Tulsan Majick RavenHawk Named "Women in Business Champion of the Year"

The Oklahoma District office of the US Small Business Administration has named Majick RavenHawk their 2011 "Women in Business Champion of the Year."  She has had a talk radio show since 2009 on Contact Talk Radio.  She has a PhD in religious studies and metaphysics. Check out her show schedule and more at her RavenHawk Talk Radio website. She and other honorees will be recognized at the Oklahoma SBA annual luncheon  April 21 at the Oklahoma History Center. For details, click here. Congratulations, Majick!

Lisa Thiessen Named 2011 "Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year"

Congratulations to Lisa Thiessen, business development specialist for Southwestern Oklahoma State University's Small Business Development Center in Weatherford. She has been named the SBA "Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year."  She will be honored at the US Small Business Administration's annual banquet on April 21 at the Oklahoma History Center.  Read more here.

Oklahoma City Day Shelter Serves Homeless Women and Children

If you know of a woman who is homeless in Central Oklahoma, send her to  the Sanctuary Women's Development Center in Oklahoma City. Opened in 2009, it is the first of its kind serving homeless or at-risk women. Last year, they served close to 500 women and children. Located at 2133 SW 11th Street, it is a project of Catholic Charities. Call 526-2321. It is open weekdays from 8:30am to 3:30pm. Donations and volunteers are always needed. You can follow them on Facebook. Read more about the service at this Oklahoman article.

Kelsy Eakin is SBA's Oklahoma Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Dottie Overall, The U.S. Small Business Administration Oklahoma District Diretor announced recently that Kelsy Eakin "Oklahoma Young Entrepreneur of the Year."  Eakin is president of Keltec in Tulsa. You can view her company's website here and the article about her company's start. Congratulations, Kelsy!  She will be recognized during the SBA's annual small business luncheon April 21 at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. The luncheon is set to start at 11:30 a.m.

OSU Celebrates Women's History with Oral Histories

Check out the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program (OOHRP) at the Oklahoma State University Library. Explore the following websites:

Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame Oral History Project
http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/owhof/

Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project
http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/wotol/

Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry: Oklahoma Women and the Dust Bowl
http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/dustbowl/

Want to learn more? Call OOHRP at 405-744-7685, email liboh@okstate.edu, or visit http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/.

National Builders Council Honors Okie Woman Vanessa Shadix

The National Association of Home Builders' Professional Women in Building Council has named Vanessa Shadix Woman of the Year for her exceptional leadership. Shadix is a member of the Oklahoma Land Title Association and the Oklahoma Mortgage Bankers Association. Congrats, Vanessa!

April 12 - Come to Women's Day At the Capitol Event

You are invited to attend the Oklahoma Women’s Coalition upcoming event --  Advocacy 2011 -- on Tuesday, April 12. This event focuses on issues affecting women and girls -- and encourages Oklahomans across the state to get involved in legislation impacting women, girls, and families.

Oklahoma ranks first in the nation in child abuse deaths and the number of women incarcerated per capita. The state also has high rates of teen births, divorce, and domestic violence. The Coalition is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that formed in 2008 with more than 500 individual members and more than two dozen organizational members. The mission is to improve the potential of Oklahoma women and girls through education and advocacy. Visit www.oklahomawomenscoalition.org  or call (405) 286-0356 to learn more about the Coalition. Click HERE to learn more about and REGISTER for the event.

WHO:              Sponsored by the Oklahoma Women’s Coalition
                                ->  All are welcome to attend  <-

WHAT:           “Advocate 2011:  Women and Girls Day in Oklahoma”

WHEN:           Tues., April 12, 2011 - 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

                        8 a.m. Registration begins. Jim Thorpe Association, OK City

                        9 a.m. Programs on health, incarceration, violence, more
                                  Tips of talking to legislators about bills

                        Noon - Luncheon

                        1 p.m.  Visit with legislators at the State Capitol

WHERE:         Jim Thorpe Association, 4040 N Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City

WHY:              Learn about the legislative process and issues that impact Oklahoma women and girls.

ALSO: A “Leading Ladies Reception” will be held Monday, April 11, 2011 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center. The reception honors female public officials. Speakers include Journal Record Publisher Mary Melon, Corporation Commissioner Chair Dana Murphy and more!

Event, April 5: Conference for Women Entrepreneurs

Are you a woman business owner? Or a woman who wants to start a business? The Women Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference is for you! This one day event will help you start your business, grow your current venture, and learn how to do business better. This is a rare opportunity to get access to highly successful women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial experts from Oklahoma and across the US. Get answers to the most pressing questions about your business though interactive breakout sessions.

Sessions cover:
• What it’s Like to Start a Venture
• Growing Pains:  What to Do Once Its Up and Running
• Fearless Habits of Business Babes:  Starting a Venture with a Skinny Budget
• Anticipating Legal Needs in the Growing Firm
• Survival and Growth in a Male-Dominated Industry: Lessons Learned

The Women Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference will be held on Tuesday,April 5 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.
Check it out by clicking here: http://bit.ly/euoVXM

Agenda and online registration are online at www.weinspire.net.
Questions? Contact brooke.stuart at okstate.edu or 405.744.7871

Celebrating Perle Mesta

Perle Fried Skirvin Mesta (1890 -1975) - Socialite, hostess, diplomat. Born Sturgis, MO. Combined politics with entertaining. Appointed by President Harry Truman as minister to Luxembourg (1949-1953). Named Oklahoma's "Ambassador to the World" at the 1965 World's Fair. An ardent feminist, Mesta was a member of the National Women's Party and helped start the World Women's Party. In 1944, she was partially responsible for getting an Equal Rights Amendment plank in the Democratic Party platform. Her remarkable entertaining skills were parodied by Irving Berlin in his play "Call Me Madame" thus earning her the title "the Hostess with the Mostess." With Robert Cahn, she published her biography Perle: My Story in 1960; you can read this book online by clicking here. Mesta returned to Oklahoma in 1973 and was posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1997. The Oklahoman ran a lovely article about Mesta in May of 2006 which you can read here.

Event, Sunday, 8pm: Okie Women on "Shark Tank"

At 8pm this Sunday, March 20, Tippi Toes Dance -- a firm with Oklahoma roots -- will pitch to venture capitalists on ABC's reality series "Shark Tank."  Five multi-millionaire business tycoons plus outspoken billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and comedian Jeff Foxworthy listen to investment proposals and decide if they'll bite. Click to watch teaser of this show!

Tippi Toes founders, corporate owners, and sisters Sarah Nuse and Megan Reilly are native Tulsans. They currently live out of state but their parents still live in Oklahoma. There are four other Okie franchise owners -- Mark and Karri Jones (Broken Arrow/Owasso), Brittany Friske (Tulsa) and Tracy Genheimer (OKC/Edmond). The company's mission is "to develop a love of dancing in children by creating a positive experience that promotes healthy living habits, helps build self-confidence, and a love for others."

Rumor has it the PITCH is for funds for a children's TV program; I'll be watching and cheering and hope you'll watch, too.  The girls got moved up from the April 15th episode -- so help spread the word. Visit the Jones' Tippi Toes website and like them on Facebook.

Event, April 25: Black Caucus to Honor OK Senator Judy Eason McIntyre

The members of the Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus will honor the service of outgoing state Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre with a tribute at the 19th Biennial A. C. Hamlin Awards Banquet on April 25. The event will begin with a 6 p.m. reception followed by a 7 p.m. dinner on Monday, April 25 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 Northeast 63rd Street in Oklahoma City. Those wishing to attend the banquet should contact Shumate’s office at (405) 557-7406 or jabarshumate@okhouse.gov for further information. Tickets must be purchased by Monday, April 18.

Source.Oklahoma House of Representatives, Media Division, March 16, 2011

Event, March 18: OKC StorySLAM (open mic)

Here is a fun event in Oklahoma City -- "That's What SHE Said" -- An OKC StorySLAM. It is on Friday, March 18th at 7:00 PM at the Istvan Gallery, 1218 N Western Ave., OKC.

The OKC StorySLAM is an open-mic storytelling event. Anyone can participate as a storyteller or audience member.

To participate as a storyteller, participants must sign up by 7:30. All stories must be 7 minutes or less and must relate to the them of "That's What SHE Said." (Stories about brave and outspoken women).

There is no charge to attend. Content is geared towards a mature audience. They will be using this event to build support for the The Feminist Art Project (Oklahoma City chapter).  You can follow them on Twitter.

Eight Women to be Inducted into Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame

The Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women will honor the eight newest inductees into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame ceremonies on April 7, 2011.

The inductees are Dr. Laura Boyd (Norman); Chloe L. Brown (Tulsa); Joy D. Culbreath (Durant); Marcia J. Mitchell (Tulsa); Ardina R. Moore (Miami); Dr. Cynthia S. Ross (Lawton); Kathryn L. Taylor (Tulsa); and Helen Harrod Thompson (Ardmore). You can view the class of 2011 inductee biographies by clicking here. The official press release is located here. Here are the details of the event:

2011 Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame

Thursday, April 7, 2011
3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Oklahoma History Center
800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105

Ceremony will take place in the Chesapeake Event center, followed by a celebratory reception in the Devon Great Hall.

Okie Woman Blogger: Norman House Love

I just added Misty Landreth's new blog to my Oklahoma Women Bloggers page. Her blog is Norman House Love which is a combination of personal (family stuff) and professional (Norman, OK Realtor). She calls it a "fun quirky blog about real estate and personal adventure." She's been reading blogs awhile but is a newbie as a blogger so visit her blog and leave an encouraging comment!

President Obama's Women's History Month Proclamation

On February 28, 2011, President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation for Women’s History Month, 2011, which began:

During Women's History Month, we reflect on the extraordinary accomplishments of women and honor their role in shaping the course of our Nation's history. Today, women have reached heights their mothers and grandmothers might only have imagined. Women now comprise nearly half of our workforce and the majority of students in our colleges and universities. They scale the skies as astronauts, expand our economy as entrepreneurs and business leaders, and serve our country at the highest levels of government and our Armed Forces. In honor of the pioneering women who came before us, and in recognition of those who will come after us, this month, we recommit to erasing the remaining inequities facing women in our day.

You can read the full proclamation by clicking here.

Mayor Patrice Douglas and Norma Nobles Honored

Congratulations to Edmond Mayor Patrice Douglas and Oklahoma State Deputy Secretary of Commerce Norma Noble on receiving the 2011 Kate Barnard Award. Given by the Oklahoma Commission of the Status of Women, the award was created in 1998 to honor the ranks of women that have made a difference in Oklahoma by becoming public servants. Nominees are from the ranks of elected or appointed salaried public officials in Oklahoma. You can read more about the award and the honorees at http://www.ok.gov/ocsw/The_Kate_Barnard_Award/

Shannon Miller Promotes Early Detection

"Make your health a priority," says Oklahoma's Olympic Gold Medalist Shannon Miller who  - due to a  "germ cell malignancy" - recently had one ovary removed. The most decorated gymnast in US history, an attorney and a busy motivational speaker, Miller focuses on health and fitness for women. Check out her website - Shannon Miller Lifestyle and read an excellent Sports Illustrated article about Shannon entitled "Shannon Miller views own cancer as opportunity to help others." Remember ladies, don't skip that gynocological check up.

Angie Debo Remembered

Remembering remarkable Oklahoma women during National Women's History Month:

Angie Debo (1890-1988) - Raised in Marshall, Oklahoma. Teacher, researcher, scholar. Leading author/scholar on Indian history. Published nine books including And Still The Waters Run: The Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribes. The University of Oklahoma Press, fearing it was too controversial, refused to honor their publishing contract. It was later published by Princeton University Press. Shirley Leckie wrote her biography, Angie Debo: Pioneering Historian (Oklahoma Western Biographies, Vol 18). PBS did a remarkable documentary on Debo entitled Indians, Outlaws, and Angie Debo, that was broadcast in 1988. (Here is how American Experience summarized the show and the woman:

"As a child in 1899, Angie Debo was taken to Oklahoma in a covered wagon. She would become her state's most controversial historian -- her career threatened when she uncovered a cache of documents which proved a widespread conspiracy to cheat Native Americans out of oil-rich lands."

Debo's papers are housed at Oklahoma State Library. Her portrait hangs in the Oklahoma State Capitol. And there is a statue of her in front of the Stillwater Public Library.

If you want to leave a lasting impression, writer. The following list of Debo's writings comes from the Center for Great Plains Studies at University of Nebraska-Lincoln website:

Works by Angie Debo
(For additional information: www.library.okstate.edu/scua/debo.htm)
Dissertation
"History of the Choctaw Nation from the End of the Civil War to the Close of the Tribal Period." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Oklahoma, 1933.
Books
(With J. Fred Rippy) The Historical Background of the American Policy of Isolation. Northhampton, Mass.: Smith College Studies in History, 1924.
The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1934, 2nd edition, 1961.
And Still the Waters Run. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1940; reprint, Gordian Press, 1966; reprint, Princeton University Press, 1972; reprint, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1984.
The Road to Disappearance: A History of the Creek Indians. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1941; reprint 1979.
Tulsa: From Creek Town to Oil Capital. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1943.
Prairie City: The Story of an American Community. New York: Knopf, 1944; reprint, Norman: University Press of Oklahoma, 1998.
Oklahoma: Foot-Loose and Fancy-Free. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1949; reprint 1987.
The Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma: A Report on Social and Economic Conditions. Philadelphia: Indian Rights Association, 1951.
A History of the Indians of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970.
Geronimo: The Man, His Time, His Place. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1976.
Edited Books
Oklahoma: A Guide to the Sooner State, edited by Angie Debo and John M. Oskison, compiled by Writers' Program, Work Projects Administration, State of Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, 1941, 2nd edition, 1945, reprint, 1947; reprint, Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1986.
The Cowman's Southwest: Being the Reminiscences of Oliver Nelson, Freighter, Camp Cook, Cowboy, Frontiersman in Kansas, Indian Territory, Texas, and Oklahoma, 1878-1893, by Oliver Nelson. Edited by Angie Debo. The Western Frontiersman Series, 4. Glendale, Calif.: A.H. Clark Co., 1953; reprint, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1986.
History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indians, by Horatio B. Cushman. Edited with a foreword by Angie Debo. Redlands Press, 1962, reprint, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999.
With Five Reservations, by Dell O'Hara, edited by Angie Debo and Harold H. Leake. Creekside Publications, 1986.
Chapters in Monographs
"Apaches as Southeastern Indians." In Indians of the Lower South: Past and Present, edited by John K. Mahon. Gulf Coast History and Humanities Conference, 1975.
"Edward Everett Dale: The Teacher." In Frontier Historian: The Life and Work of Edward Everett Dale, edited by Arrell M. Gibson. University of Oklahoma Press, 1975.
"Major Indian Record Collections in Oklahoma." In Indian-White Relations: A Persistent Paradox, edited by Jane F. Smith and Robert M. Kvasnicka. Howard University Press, 1976.

Okla's Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault Legislative Day is March 16

The Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault is hosting a Legislative Awareness Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol on March 16, 2011. This event starts at 10:30 am in the 4th Floor Rotunda.  Check their website for details (http://www.ocadvsa.org/) or call (405) 524-0700.

White House Releases Women in America Report

This past week, the Obama Administration released a report entitled Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being. The report, which is the first of its kind since the Kennedy administration released a similar study in 1963, was created in support of the White House Council on Women and Girls. 

The study compiles data from a handful of Federal agencies, and shows that while women have surpassed men at all levels of education, they only earn 75 percent of what similarly educated men earn. 

While the report does not contain surprising news about the status of women, it represents the Obama Administrations commitment to the advancement of women and serves as a comprehensive data source for equal pay advocates.

Source. AAUW eNewsletter 3-6-2011

Also see http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/white-house-issues-report-on-women-in-america/?partner=rss&emc=rss

March 8 is International Women's Day

March 8 is International Women's Day.  Why not celebrate by doing something special that day? Live in Central Oklahoma? Go visit the Oklahoma City headquarters of World Neighbors at 4127 NW 122nd Street (405-752-9700). You'll leave telling all your friends about their remarkable offices and might even purchase something at the very nifty gift shop. Want to do something more concrete? Make a donation to WN's Work of Women program or to the Miriam Kanana Mubichi Foundation  project in Kenya I support through the Seeds of Grace Foundation.

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating 8 March as International Women's Day. The Day is traditionally marked with a message from the Secretary-General. You can click here to read about the history of International Women's day.

Each year this special day has a theme and this year's theme is Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women. This theme applies equally well to low-income single mothers in Oklahoma as it does to the AIDS widows I work with in Central Kenya! Here are just a few themes from prior years:

- 2010: Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all
- 2009: Women and men united to end violence against women and girls
- 2008: Investing in Women and Girls
- 2007: Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls
- 2006: Women in decision-making
- 2005: Gender Equality Beyond 2005: Building a More Secure Future
- 2004: Women and HIV/AIDS
- 2003: Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals
- 2002: Afghan Women Today: Realities and Opportunities
- 2001: Women and Peace: Women Managing Conflicts
- 2000: Women Uniting for Peace
- 1999: World Free of Violence against Women
- 1998: Women and Human Rights
- 1997: Women at the Peace Table
- 1996: Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future
- 1975: First IWD celebrated by the United Nations

March is Women's History Month

Happy Women's History Month. 

Check out http://womenshistorymonth.gov/  for LOTS of great history. 


There is information posted there from the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 


Image is from the Alice Paul Institute

Okie Woman Blogger: "A Nest With A View "+ "2 Birds in a Pod"

Check out Oklahoma woman blogger Robin Thomas' blog A Nest With A View.  Multi-talented people amazing me and Robin is certainly one. She works in the field of medicine but is hugely artistic as well. She also produced the blog 2 Birds In A Pod with her sister Jemellia. You'll enjoy both blogs. I've added them to my Women Bloggers page.

Okie Woman Blogger: Endurance for Education

Cassie Brown is a blogger in Tulsa, OK. She is blogging about her journey to her first marathon and how it is benefiting the students that she teaches. Her project is called "Endurance for Education." Check it out at www.EnduranceforEducation.org or "like" her effort at www.facebook.com/EnduranceforEducation. 

Okie Women Blogger: Not As Sweet As I Used to Be

Sweetie Pie, a lawyer who works for the state of Oklahoma, writes the blog  Not As Sweet As I Used to Be.  Given all the bruhaha over public employee unions and state employees as the latest scapegoat for the lousy economy, you'll find interesting her post entitled "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you."

I have added her blog to my Women Bloggers page (above).  If you know of other blogs written by Oklahoma women not listed on that page, let me know please.

(Thanks, for telling me about this blog, Mark!)

April 5 is Women Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference in OKC

The Riata Center for Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University will host their second annual Women Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference in Oklahoma City at the Cox Convention Center, a one-day event offering opportunities to:

* Get inspired by successful women entrepreneurs from across the country
* Learn tools to help you start and grow a business
* Discover ways to do business better
* Network with other women entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs
* Celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit and harness it for your business success

For more information, see www.weinspire.net