05.14.2008  Intl. Museum of Women's "Extraordinary Voices, Extraordinary Change" Speaker Series

Dr. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, the president of the Republic of Latvia from 1999 to July 2007, will appear in San Francisco on May 14, 2008 as the featured speaker in the International Museum of Women’s (I.M.O.W.) Extraordinary Voices, Extraordinary Change Speaker Series program at the Omni Hotel. The evening kicks off with a reception at 5:00 p.m. with Dr. Vīķe-Freiberga speaking at 6:00 p.m. about a range of topics—from her life-shaping experiences as a young girl fleeing her war-torn country at the end of WWII to becoming the first female head of state in post-communist Eastern Europe. Dr. Vīķe-Freiberga will discuss the economic and political opportunities that have opened up for women in Eastern Europe since the fall of the Iron Curtain, the effect of globalization on the future of Latvia, as well as the future challenges that lie ahead for women seeking gender equality.

This popular former Latvian president appears in conjunction with I.M.O.W.’s new global online exhibition, Women, Power and Politics. Launched on March 8, the cutting-edge multimedia exhibition runs until December 31 in four languages—Arabic, English, French and Spanish at www.imow.org.