About the Center for Action and Public Service

Arising from their 2019 summer sabbatical grant, Dr. Elizabeth Wemlinger and Dr. Sharee Fowler identified the need for a space on campus that could provide the students, as well as the broader community, with a place to support women and girls in engaging more intentionally in the political environment and public life. On the centennial of the adoption of the 19th Amendment it is an important moment to reflect on the diverse impact and role of women in the political sphere and the continuing need for women to be actively engaged in political and public life locally, nationally, and globally.

This newly created center at Salem College is focused on efforts to expand the inclusion and diversity of the political and public landscape in the Winston-Salem area and beyond. We are focused on providing tools and resources to support Salem College students, and women and girls in the larger community, in their efforts to effect meaningful social change through their political and public service.

We are focused on the following initiatives:

  • Educating and equipping individuals with the skills and tools they need to engage effectively in the political environment and public life  
  • Bringing attention to governmental policies and their impact on the intersectional nature of individual’s experiences
  • Research and analysis on the ways that gender impacts policies and politics in meaningful ways in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County