Breaking Down Patriarchy

Amy is joined by guest Maxine Hanks to conclude their discussion of Sexual Politics by Kate Millett. This is Part Two of Two and covers sexism among the leftist authors of Millett’s time, interior colonization, distinctions between constructivist and biological ideas of identity, and the possibility of sexual revolution. 

Maxine Hanks is a historian and theologian who lectures and writes on Women’s Studies, History, and Religious Studies, particularly Mormon and Christian traditions and liturgy. Her bachelor’s degree was in Gender Studies and her master’s degree was in History, with additional graduate work in Theology and Religion.

Amy is joined by guest Maxine Hanks to begin their discussion of Sexual Politics by Kate Millett. This is Part One of Two and covers the author’s biography, the repressive context which created Second Wave and Radical Feminism, compulsory heterosexuality, and bridging the gap between academics and public discourse around gender. 

Maxine Hanks is a historian and theologian who lectures and writes on Women’s Studies, History, and Religious Studies, particularly Mormon and Christian traditions and liturgy. Her bachelor’s degree was in Gender Studies and her master’s degree was in History, with additional graduate work in Theology and Religion.

Amy is joined by guests Emily Bell McCormick & Kelly Whited Jones to discuss the Equal Rights Amendment authored by Alice Stokes Paul. Topics include the history of equal rights legislation, common counter-arguments against this legislation, and the ongoing struggle to pass the ERA today.

Emily Bell McCormick is founder of The Policy Project— a group of individuals and like-minded organizations that help move forward healthy, long-term policy at a local and national level. Emily is also the editor of Utah’s NBC affiliate KSL Studio 5 “Smarter” series–informing viewers about issues, government, policies and politics of the time and helping to empower viewers to find their place in it all. She also co-presents “The State of Women in Utah” on local news radio, KSL. She is co-president of the Utah ERA Coalition. Emily earned a Master’s degree from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University.

Kelly Whited Jones is a life-long Utahn raised on a small farm in Utah County. She is an educator, fundraiser, and activist and holds a master’s degree in Environmental and Health Communication from the University of Utah. Kelly teaches college communication and is co-founder and co-president of the Utah ERA Coalition, a group of 35+ local and national organizations committed to passing equal rights legislation in the Beehive state. She served two years as chair of the ERA Committee for Utah Women Unite, a group responsible for reviving ERA legislation in Utah in 2016 and staging the largest march on the Utah Capitol in Utah history — in a snowstorm. In 2018, she consulted with Rep. Karen Kwan on HJR 021, the Reaffirm the Value of Utah Women Resolution, a first-step bill that passed unanimously. In 2020, a year celebrating Suffrage, she stood with women outside the House of Representatives as a Silent Sentinel at the Capitol every day of the 45-day legislative session. Though bills to ratify have been held in Rules Committee every year since 2016, progress is being made, and 71% of Utahns now support ratification efforts. Most recently, in 2021, Sen. Kathleen Riebe and Sen. Kirk Cullimore ran a bi-partisan bill to ratify SJR 008, the first time both major parties have come together in support of equal rights. Kelly believes that constitutional protection under the law is worth the conversation.

Amy is joined by guest Amy Pal to discuss the speech “Living the Revolution” delivered by Gloria Steinem. Topics include feminism as a humanist movement, the work of unlearning hurtful ideas, the damaging influence of Sigmund Freud, and how women’s liberation is men’s liberation as well.

Amy Pal grew up in California and Utah. She attended Boston University where she completed her bachelor’s degree in communication disorders and master’s degree in speech and language pathology. As part of her career in education, Amy was drawn to issues related to social justice, gender equity, and multiculturalism. She enjoys learning about topics through various people’s perspectives. Amy also loves to run in nature, read, and spend time with her family.

Amy is joined by guest Rayna Clay MacKay to conclude their discussion of Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female by Frances Beal. This is Part Two of Two and covers reform versus revolution, the history of medical cruelty carried out against Black bodies, and the fallacy of thinking all women face oppression equally. 

Rayna Clay MacKay is a wife, mom, and Obstetric Anesthesiologist. She married a dreamy Scotsman for much more than his accent and gained two fantastic bonus kids as a result. They added three more kiddos to the mix, including identical twin boys, and a daughter. They also have the best Cavoodle in the world named Hamish. She is a firm believer that differences are what make us great, and they should be applauded and supported. As she’s gotten older and wiser, She’s found her voice becoming louder championing for the injustices in the medical system, and society as a whole. Her hope is that the future is more glorious with a rainbow of differing people and opinions that are equally acknowledged.

Amy is joined by guest Rayna Clay MacKay to begin their discussion of Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female by Frances Beal. This is Part One of Two and covers the author’s biography, The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, state violence against peaceful protestors, and racism in academics and professional spheres.  

Rayna Clay MacKay is a wife, mom, and Obstetric Anesthesiologist. She married a dreamy Scotsman for much more than his accent and gained two fantastic bonus kids as a result. They added three more kiddos to the mix, including identical twin boys, and a daughter. They also have the best Cavoodle in the world named Hamish. She is a firm believer that differences are what make us great, and they should be applauded and supported. As she’s gotten older and wiser, She’s found her voice becoming louder championing for the injustices in the medical system, and society as a whole. Her hope is that the future is more glorious with a rainbow of differing people and opinions that are equally acknowledged.

Amy is joined by guest Rochelle Briscoe to discuss Jane Crow and the Law by Pauli Murray and Mary Eastwood. Topics include the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’, civil rights, originalist interpretations of the Constitution, and the ‘mommy track’ for professional women.

Rochelle Briscoe is a legal and policy wonk, who is passionate about improving the global landscape! Rochelle has always been struck by the central role strong, yet underrepresented, leaders play in the success of businesses and teams. For more than a decade she practiced law in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. In 2016, Rochelle joined Google’s Leadership Team, and from 2013 to 2016 Rochelle led the selection and recruitment of senior presidential appointments for the United States Government while serving as special assistant to President Obama in the Office of Presidential Personnel. Currently, Rochelle is YouTube’s Tech People Person and Chief of Staff to its Black Board of Advisors.

Amy is joined by guest Christie Skousen to discuss Keep the Damned Women Out by Dr. Nancy Weiss Malkiel. Topics include the struggle for co-education, gender ratios in U.S. colleges, and the sexist backlash against female students.

Christie Skousen is the founder of the Peery Piano Academy in Mountain View, CA and the author of the Peery Piano Curriculum, a certification and training system for piano teachers. Mrs. Skousen’s primary teachers include Dr. Irene Peery-Fox and Leon Fleisher. She gave her Carnegie Hall debut at age 18 and has performed as a soloist and with orchestras throughout the United States, Europe and Russia. She has served on the faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Division and teaches students around the world online in partnership with ArtistWorks. Her students are frequent prizewinners in local and national competitions.

You can find her work at www.etsy.com/shop/BlueGardensBeauty or BlueGardensBeauty.com.

Amy is joined by guest Marta Luna Wilde to discuss The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Topics include womanhood in 50’s and 60’s America, housewife identity, Hegel’s dialectics, and the hierarchy of needs.

Marta Luna Wilde is the youngest of nine children, born and raised (with 7 brothers and 1 sister) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her family immigrated from Central Mexico in 1962, her father having worked in the Bracero Program after World War II. In the 60s to early 1980s, her father worked as a cook at Stanford University which allowed her to play in and around campus throughout her childhood. She feels it was an amazing backyard in which to grow up. She received her BA from Stanford in 1987 and M.Ed from UCLA in 1990. Her professional career includes teaching in Los Angeles, Redwood City, and Palo Alto; serving as a program trainer with the Accelerated Schools Project (for disadvantaged schools) at Stanford’s School of Education, and working as a social science researcher developing curricula at the Prevention Research Center at Stanford’s School of Medicine. Currently, she is interested in finding ways to use her background in education to promote environmental education in schools, specifically with bilingual Spanish/English language learners. On a personal level, she and her husband have three daughters aged 13,13, and 21. Despite the pandemic, her family is thriving in a world turned upside down. Frequent Covid-safe visits with her 94-year-old mother help ground her and provide perspective on day-to-day living.

Amy is joined by guest Fya Parvis Jazra to conclude their discussion of The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir. This is Part Three of Three and covers de Beauvoir on abortion, childbirth, beauty, and consequences of subordination.

Fyza Parviz Jazra, originally from Pakistan, is a Graduate Student in Stanford’s MLA Program. She is currently working on her Master’s thesis on the Seventeenth-Century English interest in Arabic Astronomy. Previously she worked as a Software Engineer at Apple. She loves to read 19th-century fiction and, along with her husband, is a zealous bibliophile. She is also a mother to a 19-month-old boy.