An essential part of the road to full equality for women has been the opening of careers in the broad range of disciplines, many that were previously forbidden to women. Perhaps no person had as much effect as the woman known to the world as Madame Curie.

Barbara Luetke recently retired after 10 years as the Outreach & Literacy Coordinator at the Northwest School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children and decades more in the field. She's written a number of textbooks in that field.

Today's topic is Venerable Women: Transform Ourselves, Transform the World, a book and work into which Dawn Morningstar was launched by a statement by the Dalai Lama, "The world will be saved by the Western woman". As a Master Coach from Learning Journeys, a former DJ in the Twin Cities on a show called Delicious Conversations, and as a passionate advocate for love, light and laughter, Dawn seeks healing & strength for a better world.

Judith Plaskow and Carol P. Christ helped to found the study of women & religion, starting in Yale University.

For decades there has been a political war about abortion where the only acceptable answers were pro-choice or pro-life. Aspen Baker, founder of Exhale & author of Pro-Voice: How to Keep Listening When The World Wants a Fight, has been advocating for empathic listening to women who've had abortions as a new path to peace in the abortion wars.

In Mumbet's Declaration of Independence, Gretchen Woelfle, brings to life the true story of Elizabeth Freeman (Mumbet), whose efforts & determination led slavery to be declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts in 1783. Gretchen writes books for youth on a variety of social justice & environmental topics.

The Raging Grannies of Madison, Wisconsin are part of a nationwide & international movement of women singing and standing for peace, justice, and creation. Three of the Madison group - Bonnie Block, Rebecca Alwin, & Barbara Park, speak of the motives, methods, & movement of older women and the songs they sing to change our world.

Visit with Louise Knight, author of Jane Addams: Spirit In Action. Around a century ago Jane Addams stood at the head of the major peace & justice efforts of her day.

Our two guests consider whether government can do Spirit work on Earth. Jason Penn Browne, author of William Penn's Legacy, writes about the many ways that Penn's Holy Experiment influenced the development of the USA. Julia Ryberg has lived in Sweden for 30+ years, experiencing a progressive system based on the entwining of church & state.

Sara Thomsen is strongly called to heal the world through her music. One of her songs, "Is It For Freedom", has been heard repeatedly on Democracy Now, because of its poignant call for our nation's self-examination following 9-11. Her concerns are wide - women, LGBT issues, care for creation, peace and more - and she writes and sings with soul-deep sensitivity.

All the songs in this program are performed by Sara Thomsen