News & Media

Ohio Wesleyan’s Sisters United to Perform ‘Butterfly Confessions’

Author Tamara Winfrey Harris to Facilitate Discussion, Sign Books at Free April 2 Event

DELAWARE, Ohio – Yetta Young's “Butterfly Confessions” has been described as “a love letter to women of color,” addressing issues of intimacy, sexual responsibility, and overcoming adversity with equal parts humor and heartbreak, education, and empowerment.

The play, which brings awareness to domestic violence and HIV/AIDS, will be performed April 2 at Ohio Wesleyan University by Sisters United, an OWU student group that promotes and raises awareness of multicultural women’s empowerment, fellowship, and community involvement. The group’s free performance will begin at 8 p.m. in the Studio Theatre inside Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware.

Following the play, Tamara Winfrey Harris, author of “The Sisters are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative for Black Women in America,” will facilitate a community dialogue about Young's play and other issues impacting today’s women of color.

“For black women,” Winfrey Harris states, “the most radical thing we can do is to throw off the shackles forged by [stereotypes] and regain our full and complex humanity. [This] is a revolutionary act in the face of a society eager to mold us into hard, unbreakable things.”

Following the dialogue, Winfrey Harris will sign copies of her book, which will be available for purchase at the event or in advance at the OWU Bookstore inside Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware.

Winfrey Harris also has published in or appeared on such media outlets as The New York Times, NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” Ms., The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and Psychology Today. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University, and also is a graduate of the Maynard Institute’s Editing Program for Minority Journalists. Learn more at www.tamarawinfreyharris.com. 

Butterfly Confessions, a stage-play, is a love letter to women of color that reveals heartfelt emotions about intimacy, sexual responsibility and overcoming adversity. The play blends humor and heartbreak with education, empowerment and inspiration while bringing awareness to domestic violence and HIV/AIDS. Butterfly Confessions was created and conceived by Young but was a collective effort with 12 contributors. Learn more at http://butterflyconfessions.com. 

The upcoming performance and discussion are sponsored by Sisters United, the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs, and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. Learn more about the office and its mission at www.owu.edu/omsa.

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Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 87 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,675 students represent 43 U.S. states and territories and 33 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.