Author Mikki Kendall to deliver Women in America Lecture at Simpson College

Simpson College has announced that Mikki Kendall, author of the New York Times-bestselling book “Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot,” will deliver the annual Women in America Lecture at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 11, 2021.

The virtual event is free and open to the public via Zoom with required pre-registration. Register at simpson.zoom.us.

Kendall is a writer, diversity consultant and renowned speaker, discussing race, feminism, police violence, technology and pop culture at institutions and universities across the country. She has appeared on television shows “Good Morning America” and “The Daily Show” as well as BBC, NPR, PBS, MSNBC, Al-Jazeera and Showtime. Her essays can be found at The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Bost Globe, Time magazine, Essence magazine, Vogue magazine and NBC, among others.

“We are thrilled to have Ms. Kendall share her wisdom with our community,” said Maeve Callan, chair of the Religion Department and director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program at Simpson College. “She embodies the intersectional approach to Women’s and Gender Studies, with particular focus on the vulnerable and marginalized in our communities, that Simpson’s United Methodist foundation calls us to.”

“Hood Feminism” is Kendall’s breakthrough book, featuring a collection of essays arguing that the modern feminist movement has failed to address the needs of all but a few women. The book received The Chicago Review of Books Award and was named a best book of the year by BBC, Time magazine and Bustle magazine. Time magazine calls Kendall’s bestseller “one of the most important books of the current time.”

“Mikki Kendall’s unflinching critiques of white-dominated feminism echo the calls for racial and economic justice that animate a wide range of current social and political movements in America,” said Seth Andersen, director of Simpson’s John C. Culver Public Policy Center, a co-sponsor of the lecture. “Kendall’s work to give a voice to the millions of American women who have been left out of the conversation – including military veterans like herself and working women struggling to make ends meet – is broadening the scope of modern feminism.”

Women’s movements are among the oldest, strongest, most transnational social movements but don’t always get the support they deserve. The Women in America Lecture was created in 1990 to shed light on these topics and be the keynote event for Women’s History Month at Simpson College. The sponsors for this year’s lecture are the Women’s and Gender Studies program, the John C. Culver Public Policy Center, Social Justice Studies and the Black Student Union.

The complete schedule of events for Women’s History Month at Simpson College can be accessed at simpson.edu/WHM2021.

About Simpson College
Simpson College is a private, liberal arts college located in Iowa with campuses in Indianola, West Des Moines and online. Founded in 1860, the college has 1,268 undergraduate and graduate students. Simpson offers 74 majors, minors and programs in addition to three graduate programs. Outside of the classroom, Simpson is a member of the NCAA Division III American Rivers Conference, hosts eight Greek houses on campus and sponsors many extracurricular options for student involvement.
 
Event Contact
Maeve Callan, director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program
Direct: 515-961-1659
Email: maeve.callan@simpson.edu

News Contact
Cathy Cole, vice president for Marketing and Strategic Communication
Direct: 515-961-1595
Email: cathy.cole@simpson.edu