Milena Govich a Rising Star

Oklahoman Milena Govich is going to replace Dennis Farina on Law & Order this coming season. Previous work has been on the televisions series Rescue Me and Conviction plus stage performances. Click here to read her bio.

Play About Te Ata to Premiere at USAO

A full length play with music based on the life of Te Ata (Mary Thompson, later Mrs. Clyde Fisher) will have its world premiere on August 5 in the Te Ata Memorial Auditorium on the campus of the University of Science and Arts in Chickasha, Oklahoma. In 1987, Te Ata (1895-1995) became the first person ever declared an "Oklahoma Treasure."

To watch a short video and learn more about Te Ata, this exciting new play and how to purchase tickets for performances August 5-13, click here or call 405-574-1213. To read a short biography of Te Ata at the Chickasaw Nation's website, click here or on the Oklahoma Women website, click here.

Fannie Lou, Rosa, Coretta Voting Rights Act Renewed by House

On July 13, the US House of Representatives not only (finally) renewed the Voting Rights Act (H.R. 9) but renamed it “The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006.” 390 members voted "Aye," 33 voted "Nay" and 9 members did not vote. All 33 who voted "Nay" were Republicans -- mostly from Southern and border states. Blessedly, all 5 Oklahoma Congressmen managed to vote "Aye." For more, click here.

3 Women Make “50 Most Powerful” List

FRIDAY, the newspaper of Nichols Hills, has issued its annual list of the 50 most powerful Oklahomans. A list is sent to 250 statewide leaders (not themselves on the list) who are asked to select the 50 they consider most powerful. Individuals can also be written in. I suspect the vast majority of the voters are men who live in Central Oklahoma and are Republican. Of the 50 selected this year, there may be one or two who can claim some Native American blood but there are no blacks or Hispanics and only 3 women – Christy Everest, Mary Fallin and Kathy Taylor. To view the list of 50, click here.

Status of Women in Oklahoma

Oklahoma ranks near the bottom according to a recent study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. One in five women in Oklahoma has no health insurance. One third of Oklahoma's single mothers live below the poverty line. Click here to purchase a copy of The Status of Women In Oklahoma.

Emmy Nominations for Mullally & Woodard

Two women actors with Oklahoma ties -- Megan Mullally of “Will and Grace” and Tulsa native Alfre Woodard of “Desperate Housewives” -- have received Emmy nominations this year.

S i l e n c e

a poem by Anasuya Sengupta

Too many women in too many countries
speak the same language of silence.
My grandmother was always silent, always aggrieved
Only her husband had the cosmic right (or so it was said)
to speak and be heard.
They say it is different now.
(After all, I am always vocal and my grandmother
thinks I talk too much)
But sometimes I wonder.
When a woman shares her thoughts, as some women do,
graciously, it is allowed.
When a woman fights for power, as all women would like
to, quietly or loudly, it is questioned.
And yet, there must be freedom — if we are to speak
And yes, there must be power — if we are to be heard.
And when we have both (freedom and power) let us now be understood.
We seek only to give words to those who cannot speak
(too many women in too many countries)
I seek to forget the sorrows of my grandmother's silence.

Jennifer Paustenbaugh Chairs Commission

Dr. Jennifer Paustenbaugh is the new chair of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. More>>>

Commission on the Status of Women: New Officers

Officers for the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women for the coming year are:

Chair: Jennifer Paustenbaugh
Vice Chair: Catherine Haynes
Secretary: Lou Kohlman
Nominating Committee: Mary Walker and Anita Norman

The Chair of the Advisory Council will be Jilda Motley.