This past May, Minnesotans mourned the passing of Koryne Horbal. In her lifetime, Horbal launched the Minnesota Women’s Political Caucus and the DFL Feminist Caucus, served as a U.S. representative to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, and was appointed the DFL party chair at the age of 31. A vocal and unapologetic activist, Horbal was a champion for women, as well as the LGBTQ+ community. Neither the loss of her husband in 2015 nor the three strokes she subsequently suffered stopped her from working on the 2016 presidential campaign for Hillary Clinton. Horbal did not have the money to attend college in the 1950s, but Augsburg University granted her an honorary degree in 2008 due to her work as a consultant with Augsburg’s Women’s Resources Center. Koryne Horbal lives on through her children, grandchildren, and the feminist spark that she ignited in people around the world.

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Fardosa Hassan ’12

Fardosa Hassan was born in Somalia and graduated from Washburn High School in Minneapolis. She is now a senior at Augsburg majoring in sociology and international relations with a minor in religion.

Her leadership was key to the Nobel Peace Prize Forum held at Augsburg. She worked to prepared the interfaith dialogue that occurred between former Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik; Rev. Mitri Raheb of Palestine; USAID leader Zeenat Rahman; and U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison.

Fardosa served as an intern in the Kenya Parliament. Here her experience with Kenyan culture and politics led her to change her major. Fardosa’s firm belief in the importance of basic human rights was strengthened by her experience in Kenya. It was there that she came to the realization that what she cares about most is women’s rights: equal pay for equal work, and much more. Fardosa also completed an internship with Lutheran Social Services, where she had the opportunity to work on immigration and refugee issues.

A founding member of Augsburg’s Interfaith Scholar cohort, Fardosa was recognized by President Barack Obama and invited to the White House to take part in the Interfaith Campus Challenge. This further strengthened her strong belief of the importance of protecting basic human rights here and around the world.

Marie Braun

Marie Braun has spent nearly six decades, starting when she was twenty-something, working on behalf of peace and justice. She marched with Martin Luther King to Selma, and was further motivated by King’s 1967 speech against the Vietnam War. Her effort has been constant, and her focus has been in helping those who need it most.

Marie co-founded the Counseling Clinic in Brooklyn Center, which provided outpatient chemical dependency and mental health treatment to those who might otherwise not have been served. Marie, on behalf of the victims of war, has been to jail, traveled to Iraq, and demonstrated at Alliant Tech and in the offices of our elected officials. She has repeatedly risked arrest. Her primary purpose is peace, and in this, she strives to make a difference for women who always bear a disproportionate share of the ravages of war.

Marie works relentlessly and with courage to bring constant attention to the immorality of war and the weapons of war, and to say, “You may not fund or carry out these wars in my name—not in my name.”

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This free conference runs from 3:30 – 8 p.m., and it is not necessary to register in advance to participate. Sessions will be running at various times throughout the conference:

(3:30 – 4 p.m.) — Welcome and refreshments (Minneapolis Room)

(4 – 5 p.m.) — Presentations (Augsburg and Riverside Rooms); Art and Poster Session (ongoing, Minneapolis Room)

(5 – 5:15 p.m.) — Break and Refreshments (Minneapolis Room)

(5:15 – 6:15 p.m.) — Presentations (Augsburg and Riverside Rooms); Art and Poster Session (ongoing, Minneapolis Room)

(6:30 – 7:30 p.m.) — Dinner (free, Minneapolis Room)

(7 – 7:30 p.m.) — Panel: “What Can I Do With A Women’s Studies Major?” (Minneapolis Room)

(7:30 – 8 p.m.) — Drawings for Door Prizes and iPods (Minneapolis Room)

Please contact Jessica Nathanson, Director of Augsburg’s Women’s Resource Center, at nathanso@augsburg.edu with questions about the conference.

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The project’s visit to Augsburg lands in the middle of a schedule that takes it around the Twin Cities from Jan. 15 – March 9, including the University of Minnesota and Macalester College. For more information on these off-campus events and on the project itself, please visit www.pwh-mn.org .

The Anne Pederson Women’s Resource Center is sponsoring the project’s events at Augsburg on Feb. 20, and the theme for the day’s events is “Women and War.” All of these events will be held in the East Commons of the Christensen Center:

9 a.m. – “Women and Military Leadership,” presented by Ann Wright, U.S. Army Colonel (ret.), resigned from U.S. State Department over Iraq War

10 a.m. – “The Draft Lottery,” dramatic re-enactment of a selective service lottery

10:30 a.m. – “VetSpeak Panel,” veterans discuss the volunteer army, the draft, and role of women; moderated by Ann Wright

11 a.m. – “Who Will Speak for the Victims?” presented by Elizabeth de la Vega,

author, former federal prosecutor in Minn. and Calif.

Noon – “Women Warriors: Is this Equality?” presented by Chante Wolfe, Vets for Peace

2 p.m. – “The Hidden Cost of War: Civilians and the Environment,” presented by Mary Beaudoin, Women Against Military Madness (WAMM)

4 p.m. – “Why Women’s Voices Are Unique: Passing the Torch,” panel discussion moderated by State Rep. Karen Clark

5:30 p.m. – “Ann Wright – My Personal Journey,” presented by Ann Wright, U.S. Army Colonel (ret.), resigned from U.S. State Department over Iraq War

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