential solutions, and to celebrate women who have accomplished great things. Her writings in the BU Quad, an independent online magazine run by BU students, have tackled microfinance in Ghana, the unequal respect and attention given to women athletes, women in Afghanistan, and the representation of women in the media, among other topics. In some of her pieces, Lisa has covered events sponsored by the Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program, and her reporting has been not only accurate, but illuminating.
SJD Ceremony
Left to Right: WGS Professor Diane Balser, Associate Dean Susan Jackson, SJD Recipient Jess Bartlett, WGS Program Director Deborah Belle, Lorna Forecast (Sarah Joanne Davis’s Sister), WGS Professor Barbara Gottfried, and WGS Professor Carrie Preston
Jess Bartlett, Sarah Joanne Davis Recipient, herself puts it, “we must take our insights with us when we leave the classroom and live them out in our daily lives. We must talk to the people closest to us (and the ones who aren’t, too) about our work. We have to have the courage to speak up against sexism and homophobia, and the patience to explain.” Jessie has been an active board member of the Women’s Resource Center and co-founder in the Fall of 2010 of Q, a queer activist collective that holds weekly discussions and supports a local high school’s gay – straight alliance.
2009 2010 Recipients
Lolly Spindler, Hispanic Language and Literatures
“The Boston University Women’s Resource Center Lending Library: A History”
Jackie Catcher, Political Science,
Project: Teen Voice, Inc. Editorial Mentor Editorial Assistant
Finalists:
Karen Choucrallah, Communication,
Performance Piece ‘The Mouse’
Marisa Proto, English,
‘Can Criticism Ever Become Activism?: “Feminism and intersectionality” Panel Summary and Reflection’
Brianna Reed, Philosophy,
‘Emerge MA’
Sarah Joanne Davis Recipients and Finalists: (L to R) Marisa Proto, Lolly Spindler, Jackie Catcher & Karen Choucrallah, not pictured Brianna Reed.
In the spring of 2010, we organized a party for our 5 finalists and invited Ms. Lana Forecast, the late Sarah Joanne Davis’ sister (below 2nd from right). Ms. Forecast brought her daughter and a friend along and said a few words about her late sister. The two winners were: Lolly Spindler whose paper explained initiating and creating a comprehensive library for the Boston University Women’s Resource Center, and Jackie Catcher, whose paper reviewed her accomplishments as an Editorial Assistant and Editorial Mentoring for Teen Voices Magazine. The three runner ups for the SJD Award included: Marisa Proto, Karen Choucrallah, and Brianna Reed.
