signed up in the first hour. The Philippines’ vice president Jejomar Binay also is using our documentary to educate law enforcement nationwide on what to look for; and the Department of Education is considering making “The Fighters” mandatory viewing for all secondary school students across the country. Additionally, more than a dozen U.S. universities have asked the film’s star, Flores-Oebanda, to speak to their students this year. The best thing I’ve discovered is that while slavery is a very complex issue, that’s a huge opportunity for those of us fighting it. Like any complicated machine, just a few broken parts can really mess it up; so whatever your job or your cause is, chances are it can help eliminate slavery. Whether you campaign for clean water or against hunger, mentor children, fight for women’s rights, or support microfinance groups, congratulations: you’re an abolitionist. You don’t have to wear paper beads or flip-flops made of recycled tires, either. The abolitionist group Not for Sale has a great phone app that can help you see how brands score on human rights
Nicole File during a recent visit to Kolkata with a street girl who takes care of her younger brother and sister. The children “live” just a few blocks from Kolkata’s main red-light district. Photo courtesy of the author.
issues. Duchess Catherine of Cambridge, for example, has worn labels such as Beulah London and Stella McCartney, which support victims of sex trafficking and other forms of violence. As women, we’re already driving the abolitionist movement, and plenty of opportunities exist for most of us to do even more. After several years of involvement with this issue, I’m more convinced than ever that slavery can become the historical wrongdoing many people already assume it is.
Gender, Films and Feminism American feminist film critic and author Molly Haskell ’61 visited campus in November to talk about “Gender, Films and Feminism.” Haskell recounted a career that included such highlights as having her own “ ‘Mad Men’ experience” working in the French Film Office in the 1960s and writing for The Village Voice, New York magazine and Vogue. Her books include the influential “From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies,” which was first authored in 1974 and revised and reissued in 1987. Her latest book, “My Brother, My Sister,” is a memoir about her brother’s transition from male to female. “The story is one of transformation — for my brother and for me,” said Haskell, who credited the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts for providing an ideal setting to complete her book. In addition to her writing duties, Haskell has served as a member of the selection committee for the New York Film Festival and was the artistic director of the Sarasota French Film Festival for seven years. Her many honors include a 2010 fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Athena Film Festival Award from the Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College in 2013. In 1993, she was named Sweet Briar’s Distinguished Alumna.
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