We welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your interest in the Center.
Please contact Betsy Wilson at 734.764.7291, or email, ecwilson@umich.edu
CEW, 330 East Liberty
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104.2274
Photo: From left, Professor Ayelet Shachar and Menakka Bailey
Menakka Bailey has been a friend of the Center since her arrival in Ann Arbor in 1972. She has held several key volunteer roles and has served as a member of the CEW Leadership Council since 2000. Throughout the years, Bailey has been impressed with the Center’s commitment to initiating dialogue on women’s issues within several communities. (See box below.) However, she noted one arena that the Center did not often address – gender issues in an international context.
In May 2004, Bailey partnered with CEW to create the Christobel Kotelawala Weerasinghe Fund, used to support an activity, event, lecture or visiting scholar with an
international focus on issues that touch women’s lives. This endowed fund honors her mother, who, at age 83, continues to dedicate her life to advancing women’s lives and promoting cross-cultural dialogue.
Religion and Gender, The Global Clash
This February the Center held the inaugural Christobel Kotelawala Weerasinghe Fund event. We were pleased to team with the Law School by co-sponsoring Professor Ayelet Shachar, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto Law School, as she presented “Religion and Gender: The Global Clash.” Professor Shachar spoke about legal debates occurring around the world where laws are being crafted to promote or limit religious rights within a secular society. One example outlined by Shachar is the case of France, which has banned religious dress in public schools. Looking across the auditorium at community activists, law students and faculty engaged with Professor Shachar in discussion, it was clear that this event honored the gift’s purpose of “promoting dialogue.”
CEW Thanks Menakka Bailey for Making this Initiative Possible
The Center thanks Menakka Bailey for making our long-held dream of more fully addressing international issues possible. We are honored to be able to do so with Bailey as our partner and with her mother’s life as our inspiration.
