Pioneering Portland State College of Education (COE) alumna Penny McDonald is not only a fervent volunteer for the Portland Womxn’s March, she wrote a book on it.
“Yes, I am a feminist: yes, yes, yes,” McDonald said.
McDonald is the author of “We March for You: Messages to Girls from the Women’s Marches.” The book describes the international female phenomenon of women’s marches, including the Portland Womxn’s March.
The march — coming up again on Sunday, March 1 at the Portland State University Park Blocks — is open to all and features a rally with speakers inspiring the crowd starting at noon and the march kicking off at 1 p.m. Now in its fourth year, the Portland Womxn’s March was one of many women’s marches worldwide that sparked in 2017 and have continued on as a statement of support for women everywhere.
“’Remember and rise’ is our tagline this year,” McDonald said. “It’s about marching in the footsteps of the women who have gone before us.”
McDonald is not only a passionate volunteer and author, she was the first graduate of Portland State’s Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) joint degree in Public School Administration and Supervision in 1981. One may still receive an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with an Administration, Curriculum and Instruction, Postsecondary, or Special Education specialization. However, the doctoral program is entirely at the PSU COE now, and no longer a joint degree, with time divvied up with another university.
Currently a retired English teacher and school principal, McDonald continues to educate others by writing books and volunteering as an English as a second language teacher in Latin America. But for the next for weeks, McDonald’s focus is the march, and she’s looking for participants and volunteers.
“Come march with us as a person identifying as female or as an ally,” she said.
If You Go
What: PDX Womxn’s March
When: Noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 1 (rally at noon and march at 1 p.m.)
Where: The event will be at the Portland State University South Park Blocks, stretching between SW Salmon to SW Harrison streets. For the route and other event location details, visit https://womxnsmarchpdx.com/route.
For more information on the march, including volunteer opportunities, visit https://womxnsmarchpdx.com.
About Penny McDonald
For more information on McDonald’s books, visit http://bananalunabooks.com.
To share stories on the College of Education, email Jillian Daley at jillian@pdx.edu.