BOONE—A series of events with the common theme of reproductive justice will be presented in March and April as part of Women’s History Month at Appalachian State University.

The programs are sponsored by the university’s Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies Program. All events are free and open to the public.

“Made in India: A Film about Surrogacy” will be shown March 5 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 114 Belk Library and Information Commons. Dr. Sushmita Chatterjee, assistant professor of gender, women’s, gender and sexuality studies in the Department of Cultural, Gender and Global Studies, will facilitate discussion of the film. The event is cosponsored by the university library.

A panel presentation and discussion titled “Midwives, Reproductive Justice, and Women’s Health Care in Underrepresented Communities” will be held March 26 at 6 p.m. in Room 114 Belk Library and Information Commons.

Kirsten Jorgenson, faculty affiliate of gender, women’s and sexuality studies and a lecturer in the Department of English, will serve as moderator.

Panelists are certified midwife Carrington Pertalion, CNM; Elizabeth Fiske, Ph.D., RN, NNP-BC, and assistant professor of nursing at Appalachian; Park Cannon, J.D. and M.P.H and SisterSong board member; LaShanda Brown Sell, a Ph.D. student in nursing at the University of Virginia; and Annemarie Anglim, B.A. in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian and a current student at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The lecture “Childbirth in Historical Perspective: Midwives and Modern Medicine” will be presented by Dr. Lucinda McCray, faculty affiliate in women’s, gender and sexuality studies and professor of history at Appalachian. Her lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. April 9 in room 137A Calloway Peak Room in Plemmons Student Union.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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