Women’s History Month Panel Discussion

On Monday, March 20, the Associated Students of Citrus College hosted a panel discussion to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Dr. Geraldine M. Perri, Superintendent/President of Citrus College, Dr. Martha McDonald, Vice President of Student Services of Citrus College, Dr. Devorah Lieberman, President at the University of La Verne and Mrs. Karen Davis, Three-time Mayor of Glendora, all took part in the discussion.

The discussion was hosted by history professor Elisabeth Ritacca, who asked the panelists several questions regarding their experiences in life and careers through the eyes of a woman.

When Ritacca asked how gender has shaped each of their careers, Perri, who is the first female superintendent/president, responded by explaining how when she began working as a dental assistist, she realized the different types of work she had to do as a woman that her male counterparts never seemed to do. Things like cleaning the office or cleaning the bathroom were regular tasks assigned to the women in the office.

Perri went on to describe the start of her career in administration and the initial difficulty she faced managing seven men and one woman who were well-versed in their positions already.

“We actually worked well together but I did feel personally challenged by it, in terms of the different aspects of my life that were being female, being younger, and not having any experience. There were opportunities but there were challenges as well,” Perri said.

Davis responded to the question by talking about her experience as a sports writer during the 1980’s and how being a women presented challenges in this field.

She recalled an encounter in which she was in the press box at a stadium in South Carolina and someone was cheering, which is not allowed in the press box. Security mistakenly assumed it was her because she was the only woman and unsuccessfully tried to have her removed.

Martha McDonald speaking during the panel discussion

“Fortunately, in that field, as evidenced by ESPN and some of the major networks we see that things have changed. There’s a lot more women in that field but when I would travel with teams people at the airport would say things like ‘Oh what are you? The tight end?’ or stupid comments like that, so it was a learning curve,” Davis said.

Dr. Martha McDonald, who is the first female instructor in Marine Corps Security Forces School, talked about how the Marines left her feeling like there was nothing she could not accomplish, even though she was a woman.

McDonald explained that while being an instructor as well as the only female in her unit, her fellow Marines began to see her as a motherly figure as opposed to a peer. She did not like this view of herself and began to change her behavior accordingly.

“Not being this mean drill instructor type but somewhat just being more firm, being more assertive, and being more directive. Once I started to behave in that way, it changed their mentality about me,” McDonald said.

I think it’s about the way you carry yourself, the way you represent yourself, and the way you perform.” -Martha McDonald

While there have been many changes for women in history, moderator Elisabeth Ritacca was curious as to the specific changes each of the women have faced in their respective fields and whether these changes have been negative or positive.

Dr. Devorah Lieberman, the first female president of the University of La Verne, explained her concerns for the lack of change thus far while championing the advancements for women as well.

“I think it’s an evolution. I think we have more female CEOs and presidents and mayors and Chiefs of police than we’ve had before. I think in another generation we’ll have more and I think there will be shifts over the many many generations in respect and accomplishment,” Lieberman said.

The panelists listening to Dr. Lieberman discuss her views on Women’s History Month

All of the women on the panel had insightful remarks throughout the discussion as to what it is like to be a women in their line of work and had much to say about the positives and negatives they have been dealt in their lives.b This year’s Women’s History Month theme is Honoring Trailblazing Women and this panel discussion seemed to do just that.