Kristin Lems is an American musician, singer-songwriter, feminist, and author/educator in the field of teaching

English as a Second Language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EF ...

(ESL).

Early life and education

Lems grew up in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

and started singing at a young age. She has an A.B. from

The University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(1972). She earned master's degrees in West Asian Studies (1975) and Teaching English as a Second Language (1983) from the

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

. She earned a Doctorate of Education in Reading and Language from

National College of Education National Louis University (NLU) is a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. NLU enrolls undergraduate and graduate students in more than 60 programs across its four colleges. It has locations throughout the Chicago metropol ...

National Louis University National Louis University (NLU) is a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. NLU enrolls undergraduate and graduate students in more than 60 programs across its four colleges. It has locations throughout the Chicago metropol ...

(2003). She spent time on a Fulbright fellowship training teachers in Algeria. In 1993 Lems joined the faculty of National Louis University, and as of 2022 she is a professor there.

Biography

Lems' is known music and musical performances, for advocating for the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...

, and for her work within the teaching of English as a second language. Lems organized a local Womenfolk's Festival in Illinois that occurred on November 16, 1973. After that she became lead organizer for the first National Women's Music Festival that was held on the campus of the University of Illinois in 1974. Lems founded the festival because she wanted to provide more opportunities for women to perform, and she was particularly motivated after attending a folk festival with no women artists She continued as the lead organizer through 1978. Lems has performed in concerts around the United States, and is primarily known for the singing in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, most notably with her song the ''Ballad of the ERA''. In 1978 she described her goal of bringing music both to people who are politically motivated and women in general.

Selected works

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Awards and honors

Lems received the Humanist Heroine Award from the

American Humanist Association The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism. The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defend the constitutiona ...

in 1994. In 1996 the

Freedom from Religion Foundation The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an American nonprofit organization, which advocates for atheists, agnostics, and nontheists. Formed in 1976, FFRF promotes the separation of church and state, and challenges the legitimacy of many ...

awarded her with their Freethought Heroine Award. In 2021, the Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/Bilingual Education awarded Lems the Elliot Judd Outstanding Teacher Award.

References

External links