‘Unreasonable Woman’ describes fight for clean waterways
Environmental activist Diane Wilson will headline California University event
CALIFORNIA, Pa. (Nov. 2, 2009)…Diane Wilson, a fourth-generation shrimp-boat captain, environmental activist and author, will describe her battles with corporate polluters when the American Democracy Project at California University examines issue advocacy and the health of our nation’s waterways.
Wilson’s keynote address begins at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 in Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre. A book signing will follow in the theater lobby. Admission is free and the public may attend.
Two panels earlier in the day will address related issues:
• “River Health: Exposing Environmental Truths,” 11 a.m. in Rooms 206-207 in the Natali Student Center. Moderator is biology professor and river health expert Dr. David Argent.
• “Issue Advocacy: Challenging the Status Quo,” 12:30 p.m., also in Rooms 206-207 in the student center. Moderator is sociology professor Dr. Elizabeth Jones, who teaches courses in social movements.
Wilson will meet with students, panelists and others at a 2 p.m. reception in Rooms 206-207.
She is the author of An Unreasonable Woman, an account of her fight against polluters in her hometown of Seadrift, Texas — a rural area identified as leading the nation in toxic emissions from companies such as Alcoa, BP Chemical, Carbon Graphite, Dow/Union Carbide, and DuPont.
In her effort to stop pollution by Formosa Plastics, a multi-billion-dollar company, Wilson turned to civil disobedience. Eventually she spent 74 days in a Texas jail for her role in a protest outside a Dow chemical plant. Today she is recognized internationally for her environmental activism.
“I believe at some time in everyone's lifetime, they will receive a piece of information, and what they do with that information will determine the rest of their lives,” she says.
The American Democracy Project (ADP) is a multi-campus initiative focused on higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens. Co-sponsors of the ADP event at California University are the Office of Academic Affairs/Provost, the College of Liberal Arts, the Eberly College of Science and Technology, Cal Campaign Consultants, and the departments of Biological and Environmental Studies, History and Political Science, and Women’s Studies.
For more information about Wilson’s lecture or other events, contact event organizer Dr. Melanie Blumberg at Blumberg@calu.edu.
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