WORD! Poetry Series and V-Day 2010

Word Poetry Series was a blast! Check out some of the action:

Above: Monica and Yan Yin reciting a monologue.

Above: Denisse Mendez, Co-Director for Vagina Monologues

Above: Vagina Warrior!

Above: Poetry!

Above: The Muffin eating contest!!!

SJSU Students Present "The Vagina Monologues"

SJSU Women’s Resource Center One Washington Square San José, CA 95192-0161

Contact: Fiza Najeeb or Bonnie Sugiyama Phone: 408.924.6500 Email: sjsuvday@gmail.com http://www.sjsu.edu/wrc

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 27, 2010

SJSU Students Present: A Benefit Production of the Award Winning Play, “The Vagina Monologues”

San José, CA – San Jose State University students will hit center stage dressed in hot pink and black, ready to spread awareness about violence and abuse toward women and girls through their production of Eve Ensler’s, “The Vagina Monologues.”

“The Vagina Monologues” celebrate the global movement of V-Day, which strives to empower women to find their collective voices and demand an end to the violence. SJSU students are joining this global movement as part of the V-Day 2010 College Campaign.

“The pieces preformed in the ‘Vagina Monologues’ have been collected by Eve Ensler from women around the world celebrating their femininity. Participating in the production, whether it is in the audience or on stage, is an incredibly powerful experience,” says campaign coordinator Fiza Najeeb.

The benefit production will premiere at Morris Dailey Auditorium Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. The play will continue Friday, March 5 at 5:00 p.m. and again at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for the event are $8 for students and $10 for general admission. For ticket information please call 800-745-3000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.

The proceeds will benefit women and children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as local non-profit organizations such as the YWCA and the Asian Women’s Home, whose programming supports survivors of violence and work toward the ending of violence against women and girls.

This year’s theme is "Building the City of Joy,” a movement focused on empowering women and children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The City of Joy is a literal place, a pastoral community in Bukavu, DRC, where women survivors of gender violence will be supported, healed and trained to be the next leaders of the DRC; it is also a concept, a decision, a movement to end violence against women and girls.

For more information about this event call 408-924-6500 or visit www.sjsu.edu/wrc or email sjsuwrc@gmail.com.

# # #

Sexual Violence In the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is formally over, but women and girls remain targets for violence. Physical and economic insecurity still characterize the lives of women and girls. All armed groups involved in the conflict have perpetrated sexual violence. Today, several armed groups still use sexual violence as a weapon of war in the DRC. The armed actors in the DRC have perpetrated gender-based violence through various forms, including sexual slavery, kidnapping, forced recruitment, forced prostitution, and rape. The Congolese victims of sexual violence include men and boys, who have also suffered rape, sexual humiliation, and genital mutilation. (Source: http://www.vday.org/drcongo/background)

About V-DAY

V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues. V-Day strives to empower women to find their collective voices and demand an end to the violence that affects one in three women in the U.S. and around the world. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org

First Vagina Monologue Rehearsal!

Super exciting 1st Vagina Monologue rehearsal yesterday! From vagina lollipops to getting an opportunity to rehearse in small groups, the evening was filled with a positive energy of exciting, brilliant, devoted vagina warriors at the Women’s Resource Center!

Rehearsals in small groups allowed for a deeper understanding of each other, and this is important because all of the womyn in the vagina monologues this year are so diverse! It was great to hear and learn from the different experiences each one of these womyn had to share. Some have been involved in Vagina Monologues before for some it’s their very first time, but weather it’s their second time or first time one thing is for certain, all of these womyn want to make a difference by creating awareness and ending violence against womyn and girls!

It’s so exciting to be at a campus where students want to get involved and support productions like this. Believe it or not there are campuses that have campaigns against productions like Vagina Monologues! Yes you read that right: campuses that are against creating awareness to end violence against womyn. There are currently several catholic groups that go after catholic institutions or colleges that support v-day. The way they shut down productions or any support of v-day is by contacting some of the institutions financial supporters and then asking them to threaten to withdraw financial support if they continue to organize. This is insane! What is even more upsetting is that these catholic groups are offering these people misleading information about the mission of v-day. It’s a good thing that San Jose State University is putting on The Vagina Monologues. If other colleges do not support productions like The Vagina Monologues at least their students can come here and join us in ending violence against womyn and girls.

Thanks to all of the vagina warriors!

If you would like to know how to get involved with the Vagina Monologues please contact Fiza Najeeb @ sjsuvday@gmail.com