Oct. 13, 2006 -- Arkansas State University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences will present the second annual Senator Hattie Caraway Days. This year's events will be held Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 23-24, in the ASU Student Union auditorium.

The theme is "Southern Women: Political Action/Public Service." Caraway, a long-time Jonesboro resident, was the first woman to be elected to the United States Senate, serving from 1932 through 1945. The event is free and open to the public.

On Monday, Oct. 23, three documentaries will be shown in rotation from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. The films include "At the River I Stand" and "Hoxie," documentaries about the civil rights movement produced in part by University of Memphis filmmaker and author, Allison Graham, who was associate producer and director. There will also be a documentary featuring Margaret Block, a "freedom singer" from Cleveland, Miss.

On Tuesday, Oct. 24, the day begins at 9 a.m. with an introduction and reading from Caraway’s work by Dr. Nancy Hendricks of ASU. Several panels will be featured throughout the day beginning at 9:30 a.m. with "Southern Women and Documentary: Voices for Social Justice" with panelists including Graham and Block along with Dr. Lillie Fears of the ASU College of Communications, William Rowe of the Art Department, and John Gibson, doctoral candidate in Heritage Studies.

A session on Southern women and political action features Dr. Betty Koed, U.S. Senate Historian; ASU Student Government Association president Tiffny Frazier, and ASU faculty members Dr. Fiona Miller of Political Science, Dr. Jeanine Weekes Schroer from English and Philosophy, and Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch of the History Department.

Participants in a panel on women and non-profit public service include Sister Elaine of the Holy Angels Olivetan Benedictine Convent who works with the Hispanic community through Hispanic Community Services, Inc.; Faye Cox, director of Discovery House, a new non-profit organization empowering women to help themselves; Janie Hipp, University of Arkansas agricultural law and natural resources public policy specialist, and Rebecca Mathews, ASU Department of Nursing.

The final session, "Hattie Wyatt Caraway: Memory, Legend and Legacy," features local townspeople, historians, archivists and others who remember Sen. Caraway or have preserved some aspect of her legacy as a Southern woman, politician and public servant. The day will close with a reception featuring local musician Ashley McBryde.

Shuttle service will be provided between the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library and the ASU Student Union. For additional information, contact Dr. Ruth Owens of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at 972-3973 (rsupko@astate.edu).

Contact: Dr. Ruth Owens
Phone: 870-972-3973
rsupko@astate.edu