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NEWS RELEASE

CSUN to Honor the Work of Five Phenomenal Women

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Sept. 7, 2006) -- (NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Sept. 7, 2006) — They are five women who have chosen vastly different paths, but each has touched the lives of thousands of men and women in Los Angeles and around the world.

Visual artist Tina Allen’s work is internationally recognized for its celebration of her African American identity. Professor Elizabeth Berry’s studies on women and women’s rights led to the creation of a Women’s Studies Department at Cal State Northridge. Award-winning Los Angeles Times reporter Patt Morrison’s work has chronicled the lives of Angelenos and shed light on the machinations of local and state politics. Angela Sanbrano, executive director of the Central American Resource Center, has fought for civil rights and justice across the Americas. Congresswoman Maxine Waters has fearlessly tackled controversial issues during her 29 years of public service.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, Cal State Northridge officials will pay tribute to these extraordinary people by giving them the university’s Phenomenal Women Award.

"These women come from a variety of arenas—the arts, academe, journalism, community organizing and politics," said women’s studies professor Marta López-Garza, an organizer of the event. "While they hold careers, they are very similar in terms of their commitment to society and the positive changes they have initiated. We may be honoring them, but in fact they are honoring us by accepting our award because these are five incredible women."

The Seventh Biennial Phenomenal Women Awards ceremony will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Grand Salon of the University Student Union on the east side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. The event includes a reception and silent auction to benefit the Women’s Studies Department.

The Phenomenal Women event raises funds to support the programmatic offerings of the Women’s Studies Department. The money goes to sponsor Women’s History Month events, send students to conferences where they present their research, support student and faculty research and support the Women’s Research and Resource Center, the oldest continuing women’s center in the California State University system.

The award gets its name from Maya Angelou’s poem, "Phenomenal Women," which recognizes the strengths, abilities and integrity of women.

Tina Allen is an internationally recognized sculptor and painter whose works have appeared in galleries throughout the world. Her aesthetic cuts across the spectrum, from symbolic abstractions to the historical body of representational sculptures in which she celebrates her African American identity. Allen’s monumental installation honoring great Americans was presented at the "Best of CBS Sunday Morning." Recognition for her work includes the Medaille d’Excellence from the United Nations and the Dorothy Height and Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Elizabeth Berry received her B.A. from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. from UCLA. Her dissertation was on Emma Goldman, so it was not surprising that Berry was active in promoting the study of women and women’s rights. She took the lead in the creation of what is now Northridge’s Women’s Studies Department. As the California Faculty Association faculty rights chair for the past 12 years, Berry has been an advocate of academic freedom and due process for faculty. During her 33 years at CSUN, Berry has mentored students, faculty and staff alike.

Patt Morrison hosted the nationally syndicated public television show "The Bookshow" and now hosts public radio station KPCC’s "Patt Morrison" daily program. She is a Los Angeles Times columnist—the first woman news columnist at the newspaper in more than 50 years—and contributes commentary to National Public Radio’s "Morning Edition." She wrote the best-selling book, "Rio L.A., Tales from the Los Angeles River." She has won six Emmys and six Golden Mike awards, and in 2000 was the first woman in a quarter century to receive the Joseph M. Quinn Award for lifetime achievement from the Los Angeles Press Club. Morrison was honored by the ACLU with its Freedom of Information Award, among other honors.

Angela Sanbrano holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pitzer College and a law degree from the People’s College of Law. Born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and raised in El Paso, Texas, Sanbrano has dedicated most of her adult life to helping the peoples of El Salvador. In 1985, she was elected national executive director of the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CIPES). She traveled throughout the Central American country, building solidarity with the people and working toward an end to U.S. intervention in Central America. After the signing of the peace accords, she founded the International Solidarity Center in El Salvador. When Sanbrano returned to Los Angeles in 1995, she joined the administrative staff of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), and was appointed executive director in 1997, a position she holds to this day. She has received many awards and, in 2005, was elected president of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters represents South Los Angeles and surrounding communities and cities. Throughout her 29 years of public service, she has tackled controversial issues, employing her legislative and public policy acumen with an ability to do grassroots organizing. She holds influential positions in Congress, including the Committee on the Judiciary and its subcommittees on crime, terrorism and homeland security. Long active in the women’s movement, Waters has given encouragement and financial support to women seeking public office. She helped create a Center for Women Veterans, co-founded the Black Women’s Forum and is a founding member and chair of the Out of Iraq Congressional Caucus.

For more information about the Seventh Biennial Phenomenal Women Awards ceremony, call CSUN’s Department of Women’s Studies at (818) 677-3110.