Maryland Shared Open Access Repository

MD-SOAR is a shared digital repository platform for twelve colleges and universities in Maryland. It is currently funded by the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium (usmai.org) and other participating partner institutions. MD-SOAR is jointly governed by all participating libraries, who have agreed to share policies and practices that are necessary and appropriate for the shared platform. Within this broad framework, each library provides customized repository services and collections that meet local institutional needs. Please follow the links below to learn more about each library's repository services and collections.

 

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Breaking the Silence: Reclaiming Voice and Space for Black Women in Patriarchal Societies - A Case Study of Nigeria
(2025-07) Ossai, Bukola Abiodun; Ramirez, Adelmar; Hoffman, Karen; Tucker-Worgs, Tamelyn; Hood College Arts and Humanities; Humanities
I write not only as a student of the humanities but as a Nigerian woman who has lived through the persistent violence of patriarchal silencing for seventeen years. My voice was not mine; I was taught that speaking the truth was rebellion, that ambition was arrogance, and that silence was strength. But I am no longer silent. This project is the culmination of that refusal: my voice rising not only for myself but for the countless African and Black women whose stories have been distorted, dismissed, or denied altogether. This portfolio is an act of reclamation, asserting that liberation begins with voice, with the courage to speak, to name pain, and to imagine freedom beyond the boundaries set by patriarchy. Drawing on feminist thought and the lived experiences of silenced women, it emphasizes the necessity of space —a life of one’s own, where a woman can think, feel, be loved, and resist. To create and occupy that space is not only a personal triumph but a political act that opens doors for others. This work is a declaration that women’s stories matter, and that through voice, healing, and transformation, they become possible. This portfolio is both personal and political. It investigates the suffering and systemic marginalization of women, particularly African and Nigerian women, under patriarchal power structures. It calls for a reimagining of social, cultural, and moral spaces where women’s voices are not only heard but also honored, and to bridge the gap between theory and experience, scholarship and story, literature and life. This work confronts the historical and cultural practices that silence women and seeks pathways toward liberation. At its core, this work asks: ● In what ways have African women been personally silenced, and how does this silence manifest as both erasure from history and invisibility in media representation? ● How has patriarchy, across generations, institutions, and ideologies, erased women’s agency and voice? ● What are the pathways for reclaiming space, voice, and power, and how can feminist frameworks, especially Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s, challenge gendered expectations, such as “Why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and not to ambition?” help African women imagine and build freer, more self-defined futures? This portfolio is organized to guide the reader through these questions in a deliberate and layered way. This work begins with a review of the literature and theoretical foundations that inform it, tracing the insights of feminist thinkers and writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Audre Lorde, and Kimberlé Crenshaw. It then centers the specific realities of Nigerian women, examining how patriarchy, culture, and history intersect to shape their experiences of silence and resistance. Through literary analysis, personal reflection, and the narratives of other women, this project argues for a radical reimagining of freedom that makes space for women’s truths to be told and believed. To answer these questions, I draw from feminist theory, postcolonial critique, literary analysis, and, most importantly, the lived experiences of women like me. My feminism is grounded in the realities of African womanhood, a refusal to remain silent any longer. This portfolio is not simply an academic project; it is a call to witness, to remember, and to act.
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Hydroxychloroquine's false hope: How an obscure drug became a coronavirus 'cure'
(Washington Post, 2020-04-12) Samuels, Elyse; Tancharoen, Maurissa; Seley-Radtke, Katherine; Donovan, Joan; Boulware, David
Claims about hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have taken hold of the global consciousness. Online conversations, media articles and politicians’ statements quickly - and incorrectly - labeled it as a ‘cure’ for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Conversation around the drugs first spiked in mid-February after a Chinese news outlet tweeted about studies on the drugs. Word of the potential cure spread around the globe, reaching the U.S. in mid - March. A series of posts online, including a tweet by a blockchain investor, Elon Musk and President Trump, helped the idea gain traction. Trump has repeatedly championed hope in the drugs online and at press conferences. Yet scientists say there is only anecdotal evidence the drugs work to treat covid-19. Experts warn of lasting and dangerous consequences from promoting a drug with such a lack of scientific data it works. Already, a run on the drugs has caused a shortage for those who need it, like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis patients. The Fact Checker breaks down the data that shows when and how people began talking about hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine online - and highlights the fallout of overhyping drugs without concrete evidence
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COVID-19 Patients Given Unproven Drug In Texas Nursing Home In 'Disconcerting' Move
(NPR, 2020-04-10) Romo, Vanessa; Seley-Radtke, Katherine
A Texas doctor defends his decision to give dozens of coronavirus patients hydroxychloroquine, in some cases without telling their families first.
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Hydroxychloroquine Is Being Studied As A Way To Treat Coronavirus
(NPR, 2020-04-08) King, Noel; Seley-Radtke, Katherine
NPR's Noel King talks to medicinal chemist Katherine Seley-Radtke about hydroxychloroquine, a malaria and arthritis drug touted by the president as a COVID-19 remedy with limited clinical evidence.
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Intl Antiviral Research Organization Allays Concerns Over Availability Of Remdesivir Drug
(UrduPoint, 2020-05-15) FH, Sumaira; Seley-Radtke, Katherine
Katherine Seley-Radtke, a prominent medicinal chemist and the president-elect of the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR), dispelled concerns over the possible shortages of Remdesivir, an experimental antiviral drug for treating COVID-19 patients, which many fear takes too long to produce