Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987.

1950

ALTHEA GIBSON

In 1956, author and tennis star Althea Gibson became the first Black person to win the French championships, and in 1957, she won Wimbledon and the U.S. National Tennis Championships tournament as the first African American. Without Gibson crossing color lines during segregation and making an impact both on and off the tennis court, female athletes of color wouldn’t be able to enjoy the hard-fought labor today.

ELIZABETH ANN ECKFORD

Elizabeth Ann Eckford is one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The integration came as a result of Brown v. Board of Education.

1960s

ELLA BAKER

Ella Baker was involved in civil rights long before the 1960s and even as a student she was involved in various protest movements. She worked with prominent organizations such as the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and the SCLC (Souther Christian Leadership Conference).

BETTY FRIEDAN

Betty Freidan broke new ground by exploring the idea of women finding personal fulfillment outside of their traditional roles. She also helped advance the women’s rights movement as one of the founders of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She advocated for an increased role for women in the political process and is remembered as a pioneer of feminism and the women’s rights movements.

1970s

BILLIE JEAN KING

A pioneering American tennis champion and social change activist, Billie Jean King famously threatened to boycott the U.S. Open in 1973 unless women were given equal prize money. The demand was met, making the U.S. Open the first majority tournament of it’s kind to offer pay equality.

WANGARI MAATHAI

She became the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a Ph.D., Maathai recognized the need to address the link between environmental degradation, poverty, and women’s well-being. In 1977, she started the Green Belt Movement, a grassroots organization that combats poverty and ecological destruction by working with rural women to plant trees.

1980s

LEAH LOWENSTEIN

Lowenstein was appointed dean and vice president of Jefferson Medical College (JMC) in 1981, becoming the first woman dean of a co-educational, medical school in the United States.

SALLY RIDE

On June 18, 1983, Ride was on the Challenger mission, making her the first American woman to journey to outer space. After NASA, Ride went on to start her own educational nonprofit organization called Sally Ride Science, which works to get young students interested in science as well as math.

1990s

TARANA BURKE

Tarana Burke founded the “Me Too” movement in the ’90s long before the hashtag went viral. She has since founded Just Be Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides support for victims of sexual harassment and assault.

ANTONIA NOVELLO, M.D.

Antonia Novello became the first woman and Latina to serve as the U.S. Surgeon General from 1990 to 1993. Novello, also served as Commissioner of Health for the State of New York from 1999 to 2006.

2000s

SONIA SOTOMAYOR

Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history. She was appointed by former President Barack Obama in May 2009 and later confirmed in August 2009. She is also the third female justice in U.S. Supreme Court history. Sotomayor continues to support women’s issues, criminal justice reform, and legal immigration.

IBTIHAJ MUHAMMAD

In 2016, fencing champion Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first Muslim woman to represent the U.S. at the Olympics, and she also won an Olympic medal. She also commanded attention for being the first Olympian to wear a hijab.

2020s

SARAH GILBERT

Professor Sarah Gilbert a veteran Oxford scientist developed a coronavirus vaccine that could help save the world from Covid-19. Early data suggests that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine that her team worked on affords up to 90 per cent protection against the virus, and is cheaper and easier to store than promising vaccines announced by Pfizer and BioNTech, and Moderna. Gilbert’s version could therefore benefit more people across the world.

KAMALA HARRIS

Kamala Harris made history in August 2020 as the first woman and first Black and South Asian woman to accept the vice-presidential nomination alongside former Vice President Joe Biden. Harris, a United States senator for California, also previously served as the attorney general of California. She was sworn in as vice president on January 20, 2021.

Did you know?

*70 percent of cocoa is produced by small holder farmers in West Africa, primarily Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. Indonesia, Brazil, and Ecuador are also major cocoa-producing countries.

*Cocoa trees take about five years to reach peak production and can continue producing at that level for about ten years.

*Chocolate is made from the seeds of cocoa pods, a tree-grown fruit. After harvesting, the seeds are removed from the pods and processed (fermented, dried, then roasted).

*It takes about 500 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate. In an average year, a cocoa tree produces enough fruit to make about two pounds of chocolate.

An estimated two million children work on cocoa farms. Up to 40 percent of these children are not enrolled in school. Many Cocoa farmers are exposed to numerous hazards, including dangerous tools, dust, flames or
smoke, hazardous chemicals, and physically demanding labor. Fair Trade standards prohibit child labor, and community development premiums are often used to improve access to education. Fair Trade standards also prohibit harmful chemicals and provide a framework for environmental sustainability. The Fair Trade minimum price protects farmers against market volatility by ensuring a minimum sale price for their crops.

We love chocolate and other products made with cocoa. It is part of our daily lives. At the same time, many people do not know how tough cocoa farming is, nor do they know the impact of choosing one chocolate bar over another. By choosing chocolate with the Fair Trade logo, you are standing up for the people and places involved in the cocoa industry.  MPTC bookstores carry Divine Chocolate bars. Look for the Fair Trade logo on all chocolate you buy at your grocery store or local market.

Find out more about Fair Trade and MPTC Fair Trade College!

Veteran’s Day was a very special experience for twenty-one Veterans residing at the St. Francis Home campus in Fond du Lac this year.

Steve Pepper, Moraine Park’s Student Veteran Specialist, and one of the Student Veteran’s Club advisors arranged and participated in a Zoom video call with the veterans and several students and staff from Moraine Park. Nathan Evrad, one of Moraine Park’s academic advisors, even created personalized video greetings thanking the Veterans for their service.  He stated, “As a fellow military veteran, I want to thank you for your service and let you know that you are not forgotten.” During the call, the veterans reminisced about basic training, their jobs while serving, flying overseas for duty, and even pesky chiggers.

Due to COVID restriction, some residents had not seen each other in a while, so it was great to see some veterans talk among themselves during the call. Before the event, donations of chocolates, snacks, puzzles, and other goodies were collected. Staff at St. Francis home filled patriotic bags that morning and handed them out after the call.

Which included a surprise of a specially designed “I Served” pin and Moraine Park’s military challenge coin.

Anne Lemke, Student Community Impact Coordinator, had this to say about the event: Thank you so much for this wonderful extra special effort! My Dad loved his “interview” with Steve Pepper… and the goodie bags, especially the black licorice.

“When it was over, Steve remarked, “What a great day, and thanked all of the staff at the St. Francis Home who made this Day possible. Hopefully, things will get back to normal next year, and the college will be able to visit with the veterans in person.””

For additional information regarding veterans’ events and benefits, please contact Steve Pepper at 920-924-3489 or spepper1@morainepark.edu

Register here to join our virtual conversation on October 14 at 7 pm.

Emily Ambrose and Leif Rawson-Ahern of Equal Exchange will provide information on the Fair Trade movement: alternative trade organizations, worker-owned cooperatives, building small farmer supply chains, sustainability, and a farmer-partner group.

Find out how globally-grown chocolate and coffee make their way here and about Equal Exchange’s relationship with local organizations that support Fair Trade.

Learn more about Moraine Park Fair Trade College here!

POW/MIA Recognition Day September 18, 2020

National POW/MIA (Prisoner of War/Missing in Action) Recognition Day is September 21 (annually the third Friday in September) and I thought this would be a great opportunity to provide some of the history on the flag you may have seen, featuring a silhouette of an individual before a guard tower and barbed wire in white on a black field with the words “You Are Not Forgotten”. 

In 1970, Mrs. Michael Hoff, the wife of a service member who was missing in action (MIA) and a member of the National League of POW/MIA Families, recognized the need for a symbol of our POW/MIAs. Mrs. Hoff contacted Norman Rivkees, Vice President of Annin & Company which had made a banner for the newest member of the United Nations, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as part of their policy to provide flags of all United Nations member states. Mrs. Hoff found Mr. Rivkees very sympathetic to the POW/MIA issue and together with graphic artist Newton F. Heisley, a World War II Veteran, designed the flag choosing the image of a gaunt man in profile, with a guard tower and a strand of barbed wire in the background. Heisely, a pilot, said, “I used to fly within range of the Japanese and wondered how I would hold-up if I ever got captured. When I did the design, I thought how easy it would be to forget those guys.” The slogan “You are not forgotten” came from that reflection and the flag you see today still represents our missing service members.

Following approval by the League’s Board of Directors at a meeting held January 22-23, 1972, POW/MIA flags were manufactured for distribution.  Wanting the widest possible dissemination and use of this symbol to advocate for improved treatment for and answers on American POW/MIAs, no trademark or copyright was sought.  As a result, widespread use of the League’s POW/MIA flag is not restricted legally.

In 1979, Congress proclaimed the first National POW/MIA Recognition Day to acknowledge those families’ concerns and to never forget those who gave up their freedom protecting ours.

On March 9, 1989, an official League flag – flown over the White House on National POW/MIA Recognition Day 1988 – was installed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda as a result of legislation passed overwhelmingly during the 100th Congress.  In a demonstration of bipartisan Congressional support, the leadership of both Houses hosted the installation ceremony, at which League Executive Director Ann Mills-Griffiths delivered remarks representing the POW/MIA families.

The League’s POW/MIA flag is the only flag ever displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda where it stands as a powerful symbol of America’s determination to account for U.S. personnel still missing and unaccounted-for. 

In 1990, Congress passed U.S. Public Law 101-355 designating the POW/MIA flag as, “the symbol of our Nation’s concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still held prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.” As of June 20, 2018, and reported by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency we still have 82,334 missing and unaccounted for from WWII forward, the most being from WWII at 72,906. We may never know what happened to all of them but we can continue to remind our citizens that their freedom comes at a very dear price.

The importance of the POW/MIA flag lies in its continued visibility, a constant reminder of the plight of America’s unreturned veterans.  Other than “Old Glory,” the League’s POW/MIA flag is the only flag ever to fly over the White House, displayed since 1982 in this place of honor on National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

Passage by the 105th Congress of Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act required that the League’s POW/MIA flag fly six days each year: Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day and Veterans Day.  It must be displayed at the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Departments of State, Defense and Veterans Affairs, the headquarters of the Selective Service System, major military installations as designated by the Secretary of Defense, all Federal cemeteries and all offices of the U.S. Postal Service.  In addition to the specific dates stipulated, the Department of Veterans Affairs voluntarily displays our POW/MIA flag 24/7.  The National Vietnam Veterans, Korean War Veterans, and World War II Memorials are now also required by law to display the POW/MIA flag daily. 

For some time, there had been debate over when the POW/MIA flag should be flown, whether daily or on the specific six days noted in federal law. While not addressing the question of posting the flag at the national/federal level, League members at the 32nd Annual Meeting in June 2001, voted overwhelmingly in favor of the following resolution: “Be it RESOLVED that the National League of POW/MIA Families strongly recommends that state and municipal entities fly the POW/MIA flag daily to demonstrate continuing commitment to the goal of the fullest possible accounting of all personnel not yet returned to American soil.”

If you would like to learn more about the protocols on how to properly display the POW/MIA Flag of The National League of Families please e-mail your requests to veterans@morainepark.edu.

Reference

National League of Families. (n.d.). ​Protocol for the POW/MIA Flag of The National League of Families. In National League of POW/MIA Families. Retrieved July 31, 2018, from http://www.pow-miafamilies.org/protocol-for-the-powmia-flag-of-the-national-league-of-families.html

The History of the Vietnam War POW/MIA Flag. (n.d.). In US Flag. Retrieved August 2, 2018, from http://www.usflag.org/pow.mia.html

Moraine Park Technical College is proud to sponsor Casa Guadalupe’s Fiesta Week Fundraiser! Casa Guadalupe is a nonprofit organization in Washington County. Proceeds from the Fiesta Week Fundraiser will go towards educational programs and college scholarship funds for Hispanic/Latino high school students.

Raffle Drawing

Tickets are being sold now through September 27th, 2020. You can purchase tickets at:

• Casa Guadalupe
• River Shores Chiropractic
• Rally Time Sports Bar & Grill
• BlondiePop
• Faith & Giggles

Raffle tickets are $5 for one or $20 for five. Cash only.

Top Prizes Include:

• Private dinner for 10 people at The Norbert ($1000 value)
• 55 inch HiSense Roku TV
• Signed Green Bay Packers football
• Regal Ware cookware set

Restaurant Fundraisers – Proceeds support Casa Guadalupe’s education programs *Dine in or carry out*

• Sunday, September 27 – The Norbert Bar & Kitchen
• Monday, September 28 – Casa Tequila Restaurant (Hartford)
• Tuesday, September 29 – La Cabana Mexican Grill (West Bend)
• Wednesday, September 30 – Casa Tequila Restaurant (West Bend)
• Thursday, October 1 – Don Ramon Mexican Restaurant (West Bend)
• Friday, October 2 – West Bend Moose Lodge

August 26^th each year is a reminder of the civil rights movement for women to vote in the United States.  Dating back to 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, where the first women’s rights convention was held, this day commemorates the day in 1973 when Women’s Equality Day would be officially recognized each year by the United States Congress. 

The day calls attention to a woman’s right to vote and be treated as 1^st class citizens, just like the men.  Our country still strives to close equity gaps in pay for women compared to men. On average, women make $0.80 for every dollar earned by male colleagues, according to an article on business.org.

At Moraine Park, we strive through our NTO (non-traditional occupation) programming to offer occupations to women that are predominately occupied by males.  We believe you can achieve what you set out to achieve and MPTC is here to remind you this day in history came with barriers, and now those barriers do not exist. 

This year marks the 100^th anniversary of the passing of the 19^th amendment and as our country is more divided than ever in regards to civil rights and social justice issues, MPTC wants to encourage students to be informed, make an impact in your community and exercise your right to vote, because someone, a long time ago fought for you to do so.

To learn more about our NTO programs, visit morainepark.edu/nto.

Moraine Park Technical College is one of five Wisconsin Technical College System colleges to receive a five-year, $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue its Student Support Services (SSS) program.

The SSS program, also known as EDGE at Moraine Park, seeks to help students who are low-income, first-generation to college and/or have a learning disability, with a purpose to help students meet their goals and graduate from college. The EDGE program offers many services to help students stay on track, including academic advising, financial aid, and scholarship resources, cultural events, skills development, and tutoring. All services are provided to eligible students at no cost. This is the third consecutive grant received for Moraine Park’s EDGE program. 

Since the program began in 2010, it has served over 430 students. Currently, the program serves 140 active students at the College and has proven to be a gateway to success for eligible students.

“First-generation to college, low income, and disabled students face unique challenges to completing college degrees, and SSS TRIO programs like EDGE help students overcome those obstacles to be successful,” Kristina Buchanan, director of EDGE at Moraine Park, said. “I am honored to be able to help our students each year – their stories of courageous persistence and success in the face of incredible odds is inspiring.”

In the 2018-19 academic year, EDGE students achieved a 94% persistence rate, 91% good academic standing rate, 54% degree completion rate, and 20% of students transferred on to higher education opportunities after earning their degree.

“When I first joined EDGE, I had no idea how amazing this program would be,” Jessica Reinke, Moraine Park student, said. “College is hard, but EDGE has made my college experience more attainable, achievable, and less worrisome. I’m going to school for nursing and have many classes to study for. I wish everyone could have and know the value of this program that MPTC offers. It is truly amazing.”

For more information on the Edge program, visit morainepark.edu/trio.

Moraine Park’s Diversity Relations team recognizes the importance of community, especially during this time of national crisis.  For this reason they will host a Safe Talk Series online in early June. The purpose of these interactive calls is to give students or employees an opportunity to ask questions, share concerns, or just listen to learn from what others are experiencing in a safe inclusive space. 

Interested in joining? Email krodriguez3@morainepark.edu

morainepark.edu/diversity