In Other Words

In celebration of International Women's Day and Women's History Month 2015, Beth Judy and Ann Szalda-Petree produced what Ann calls an hour-long "docu-drama." It's about about access to justice,  health care, education and political power, but also about why we often don't hear about the lives of women, whether they live in far-flung parts of the world or in our own backyard.

After more than thirty years of broadcasts, the final "In Other Words" show on Montana Public Radio aired on Tuesday, November 11, 2014.

Historian, member of the Montana Legislature, and long-time Missoula resident Diane Sands describes in fascinating detail the story of women's suffrage, both in Montana and nationwide.  November 3, 2014 marks the hundredth anniversary of women winning the right to vote in the state.

Ann Szalda-Petree talks with Shawna Lee, a venue manager who books stage shows in Missoula. Shawna is the go-to woman who locates the sound company, the plexiglass, the M & Ms for traveling and local bands, most of them male. Shawna believes a combination of patience and local connections helped break into this field: "It's a matter of establishing trust."

Operating out of Athens, Georgia since 1976, the Jeannette Rankin Foundation (founded by Jeannette herself and some admirers) assists women over age 35 in going back to school, a step that improves their lives and those of their families and communities.

IOW Producer Beth Judy talks with Sue Lawrence, Executive Director of the foundation, and also Francy Moll of Polson, Montana, a Rankin Scholarship alumna.