Community Clips
WUMN Gala
WUMN Community Clips
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These WUMN video clips highlight the women in our community. This is our effort to create a resource of what's happening by, for, and about the womyn in Minnesota.
October:: Karen Thompson
On Sunday, November 13, 1983, a 27 year-old woman named Sharon Kowalski was driving her niece and nephew home and, tragically, they were in a collision with a drunk driver. Sharon's four- year old niece was killed; her nephew survived, but with permanent injuries. Sharon Kowalski herself suffered a traumatic brain stem injury. Everything that happened from that moment onward ultimately altered the legal status of lesbian and gay partners in Minnesota.
Unbeknownst to their colleagues and families, Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thompson are lesbians in a four- year long, committed relationship. In March of 1984, Karen came out of the closet to began her near decade- long legal battle to bring her partner Sharon home. To do so, Karen's legal fees eventually would exceed $300,000. She spoke across the country at rallies and events, not just to tell the story of her fight to bring Sharon home, but also to raise awareness for legal protection for lesbian and gay relationships. This was not limited to the lives of these two women in MN, because in the 1980's a whole generation of gay men were dying of AIDS, isolated from their lovers, partners and friends.
In December of 1991, Thompson finally won their case when the court granted her guardian status and allowed her to bring Sharon Kowalski home. In the twenty years since then, Karen Thompson has continued to be an inspiration and spokesperson for the legal recognition of same sex partners.
Karen has received numerous awards for her work to achieve LGBT equality. Among these the Annual Humanitarian Award from the American Psychological Association, a Woman of Courage Award from National Organization for Women, and a Human Rights Award from the Human Rights Campaign. Click here to view the five-part video.
(1988) "Why Can’t Sharon Kowalski Come Home?", co- Authored by Karen Thompson and Julie Andrzejewski, published by Spinsters/Aunt Lute. Winner of the Lambda Rising Editor’s Choice Award, nominated for the Minnesota Book Award.
(1994)" Lifetime Commitment - A Portrait of Karen Thompson"
A 40- minute film Directed by Kiki Zeldes
(2001) "Standing in the Shadows", a play by Rosemary McLaughlin's based on the Thompson/Kowalski story.
(May 2003) "The Sharon Kowalski Case: Lesbian and Gay Rights on Trial", by Casey Charles.
September:: Ellen Hart
Ellen Hart recently released her 27th novel, The Lost Women of Lost Lake", and is the author of twenty-six other crime novels in two different series. Ellen Hart is a five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Popular Fiction, a three-time winner of the Golden Crown Literary Award in several categories, a recipient of the Alice B Medal, and was made an official GLBT Literary Saint at the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans in 2005.
In 2010, Ellen received the GCLS Trailblazer Award for lifetime achievement in the field of lesbian literature. For the past fourteen years, Ellen has taught "An Introduction to Writing the Modern Mystery" through the The Loft Literary Center, the largest independent writing community in the nation. Ellen lives in Minneapolis with her partner of 34 years. See the WUMN Clip on youTube.
July:: Roxxy Hall Jam
Roxxy Hall is leader of the Roxxy Hall Band, the longest running all- women's music jam session in the world. "It's difficult for women to find a place to play", says Roxxy. "It was, late 80's and I was playing with Blue's Jam at Bunkers, it was all guys. 
They said yea, bring your friends around, but the girls never got a chance to play." This inspired her All- Women's Jam sessions that have provided a stage for women performers since the late '80's. "I did Jams at Rumors (now the Innuedo), Ladies Night (now the Townhouse) and Norma Jeans. In 1992, Blue's Saloon asked if I wanted to do an all women's Jam session there. We played there once a month for nine years. It turned into a kinda free- for- all. People would just get up on stage and ask for the lyrics. I'd have to tell them, 'This isn't Karaoke.'"
From 1994 through 1999 Roxxy produced and hosted “Musical Chairs", a news and magazine show that featured outstanding women in music. Roxxy won the Hometown Video Festival award two times for her work on Musical Chairs. She has been nominated by the Minnesota Music Academy for songwriting, best new band, and video production. Writing music since she was in fourth grade, she is also owner of her own recording studio, "Peachy Sudios", where last year's CD of originals, "She's The One", was recorded.
The Jam's guest artist format and collaborative line- up has contributed to the band's long- term success. Playing at such diverse venues as the MN State Fair, Grand Old Days, private clubs and dances, and, since 2002 has played the 2nd Saturday of the month at Lee's Liquor Lounge in Minneapolis. See the video on YouTube.
June:: RUTA SKUJINS
Ruta Skujins bought Amazon bookstore at the end of July, 2008. It is a woman-oriented, feminist and lesbian bookstore, as well as a neighborhood store. The store is the oldest feminist bookstore in the world. The store's name change to True Colors resulted from a lawsuit that the members of Amazon cooperative brought against Amazon.com back in the 1990s. They sued the on-line store over the use of the name, and won, but the victory came with a price. One of the conditions of the settlement was that if the brick-and-mortar store changed hands, rights to the name reverted to Amazon.com.
True Colors is a place to be yourself, whatever that may be. It has always been so much more than a bookstore, it is also a place of community where everyone is always welcome.
Ruta was an editor at two lesbian publishing houses (Regal Crest and Intaglio), still beta-reads for authors, and has been honored to be a judge for the Golden Crown Literary Awards for the past five years(GCLS is an organization founded to support and promote lesbian literature). Ruta has taken writing classes at the Loft from Lori Lake and Ellen Hart; and was a history major at Carleton College in Northfield. Ruta lives in South Minneapolis with her partner Joann, and is a credited book photographer. She has two daughters. See the video on youTube
Authors Ellen Hart and Linda Morganstein talk about True Colors Bookstore, books and the women's community.
See the video on YouTube.
May:: Diane Ferreira
Diane Ferreira is a Board Member at the Midway YMCA, a Clinical Supervisor and Program Director for Assertive Community Treatment for People, Inc. and also volunteers her services for mental health and domestic abuse projects. Since 2008, she organizes the Annual SafeJourney Golf Tourney, a fundraiser held every June for battered women's programs at North Memorial Hospital.
She studied at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, St.Thomas University, and received her Masters from Walden University. Her private practice is Ferreira Counseling at 1678 Selby Ave., in St. Paul, MN. See the video on youTube
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