Keynote address given for St. Mary’s College conference

By: Alicia Smith

Women’s political roles have been elevated following Hillary Clinton’s historic primary run, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, the president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C., said Friday at the Diverse Students’ Leadership Conference held on Saint Mary’s campus.

Malveaux was the keynote speaker at the three-day conference in March, which included workshops on issues of class, politics of difference, feminism, sexual orientation and cultural and religious diversity.

“We’re living in an extraordinary moment, where we have seen women’s leadership in fascinating ways, and have had the opportunity to understand that women in politics will never be seen the same way again,” Malveaux said.

Although Hillary Clinton made great strides for women in politics, she said, women have still not succeeded fully, and need to continue to work towards equality between women and men in politics.

“We still don’t have a woman as president of the United Sates, and it will be some time, I think, before we do,” Malveaux said. “Still we have this role model, and this opportunity to think about the way that we can rethink gender stereotypes.”

She discussed how gender stereotypes degrade women, and how women allow them to do so.

“How we use these gender stereotypes to talk about a woman, who was at the pinnacle of her game, a senator from New York who has been distinguished and accomplished, who remained the last one standing in a whirlwind race against the eventual winner, Barack Obama,” she said.

Malveaux urged women to be more aggressive and to not allow the use of gender stereotypes. She pointed out that men’s attire is rarely noticed in politics, but when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was running for the vice presidency with Sen. John McCain, the media constantly held discourse over her apparel.

“When you talk about men you very rarely describe what they have on. A man is just there,” she said. “We pay a lot more attention to women’s attire than men’s attire.”

To read more of Alicia Smith’s article, click here. 

Dr. Julianne Malveaux gave the closing keynote address, “Women and Leadership- Diversity in the 21st Century.” Malveaux is the president of Bennett College for Women, as well as an economist, author and editor. She appeared recently in CNN’s Black in America documentary series. The piece Black in America: The Black Woman & Family explored the varied experiences of black women and families and the reasons behind the disturbing statistics on single parenthood, disparities between black and white students in the classroom and the devastating toll of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in black communities.

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 major areas of study. The College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the nation’s top liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.