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NEWS RELEASE

Five ‘Phenomenal Women’ to be Honored at CSUN

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Sept. 29, 2006) -- Cal State Northridge officials will pay tribute Saturday, Oct. 7, to five women who have chosen vastly different paths, but who have each touched the lives of thousands of men and women in Los Angeles and around the world.

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 honorees are: Visual artist Tina Allen, whose work is internationally recognized for its celebration of her African American identity; professor Elizabeth Berry, whose 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, whose 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, who has fought for civil rights and justice across the Americas; and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who has fearlessly tackled controversial issues during her 29 years of public service.

"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 different 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 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.

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