Kathleen Hanna was the lead singer of the influential 90s punk band Bikini Kill and the more recent, highly acclaimed multimedia group LeTigre. She was the pivotal figure of "Riot Grrl," the feminist music movement that took place between 1990 and 1996.
Rinku Sen
Rinku Sen is the President and Executive Director of the Applied Research Center (ARC) and Publisher of Colorlines magazine. She weaves together journalism with her extensive experience in community organizing to further social change. Sen has written extensively about immigration, community organizing and women's lives for a wide variety of publications. Her latest book, "The Accidental American: Immigration and Citizenship in the Age of Globalization" won the Nautilus Book Award Silver Medal.
Amber Madison
 America's teenagers and young adults want the straight talk about sex. Amber Madison, author of "Hooking Up: A Girl's All-out Guide to Sex & Sexuality" gives them what they want in simple non-clinical language. Madison also addresses parents in her new book "Talking Sex with Your Kids," which explains how parents can have productive conversations about sex with their kids.
 Could the food you eat or the floors you walk on be toxic? Praised as "the new Rachel Carson" for her groundbreaking book "Living Downstream," Steingraber raises awareness of how toxins all around us adversely affect our health. She takes a personal and scientific look at the ecological links to cancer and other medical problems, and offers insight into how we can protect our environment and ourselves. Her new documentary Living Downstream, based on her highly-acclaimed book, was released in early 2010. [Photo Credit: Dede Hatch]
Stephanie Coontz
 Stephanie Coontz addresses contemporary debates about the nature of marriage, the diversity of family life and structure, and issues of work and family in the 21st century. One of the most widely quoted researchers on family issues in America today, and the author of six books on family history and sociology, Coontz draws on history, facts, figures, and anecdotes to challenge our most cherished myths about the past and future of marriage, parenting and family relations.
Kate Clinton is a faith-based, tax-paying, America-loving political humorist and family entertainer. Clinton uses humor as a force for social change and has been performing nationwide for 28 years. Her "standup" lecture reviews theories of contemporary comedy, debunks the premature report of the death of irony, and reveals the secret human longing for the wild ride of smart, challenging humor. Oh, and it entertains you. Really entertains you.
Elizabeth Arndorfer, former director of NARAL Pro-Choice America's Proactive Policy Institute, debates Mary Hallan-FioRito, a Chicago-area attorney involved with the pro-life movement for more than 20 years. Two eloquent and informed presenters, who believe strongly in their positions, ensuring a powerful presentation.
 Chan stars in the one woman play "Unbinding Our Lives" which shatters the exotic, subservient, “China doll” image. In this powerful show Ms. Chan portrays three real Chinese American women from China in the 1800's and their personal stories of being sold into child slavery, prostitution, and abandonment. An unforgettable look at forgotten history.
 Camille Cooper’s powerful multi-media presentation, “Discover the Truth,” addresses issues of women in Hollywood and how the media portrays the “perfect American girl”. She delivers a unique, humorous, and insightful look at a media industry obsessed with thinness and beauty. Ms. Cooper has worked professionally in film and television.
 Costa wears many hats: she is a security engineer, a practicing Buddhist, a theater producer, a playwright and a trans-woman. Cheryl crossed the boundary of gender when she transitioned from male to female in the mid nineteen-eighties. In her presentation she discusses the differences between “Sex” and “Gender” and her personal journey through life with courage, conviction, and healthy dose of humor.
 Once marginalized, pornography has now become a central part of our cultural landscape, with its idealized, mass produced images of women, men and sex seeping into our identities, body image, and relationships. In thispowerful multi-media presentation, Dr. Gail Dines explores how gender is shaped by a consumer-driven culture, and the ways the public images we consume on a daily basis spill over into our most private worlds. Her new book "PORNLAND: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality" is set to be released in spring 2010.
|
|
 Founder of the popular website Feministing.com, Valenti is author of the recently released "The Purity Myth," as well as "Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters," "She's a Slut, He's a Stud and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know," and "Yes Means Yes." Valenti is a seasoned activist for women's rights and presents a fresh vision of feminism that debunks the myths and focuses on the future.
 Samhita Mukhopadhyay is an activist, writer, technologist, and the new executive editor of Feministing.com. Her work has appeared in
Colorlines, The Nation and The American Prospect, and she is currently completing a book on
the dating and romance industry. Mukhopadhyay is a popular panelist and guest speaker on the intersection of race and gender.
 Dr. Reagon is a Freedom Singer who highlights her forty year journey as a cultural activist, scholar and artist. Founder of 'Sweet Honey In the Rock,' she renders her passionate convictions in a moving and memorable mixture of song and spoken word, drawing on the life stories of 19th and 20th century African American women whose struggles for freedom guide her in this moving presentation.
 Media critic, American Studies professor, and author of "Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media," Susan Douglas reveals how television and advertising target images of women. Her newest book is "Enlightened Sexism," which chronicles the gap between images of women in the media and the everyday lives of women.
 An award winning journalist and former Washington Post reporter, Patrice Gaines works to empower girls and young women at risk, drawing from the heart of her experiences on the streets and in prison. She is the co-founder of Brown Angel Center, seeking to provide formerly incarcerated women and their families with the tools to renew their lives. Gaines is author of Laughing in the Dark and Moments of Grace: Meeting the Challenge to Change.
 A world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator, and one of the most widely read American poets, Giovanni remains as determined and committed as ever to the fight for civil rights and equality. Her focus is on the individual, specifically, on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others.
 Four decades ago, a small group of women in Boston decided that it was time for women to take back control of their health care, their treatment options, their bodies . and they produced the classic book "Our Bodies, Ourselves." Norsigian, a member of that group and now it's Executive Director, continues to lead the revolution in women's healthcare.
 An internationally recognized writer, editor and speaker about issues affecting girls and women, Orenstein discusses the issues facing young girls today ("Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem and the Confidence Gap"), to her own journey towards motherhood ("Waiting For Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, an Atomic Bomb, a Romantic Night and One Woman's Quest to Become a Mother"). With richly textured narrative and a journalist’s eye for detail, Orenstein discusses the challenges for all women and girls in the so-called "post-feminist" 21st century.
 Vaid is an attorney and community organizer, and the author of the award-winning analysis of the gay rights movement entitled Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay & Lesbian Liberation. Formerly Director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's Policy Institute, she remains committed to community-based change through strategic thinking and coalition building.
 Angela Shelton is an activist, artist, actress, writer, model, dancer, and director. She is best known for her stirring documentary Finding Angela Shelton, which takes an honest look at abuse of all genders and ages and types. Shelton is committed to inspiring and empowering survivors of abuse to heal and lead joyful lives.
Norma Ramos
Norma Ramos is a longstanding public interest attorney and social justice activist. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, which is the first organization to fight against human trafficking internationally, now in its twenty-first year.
 MacArthur Fellow Lateefah Simon is part of a new wave of African American civil rights and community leaders. She is the Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. Ms. Simon has advocated tirelessly on behalf of communities of color, youth and women since her teenage years. She made O Magazine's first ever Power List in 2009 and was recognized with a Lifetime TV Remarkable Women Award.
|
