Femicide at Our US Border: To Be a Woman in Juarez is a Death Sentence
Human Rights Research Network
(Brochure at: http://www.uncg.edu/aas/lectureseries/brochure2010.pdf)
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 7:00 pm, EUC Auditorium
Keynote Speaker: Barbara Martinez Jitner Filmmaker and Human Rights
Activist
The Sociology Department's Harriet Elliott Lecture Series will begin
in three weeks. Our theme is "Women and Conflict". Our keynote speaker
is Barbara Martinez Jitner. The title of her talk is "Femicide at Our
US Border: To Be a Woman in Juarez is a Death sentence". Our second
day panel speakers include Dr. Linda Burton (Duke), Dr. Kim
Blankenship (Duke) and our own UNCG Chancellor Linda Brady.
About Barbara Martinez Jitner
Human rights activist, writer, and director, Barbara Martinez Jitner
is the inspiration behind the 2008 Jennifer Lopez film Bordertown
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tikIenRQ_K8). The film is based on her
research of the Mexican town of Juarez, which is notorious for the
murders of over 400 women. Martinez Jitner posed as a factory worker
on the U.S./Mexico border in order to uncover a dark world of grueling
poverty and sexual abuse.
Diversity speaker Barbara Martinez Jitner began her career as an award-
winning director of commercials and documentaries, and produced the
Showtime millennium documentary, An American Tapestry. Martinez Jitner
was also a producer of the Emmy nominated American Family. The show
made history as the first Latino family drama on broadcast television
when it debuted on PBS in January 2002. Working with series creator
and Academy Award nominee Gregory Nava as one of the few Latina
Supervising Producers on a network series, Martinez Jitner wrote the
PBS premiere episode that garnered unanimous critical acclaim, and was
quickly promoted to Executive Producer. She went on to write 9 and
direct 7 of the show's first 22 episodes. Now President of El Norte
Productions, Martinez Jitner is currently developing several feature
films for Gregory Nava, including Zapata for Disney, and Tattooed
Soldier for HBO.
Thursday, March 25th, 2010, - 9 am to noon
Location: Virginia Dare Room - Reserved
Dr. Linda Burton: Duke, Dept of Sociology
"Journeys to the Altar: Intimate Unions and Childbearing Among Low
- Income Urban and Rural Mothers"
Dr. Kim Blakenship: Duke, Global Health Studies Program
"Inside and Out: Women, the 'War on Drugs,' and HIV."
Dr. Linda Brady: Chancellor, UNCG.
"Women and Conflict Resolution: The Right Skills for These Difficult
Times"
Timeline/Plan
Schedule for Thursday
Time Event
9:00-9:10 Dr. Linda Burton: introduction
9:10-9:40 Dr. Linda Burton: presentation
9:40- 9:50 Dr. Linda Burton: Q & A
9:50-10:00 Dr. Kim Blakenship: introduction
10:00-10:30 Dr. Kim Blakenship: presentation
10:30-10:40 Dr. Kim Blakenship: Q & A
10:40-11:00 Break (Classes end/begin & Coffee)
11:00-11:05 Dr. Linda Brady: introduction
11:05-11:35 Dr. Linda Brady: presentation
11:35-11:45 Dr. Linda Brady: Q & A
11:45-12:00 Conclusion