Janie Rezner's guest on Women's Voices, KZYX,was Joan Kuriansky who has been an advocate on behalf of womenâs rights throughout her career and has worked in the field of violence against women since 1978. She has led several national and local non-government organizations and has consulted on an international level in Russia, the NIS, the European Union and Southeast Asia.
Ms. Kuriansky was the first President of My Sisterâs Place in Washington DC, and served as the Executive Director of Women Against Abuse (WAA) in Philadelphia between 1981 and 1987. Under her leadership, WAA successfully advocated for the first specialized civil and criminal courts in the country, created the first program for battered women in prison as well as directed a comprehensive service program including a legal center, emergency shelter, transitional housing program, program for women charged with violence against their abusers and a multi-million public education and prevention campaign. In 1995, she directed the first technical assistance office established by the US Justice Dept. to implement the landmark Violence Against Women Act in all 50 states and the territories.
Today, Ms. Kuriansky serves on various local, national and international boards including the Alliance for Girls, the Center on Womenâs Policy Studies, the Caring Economy, Move the Mountain, the International Council of the New Israel Fund, the Center for National Securities Studies, and the Income Security Committee of the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) where she serves as a Fellow. Joan has received a number of awards for her work, including a Gloria Steinem award, named "A Woman of VIsion" by the Ms Foundation.
music "Its Time To Wake Up" from the CD "A Wake Up Call from Mother God" composed and performed by Janie Rezner www.janierezner.com