Geena Davis joins Andrews Institute to raise awareness of media images of women/girls
Kim Chaudoin |
Andrews Institute to announce new leadership initiative for women and girls at May 24 event at Lipscomb University
Former FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate to moderate panel of top Nashville female media executives
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and Lipscomb University’s Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership will host “A League of Their Own,” May 24 on the Lipscomb campus. Proceeds from the event will benefit Davis’ institute, the only research-based organization of its kind working within the media and entertainment industry and the Andrews Institute’s collaboration with Geena Davis and Nashville Public Television (NPT) for a new Citizen Leadership Academy for women and girls.
The Andrews Institute’s new leadership initiative for women and girls is a partnership with NPT and its Women and Girls Lead series, a multi-year public media initiative to focus, educate and connect citizens worldwide in support of the issues facing women and girls. The curriculum will also incorporate the research of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
“I’m thrilled to lend my voice to the ‘Women and Girls Lead’ campaign,” said Davis. “Women and girls are grossly misrepresented in our media. The powerful stories told by the documentary films included this campaign amplify the voices of women and girls, and bring visibility and value to their lives."
“We are honored to partner with Geena Davis and NPT as we prepare the next generation of leaders,” said Linda Peek Schacht, Andrews Institute executive director. “A Citizen Leadership Academy that focuses on women and girls will bring generations together for unique, spirited discussion on these critical issues. It’s also my hope that mothers and daughters will participate together.”
Presenting sponsors for “A League of Their Own” are the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA).
Davis, Academy Award® winning actor and advocate, will make her first visit to Nashville as she helps celebrate women and girls in Middle Tennessee. The day’s events mark the 20th anniversary of A League of Their Own, a film starring Davis that tells the story of two sisters who join the first female professional baseball league during World War II.
Davis will meet and address guests at a luncheon and will participate in a panel discussion featuring the women who lead many of Nashville’s media companies. Former FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, who co-chairs the Healthy MEdia Commission with Davis, will moderate the panel that includes Davis; Beth Curley, president and CEO, NPT; Kate Herman, president and publisher, Nashville Business Journal; Carol Hudler, president and publisher, The Tennessean; Deb McDermott, president, Young Broadcasting, LLC; Debbie Turner, president and general manager News Channel 5 Network; and Doreen Wade, vice president and general manager of WSMV.
Tate said that with media being a pervasive force in society today, it is important for young people to be savvy consumers.
“Through efforts like the Healthy MEdia Commission, we hope to encourage more content producers to create positive, inspirational and healthy messages as well as to empower girls and women to take control of their remotes and vote with their pocket book. In addition to portrayals on screen, I am also interested in increasing the numbers of women behind the camera, in production and in the boardroom. I believe we can truly make a difference not only in our girls’ lives but in the composition of corporate America and the political landscape of our country,” said Tate.
The day’s activities will conclude with Davis introducing a special screening of A League of Their Own for Nashville-area girls.
Seating is limited. Tickets for the luncheon and panel discussion, which begin at 11 a.m. in Lipscomb Ezell Center, are $100. Patron tickets are available for $500 and include the luncheon and panel discussion as well as a private coffee with Davis. Proceeds benefit the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and the Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership. For reservations, call the Andrews Institute at 615.966.6155 or register online a www.lipscomb.edu/civicleadership.
About the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
Founded in 2004 by Academy Award®-winning actor and advocate Geena Davis, the Institute and its programming arm, See Jane, are at the forefront of changing female portrayals and gender stereotypes in children's media and entertainment. The Institute is uniquely positioned to spotlight gender inequalities at every media and entertainment company through cutting-edge research, education, training, strategic guidance and advocacy programs. Its mission is to work within the entertainment industry to dramatically alter how girls and women are reflected in media. For more information about the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media click here.
About the Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership
Founded in October 2010 to build on the legacy of Nashville leader Nelson Andrews, the Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership engages emerging and current leaders in programs to promote and showcase private, public and nonprofit leaders working together for the common good. Its programs, including Citizen Leadership Academies, leadership programming for women through Nashville’s CABLE and a master’s in Civic Leadership, provide for the study and practice of this collaborative model are based on the belief that civic leaders can be developed to intentionally create great communities.
About Nashville Public Television
Nashville Public Television is available free and over the air to nearly 2.4 million people throughout the Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky viewing area, and is watched by more than 600,000 households every week. The mission of NPT is to provide, through the power of traditional television and interactive telecommunications, high quality educational, cultural and civic experiences that address issues and concerns of the people of the Nashville region, and which thereby help improve the lives of those we serve.