Women writers make a difference

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s the year of the woman.

We are speaking up and standing up for what we know is right, and others are listening. I’ve never been a wallflower by any means, but it’s nice not to feel so alone in my assertiveness.

I have colleagues who are strong, independent women who have spent their lives, like I have, dedicated to making a difference in the world through good journalism.

Two of these friends — Debra Hale-Shelton, a reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and Donna Lampkin Stephens, a journalism professor at the University of Central Arkansas and former Arkansas Gazette reporter — asked me to join them in making a proposal for the C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference, set for November at UCA. I was flattered and excited.

We found out in May that our proposal was accepted, and we are thrilled.

These are women I’ve known for years and respect and admire. They’ve done amazing work in their careers.

Debra has won the Arkansas Press Association’s I.F. Stone Award for investigative journalism twice. She reported and edited for The Associated Press in Chicago, Little Rock and other cities for more than 20 years before working for the Democrat-Gazette.

Donna was just the third female sportswriter at the Arkansas Gazette and, in 1991, became the first female reporter allowed in the Arkansas Razorback locker room. I didn’t even know that until we wrote our bios for this conference.

Since the Gazette closed in 1991, she has been a freelance writer for a number of publications, including our zoned editions, lucky for me.

Not only that; she produced The Old Gray Lady: Arkansas’s

First Newspaper, a 90-minute documentary film on the history of the Arkansas Gazette, which I think should be required viewing for every journalist in this state.

I included in my bio for the conference that I’ve won the Arkansas Press Women Communications Contest Sweepstakes Award eight times and the national sweepstakes honor three times. I worked at The

Jonesboro Sun and the Log Cabin Democrat before I came to this paper 12-plus years ago.

The topic we decided on was Women in Journalism.

Here is what Debra wrote in our submission:

“Journalists Donna Stephens, Tammy Keith and Debra Hale-Shelton started out in print journalism decades ago. In that time, they have seen and endured gender disparities in pay, promotions and assignments. They also have endured sexual harassment, discrimination and condescension — sometimes in the newsroom and sometimes on assignment.

“As a sports writer, Stephens has worked in a male-dominated profession covering sports that also are often dominated by men. Keith, a reporter and columnist, has endured harassment and worse, while