Des Moines Register columnist Rehka Basu will share “The Power of Voice” during a Women’s History/Social Work Month observance at Wartburg College Monday, March 25.
Basu has chronicled women’s struggles and triumphs for more than two decades at the Register. She will speak at 6:30 p.m. in Buckmaster Room 214 of Whitehouse Business Center. The event is open to the public free of charge.
Basu’s appearance is sponsored by the Slife Institute for Social Work and the Women’s Studies Program, with support from the Center for Community Engagement. Social work and behavioral science professionals can earn 1.5 continuing education units for a $5 fee payable at the door.
Basu’s presentation will include some of the back stories and lessons she learned through watching women become empowered to challenge unjust systems. Her new book, “Finding Her Voice,” is a compilation of columns based on those experiences.
“When the justice system hasn’t done its job right, and you are offered two versions of the truth, how do you decide whom to believe and whose cause to champion?” Basu said. “What are the potential consequences for victims and accused people if you get it wrong?”
Additionally, the columnist will consider what needs to happen for women in Iowa to achieve parity in the workplace, electorally and within the home.
Basu hosts a weekly web-based talk show, “Between the Lines.” She has been a reporter, editorial writer and columnist at newspapers in Iowa, New York, and Florida. Her byline has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The International Herald Tribune, and The Nation, among other publications.
Basu earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, a master’s degree in political economy from Goddard Cambridge Graduate School (where she subsequently taught) and a B.A. degree in sociology from Brandeis University. She graduated from the United Nations International School in New York.
A frequent public speaker, Basu also has made guest appearances on C-Span, CNN, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and National Public Radio. Her honors include an honorary doctorate from Grinnell College and the Cristine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice from the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.