Congo/Women Portraits of War: The Democratic Republic of Congo, an internationally-touring photography exhibition and educational campaign that raises awareness of the widespread sexual violence facing women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will make its Florida debut in St. Petersburg as the first event of The Plight and Promise of Africa: An Eckerd College Initiative.

On display at The Poynter Institute from January 11 to February 20, 2010, Congo/Women conveys the strength and courage of Congolese women through powerful photographs by award-winning photojournalists Lynsey Addario, Marcus Bleasdale, Ron Haviv, and James Nachtwey. Accompanying essays contextualize the impact of the crisis from a range of perspectives.

"The Congo/Women photo exhibition and related events will help our community understand why Congo has been referred to 'as the most dangerous place on earth to be a woman or girl'," said Alizza Punzalan-Hall, Director of Community and Media Relations and Co-chair of the Eckerd-Africa Initiative. "Eckerd College is grateful for its collaborative partnerships with Poynter and other organizations that help to make this education possible."

The Congo/Women photo exhibition is free and open to the public. Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., seven days a week. The Poynter Institute is located at 801 Third Street South in St. Petersburg, Florida. Call 727-821-9494 to notify Poynter about large group tours.

This Exhibit was co-Produced by Art Works Projects and the Ellen Stone Belic Institute fore the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media, Columbia College Chicago. The exhibition's Florida debut is made possible by Eckerd College. Media sponsors include the St. Petersburg Times and WUSF Public Broadcasting.

For more information about the exhibit and the following events that have been planned in association with Congo/Women, visit www.eckerd.edu/africa:

"At Home and Abroad: The Role of Art and Artists in Creating Social Change"
Wednesday, January 20, 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Reception at 5:30 p.m., panel discussion at 6:15 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required. Call Eckerd College at 727-864-7979 or e-mail events@eckerd.edu to reserve a seat.

Grace-Anne Alfiero, executive director of Creative Clay Cultural Arts Center, will moderate a group of panelists who address social justice issues through programming and the improvement of accessibility of services and education for marginalized populations. Panelists include Leslie Thomas, executive and creative director of Art Works Projects and curator for the Congo/Women exhibit; Patrick Henry, sociology professor at Eckerd College; Carl Lavender, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Suncoast; Steve Lesky, vice president of Allegany Franciscan Ministries Foundation; Linda Osmundson, executive director of CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse); and, Terri Lipsey Scott, board chair for the Carter G. Woodson African-American Museum.

"Congo/Women: An Evening with Award-Winning Photojournalist Ron Haviv"
Wednesday, January 27, 7:00 p.m.
Conversation at 7:00 p.m., reception to follow. Tickets are $10. Reservations are required. To register, visit www.poynter.org/ronhaviv or call 727-821-9494.

Ron Haviv, one of Congo/Women's featured photographers, has produced images of conflict and humanitarian crises that have made headlines from around the world since the end of the Cold War. Poynter's Visual Journalism Group Leader and Director of Diversity, Kenneth Irby, will moderate the conversation.

About Congo/Women (www.congowomen.org)
Since its Chicago premiere in February 2009, Congo/Women has had major presentations in New York City and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. In May 2009, Senators Barbara Boxer and Russ Feingold invited the exhibition as the visual component of Senate Foreign Relations hearings on "Confronting Rape and Other Forms of Violence Against Women in Conflict Zones," with case studies on the DRC and Sudan.

Within two weeks of the hearing, Senators Boxer and Feingold wrote a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton outlining specific recommendations from the hearing. In August, Secretary Clinton made an unprecedented visit to the village of Goma, in the heart of the conflict in the DRC. She announced a $17 million plan to address sexual violence in the DRC, citing many of the recommendations from the May hearings, including training doctors and police officers, supplying equipment to document violence, and building facilities.

Learn how you can protect and empower Congo's Women: www.raisehopeforcongo.org

About The Poynter Institute (www.poynter.org)
Founded in 1975 in St. Petersburg, Fla., The Poynter Institute (www.poynter.org) is one of the nation's top schools for professional journalists, future journalists and journalism teachers. Poynter offers training throughout the year in the areas of online and multimedia, leadership and management, reporting, writing and editing, TV and radio, ethics and diversity, journalism education and visual journalism.

The Plight and Promise of Africa: An Eckerd College Initiative (www.eckerd.edu/africa) will raise Africa's profile through academic study, activism and community consciousness. From January to December 2010, Eckerd College will seek to engage its campus and the residents of Tampa Bay in classroom discussion and public dialogue about Africa - a complex continent that affects our global conscience. The Poynter Institute is one of ten community partners of the Initiative.