A native of Toledo\, Gloria Steinem \; is a writer\, lecturer\, political activist\, and feminist organizer. She has spent decades traveling in the United States and other countries as an organizer and lecturer and is a frequent media spokeswoman on issues of e quality. She is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex and r ace caste systems\, gender roles and child abuse as roots of violence\, no n-violent conflict resolution\, the cultures of indigenous peoples\, and o rganizing across boundaries for peace and justice. \; \;
\nI n honor of Gloria's 80th birthday in 2014 People Called Women\, a local fe minist bookstore\, created the Steinem Sisters Collective\, a lending libr ary for feminist publications. \; When the bookstore sold in 2017\, th e original Collective donated the collection to the Toledo Lucas County Pu blic Library as the Steinem Sisters Collection. \; The Collection cham pions the historical\, cultural and political contribution of women. The c ollection strives to provide a welcoming space for women of all walks of l ife to share their truths. The types of materials we collect are &ldquo\;f eminist materials&rdquo\; &ndash\; which are materials that uphold women&r squo\;s rights and interests in defining and promoting political\, economi c\, personal and social equality of the sexes. In the ten years since its original inception\, the Collection has grown to over 900 titles. \; & nbsp\;The Collection hosts a monthly book club and quarterly programs at t he Main Library.
\nTo commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Steine m Sisters Collection and Gloria Steinem's 90th birthday\, the Collection w ill host a celebration at the Main Library with refreshments\, featuring D r. Deborah Schwartz\, Dr. Tiffany Whitman\, Sierra Ortiz\, Sheena Barnes\, and Erika White. \; The theme of the evening is Libraries as Feminist Spaces.
\n
Dr. Deborah Schwartz has been a \;feminist poli tical activist for more than 25 years. Debbie helped start the Steinem Sis ters Collection at People Called Women bookstore and served on the collect ion&rsquo\;s advisory board for three years after it was donated to the&nb sp\;Toledo Lucas County Public Library. Currently\, Debbie is president of the Democratic Feminist Alliance and leader of the grass roots organizati on\, the Northwest Ohio Feminist Alliance (NOFA) Indivisible. She is an av id reader\, professor emeritus of English at Lourdes University\, mother a nd grandmother.
\n
Dr. Tiffany Whitman serves as the City of Toled o Director of Diversity\, Equity\, and Inclusion. Dr. Whitman strives to m ake Toledo a safe\, livable\, welcoming community by fostering inclusive a nd fair work environments\, strengthening community and corporate relation s\, and increasing opportunities for equitable economic development.
\nPrior to this role\, Dr. Whitman served as an At-Large Councilmember on Toledo City Council (2020-2024). As a Councilmember\, she sponsored legis lation to address youth programming\, public safety accountability\, gende r-based discrimination\, inclusive business opportunities and a public hea lth approach to gun violence. Dr. Whitman&rsquo\;s work in local governmen t emerged from her 15-years in higher education administration and instruc tion. She continues to develop her academic interests\, currently focusing on completing her education in Archival Studies.
\nDr. Whitman resi des in West Toledo with her husband of 17 years\, Kurtiss\, son\, Jeremiah \, and twin daughters\, Layla and Malia.
\n
Sierra Ort iz\, born and raised in Toledo\, Ohio\, is the granddaughter of m igrant workers and the daughter of a prolific Latinx leader. She resides o n the land belonging to the Erie\, Kickapoo\, Iroquois\, Odawa\, and Senec a Native Tribes and serves as the Associate Director at the grassroots org anization\, Women of Toledo. In this position\, she embraces her passions for diversity\, equity\, inclusion\, and belonging to educate\, engage\, a nd empower diverse groups of women and youth through transformational advo cacy forums\, mentorship programs\, and services\, as well as global econo mic and workforce development.
\nIn high school\, she gained experience in civic engagement by attending social jus tice marches\, rallies\, and protests for Farm Laborers and Migrant Worker s\, as well as women&rsquo\;s issues including healthcare\, reproductive r ights\, and bodily autonomy\, including the Women&rsquo\;s March on Washin gton in 2016. While studying at The University of Toledo\, Ortiz gained ex perience as a mental health advocate while interning for crisis at a local behavioral health agency and as a Mental Health First Aid Facilitator for Lucas County residents\, and local law enforcement and went on to become certified to facilitate Youth Mental Health First Aid.
\nAfter college\, she spent weekends with the Ursuline Siste rs going out to government housing districts to deliver sanitary products\ , condoms\, and health and wellness kits to sex workers. Through this expe rience\, she began a childcare program during Friday night dinners hosted by the Ursuline Sisters for sex workers in the area. Ortiz took on the Adm inistrative Assistant and Program Manager position at Adelante\, the Latin o Resource and Community Center where she reinstated English classes with the help of volunteers as well as Citizenship classes in partnership with En Camino\, led by Sisters of Notre Dame\, focusing on immigrant and migra nt outreach and services. Continuing to serve the Latinx and Hispanic comm unity\, Sierra went on to gain experience as the Financial Coordinator at Sofia Quintero Art and Cultural Center.
\nA founding member of Toledo Rotary&rsquo\;s young professional philanthro pic branch\, Rotaract\, Sierra is the recipient of the Inaugural Rotaract Impact Award. She serves on the board for the University of Toledo&rsquo\; s Eberly Center for Women\, as well as Welcome TLC&rsquo\;s engagement and outreach committee co-chair\, and is involved with the Latino Alliance of Northwest Ohio. Sierra continues to bring her passion for DEAI to all the work she does in community service.
\n
Sheena Barnes \;(personal p ronouns She/Her\, They/Them) is a Flint\, Michigan native. She has resided in Toledo\, OH for 15 years with her three children. Ms. Barnes backgroun d is in trauma informed care and as a community engagement specialist she focused on the correlation of trauma to reactive negative behaviors in you th. Sheena has experience with public policy and youth crisis intervention advocacy and resource management.
\nMs. Barnes quickly became invol ved in the community in Toledo\, in 2019 they served as the Executive Dire ctor of Equality Toledo\, after stepping down in 2021 Ms. Barnes launched their DEI business Just ACTS LLC a consulting business that assists agenci es and organizations with creating affirming work environments for their s taff and customers with the focus on the intersectionalities within the LG BTQ plus community.
\nIn 2020 they were elected to the Toledo Public Schools Board of Education making history as the first woman of color tha t identifies as LGBTQ plus to have won a seat in Northwest Ohio. Ms. Barne s was also archived in The Library of Congress for their historic electora l race and contributions to LGBTQ history. Ms. Barnes serve as the liaison for the Toledo Chapter Students Demand Action\, a youth-led national orga nization that advocate for common sense gun laws and work to ending gun vi olence\, currently they also sit on the boards for Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center\, Scouts of America also know as Boy Scouts of America f or Erie Shores Council\, The National Black Justice Coalition\, Local Prog ress- Black Caucus and The Buckeye Flame and is a core member of Honesty f or Ohio Education.
\n
Erika White is a telecommunication specialist\, business owner\, and community volunteer. Erika serves as the President of Communications Work ers of America Local 4319. She also \;serves on the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board and is the Vice President of GNWO AFL-CIO. \; Erika is a fitness enthusiast\, motivator\, freelance writer\, and public speaker. Erika currently serves as the Chair for Healthy Lucas County\, wh ere she works with a coalition of community organizations to improve the h ealth of all residents of Lucas County\, Ohio. After her own journey to de velop a healthier lifestyle for her and her family\, Erika created the Fit zone brand as a way of motivating members of her community to achieve thei r highest potential. Erika is the mom of two children and lives in the com munity of Springfield Township with her husband of 30 years\, James\, who is a Toledo firefighter.
\nhttps://toledo.libnet.info/event/8958404 URL;VALUE=URI:https://toledo.libnet.info/event/8958404 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR