06 April 2023

23S Week 5. Inspiring Women Leaders

The focus talk was made up of contributions from WomenExplore participants describing women who had inspired them.  Click here to hear what they had to say.

Main lecture:  Muna Killingback
Muna Killingback joined the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy with many years of experience advocating for and writing about women's and human rights, peace, and social and economic justice issues.  At CWPPP, she works with the 
Gender, Leadership, and Public Policy graduate programs, oversees communications, and assists with fund development. Formerly at the Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters at UMass Boston, she had previously served as Executive Director of the Cambridge-based nonprofit organization, WomenExplore (formerly Theological Opportunities Program). 

She is a former director of communications for the World YWCA, headquarters of the global women's movement in Geneva, where she had been one of its first-ever Young Women Interns. As a freelance writer and editor, she specialized in the work and communications needs of nonprofit and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including grant writing. She continues to be active in the World YWCA network and is a member of the Executive Committee of the YWCA World Service Council. She has also served on YW Boston's Advocacy Committee and is an appointed member of UMass Boston's Restorative Justice Commission, as well as serving on the McCormack Racial Equity Task Force and the Professional Staff Union's Committee on Racial Equity (CORE). Muna earned a Master's degree in International Relations and a graduate certificate in Human Rights at UMass Boston.  She is currently a fourth-year doctoral student in the Global Governance and Human Security PhD program, also based at UMass Boston's McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies where her research is focused on the feminist peacebuilding work of women's NGOs and faith-based organizations. Muna is also an affiliated faculty member in the UMass Boston human rights minor.

 Muna is a proud Arab-American, the daughter of an immigrant and refugee from the Middle East on her father's side and also has deep roots in rural Pennsylvania on her mother's side. 

Muna also asked a few people to come and each speak very briefly about what inspires them. They are: Julie Kabukanyi, Chanel Fields, Cassandra Porter, and Fernanda Costa.  They are all alumni of the Gender, Leadership, and Public Policy graduate certificate program or the Gender, Leadership, and Public Policy track of the Master of Public Administration program at UMass Boston. 


Thank you everyone for inviting me. It is always a great privilege and honor to be among you again! Sending lots of love to all & so happy you are still going strong. I wish you another strong 50 years of being a safe and thoughtful and inspiring space for women to be their authentic selves.


References:


YWCA (it’s a totally secular organization in the US btw): https://www.ywca.org
If you are interested in peace issues, there is the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) that has chapters in the US. My very favorite US women’s peace organization is Code Pink btw.

Fernanda Costa to Everyone:
So sorry I have to leave soon for a meeting. But loved learning with you all and hope we can stay in touch. https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernanda-oliveira-costa/

There was a really good film about the women peacemakers in Ireland.



No comments:

Post a Comment