Andrea Smith, associate professor of media and cultural studies at UC Riverside, will speak on violence against Native American women and women of color on Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. in Ursa Major. Her lecture part is of a year-long series sponsored by the Hugh O. La Bounty Endowed Chair in Interdisciplinary Applied Knowledge focusing on women, gender, sexuality and the body.

Smith is an anti-violence activist and scholar. She is the co-founder of the Boarding School Healing Project and INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, a national grassroots organization that utilizes direct action and critical dialogue.

This year¿s La Bounty series, ¿Challenging Social Norms: Re-envisioning Women, Gender, Sexuality, and the Body,¿ is exploring gender inequalities; women¿s bodies and sexuality; and activism and empowerment through the arts. The events are organized by the Department of Ethnic & women¿s Studies and the Office of Student Life & Cultural Centers. In October, medical writer and editor Harriet Washington presented her research on medical apartheid and body politics.

Jocelyn Pacleb, ethic and women¿s studies professor and a member of the La Bounty committee, says the committee wanted to focus on current gender issues at the global and national level, as well as issues that are relevant to the campus community. The invited scholars, activists and performers will share their experience in raising awareness and reducing gender inequalities.

Named after Hugh O. La Bounty, the university¿s third president, the endowed chair brings distinguished visitors and organizers events that expose students to a variety of experiences, views and opinions.

La Bounty core committee members include: Terri Gómez (ethnic & women¿s studies); Sandy Kewanhaptewa-Dixon (ethnic & women¿s studies); Anita Jain (ethnic & women¿s studies); Jocelyn Pacleb, Jami Grosser (Pride Center); Lorena Márquez (César E. Chávez Center for Higher Education); Mayra Lewis (Violence & Prevention Women¿s Resource Center); Lucy Soriano, a student assistant majoring in gender, ethnicity and multicultural studies; and Martha Yanamura (ethnic & women¿s studies).