Women’s History Month
Mar 2nd, 2010 by andreaharris
March is Women’s History Month and a time to celebrate women who inspire and encourage us. This month is also the 30th anniversary of the National Women’s History Project. Please take a few minutes to view the National Women’s History Project web site. This year’s theme is “2010: Writing Women Back Into History.”
“Beyond Boundaries: Women of Courage” is an ongoing series of portraits that I began several years ago. Each woman was nominated by an acquaintance, friend or family member as a tribute.
A few weeks ago I wrote about the
“Women and Water Rights” exhibition that is currently on view at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, University of Minnesota. Two portraits that I painted as part of my “Women of Courage: Beyond Boundaries” series are featured in the juried exhibition. These women are Wangari Maathai and Sister Dorothy Stang.
My January 10 blog post focused on Wangari Maathai. This is part two, remembering “Sister Dorothy.”
I chose to paint Sister Dorothy Stang’s portrait as one of the environmentalists for my “Eco Heroes” Cool Globe . The more I researched Dorothy Stang, the more humbled I became, and I vowed to add her to my “Women of Courage” series.
Simulatenously David Stang, brother of Dorothy Stang, nominated his sister as a “Woman of Courage.” Thus David and I became connected through the work and inspiration of his sister.
Dorothy Stang was an American missionary (Sister of Notre Dame de Namur) who lived in Brazil and became a naturalized citizen of Brazil. She was an advocate for the rural poor and educated the rural farmers to farm without deforestation– all the while seeking to protect them.
Her voice became a threat to loggers, and ultimately Dorothy Stang was slain for defending the rights of the farmers and the rainforests.
“The death of the forest is the end of our life.” ~ Sister Dorothy Stang
For more about Dorothy Stang, see:
Note: If you have a “Woman of Courage” to nominate, please email her name and why she has inspired you to asharris9@comcast.net. There is no fee attached to this tribute and portrait series.