MEDIA ADVISORY

RALLY AT STATUE WILL AIM TO RAISE AWARENESS OF MISREPRESENTATION OF
WOMEN

	The University of Virginia Women's Center and the Committee
for the Empowerment of Young Women will co-sponsor an "Education
Liberation Rally" from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21 at the
Lewis and Clark statue on Main Street in Charlottesville.

        Among several educators speaking will be Linda Bunker,
U.Va. professor of education and a nationally-known sports
psychologist and authority on young women's development.  The rally
will aim to raise awareness about the underrepresentation and
misrepresentation of women and minorities throughout history.  "The
Lewis and Clark statue epitomizes this cultural problem with its
blatantly offensive representation of Sacagawea, who is depicted
crouching behind the men," said organizer Camille Cooper.  Nov. 21 was
chosen because it is the anniversary of the day that the statue was
dedicated in 1919 as a gift from Paul G. McIntire, local
philanthropist, to the city of Charlottesville.

       "Women's and young girl's self-esteem is in crisis in this
country, and we believe a large portion of the responsibility for that
lies in the hands of this country's educational system," said Cooper.
"There is a plausible connection between falling self-esteem and
curricular omission and bias," she said.  The committee is currently
drafting a bill for the Virginia state legislature requiring a
curriculum in the public schools that fully incorporates the
perspective of different cultures and women.

	For more information, contact Camille Cooper at (804) 923-0372
or the U.Va. Women's Center at (804) 982-2251.  For more information
about what's happening at the University of Virginia, visit U.Va.'s
Top News site, updated daily: http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/.
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                                                       November 19, 1997