[304] HUMAN RIGHTS LEADER TO OBSERVE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 26, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Terri Johnson, June Anderson Women’s Center, 615-898-
2193

HUMAN RIGHTS LEADER TO OBSERVE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Tennessee Human Rights Commission Executive Director to Speak at MTSU

(MURFREESBORO) – Beverly L. Watts, Executive Director of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission (THRC), will be the featured speaker at the International Women’s Day Luncheon slated for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 12, in the Hazlewood Dining Room of the James Union Building at MTSU.
Prior to joining the THRC, Watts was Special Advisor to the Chair at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where state and local relations came under her purview. Her resume also includes stints as Executive Director of the National Fair Housing Training Academy and Executive Director of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights.
Considered a human rights expert on state, national and international issues, Watts also is the immediate past president of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies (IAOHRA) and a past chair of Women Executives in State Government.
According to http://www.internationalwomensday.com/, the observance grew out of the first National Women’s Day in 1909 during an era of unrest over inequality in the workplace. The first International Women’s Day was held in 1911 in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark. It had been proposed in 1910 “to honour the women’s rights movement and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women.”
Over the decades, International Women’s Day has evolved into “a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike.” It is an official national holiday in 14 countries. As of this writing, 339 events in 36 countries are scheduled.
The luncheon at MTSU will be held on March 12 although the actual International Women’s Day is March 8 to enable students enjoying Spring Break an opportunity to attend. Thanks to a generous donation from Watts, 15 slots have been reserved for students so that they may attend for free.
Admission to the luncheon, which is sponsored by the Association of Faculty and Administrative Women (AFAW), is $12 for AFAW members and $15 for non-members. Reservations should be made by noon on Monday, March 10. To make reservations, contact Kippy Todd at 615-898-5756 or ktodd@mtsu.edu.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg of Beverly L. Watts, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.