MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s National Women’s History Month keynote speaker Rebekah Taussig will be “sitting pretty” March 28 as she advocates for inclusivity and accessibility for all.

Taussig — Instagram personality and author of the bestselling memoir “Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body” — will take the stage at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in the Student Union Ballroom for the free public talk.

“What I find intoxicating about disability pride,” Taussig wrote on an Instagram post, “is often the same thing that makes me want to hide — my desire/pride is disruptive. People stare, condescend. And also, pride is a disruption that prompts, challenges, expands with the power to crack open a dance floor.”

Her advocacy aligns with this year’s Women’s History Month theme, “B.E. True Blue,” in encouraging people to embrace their authentic selves through “Belonging” and “Engagement.”

“I enjoy finding speakers who may reach a wide audience, and speak on topics we haven’t had recently,” said June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students director Maigan Wipfli, chair of the National Women’s History Month Committee, which is sponsoring the keynote event. “Rebekah is an author and podcaster with a large Instagram following and the National Women’s History Month committee felt she would be a speaker that will resonate with students.”

Taussig was 14 months old when she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor that attacked her spine. Treatment eradicated the cancer but left her paralyzed from the waist down since age 3. The Kansas native has spent her life in an able-bodied world that often overlooks those who are disabled.

“We exist in defiance — we keep showing up, even when we’re told that won’t work, there’s no room, we’re not equipped, you can’t come,” Taussig writes.

She encourages the able-bodied world, “when someone’s difference scares you, that’s the precise moment to lean in, shut up and listen.”

“She is a fighter on a mission to show that disabled people have incredible value,” Wipfli noted. “She argues that a more inclusive world is a better place for all of us.”

The free public talk will be held in the second-floor ballroom of the Student Union, 1768 MTSU Blvd. A searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program begins at 6 p.m. American Sign Language interpretation will be available during the event.

The event is co-sponsored by the June Anderson Center, the Distinguished Lecture Fund and the Disability and Access Center.

This will be the last National Women’s History Month event held in March. Two more will take place in April, including:

• “Advocate for Women in STEM,” set for 6 p.m. Monday, April 1, in Room 106 of the Science Building, 440 Friendship St. Murfreesboro native Freneka Minter, MTSU alumna and senior community research program manager for the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, will speak. For more details, contact Judith Iriarte-Gross at judith.iriarte-gross@mtsu.edu.

• “My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood,” will be held at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, April 6, in the Student Union Ballroom, 1768 MTSU Blvd. The event is co-sponsored by Intercultural and Diversity Affairs in conjunction with the LGBTQ+ College Conference. For more details, contact William Langston at william.langston@mtsu.edu.

For more information about National Women’s History Month at MTSU, visit https:// mtsu.edu/jac/nwhm.php or email maigan.wipfli@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-5812. Visit https:// mtsu.edu/jac/ to learn more about the June Anderson Center, located in Room 330 in the Student Union Building, 1768 MTSU Blvd.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)