The Institute for Women’s Studies at the University of Georgia is hosting its eighth conference on Women and Girls in Georgia on Oct. 26 at the Zell B. Miller Learning Center on the UGA campus.
The theme of this year’s Women and Girls in Georgia Conference is Community. Presentation topics will explore politics and community engagement; trauma; immigrant rights and community response; mental health, sexual and reproductive health; community response to sexual and partner violence; black women and girls, new communities, and alternative futures; feminist activism and organizing; feminist pedagogy and education; ecological organizing; digital feminist diasporas; and more.
The Women and Girls in Georgia Conference was established in 2007 to highlight and encourage cutting-edge research and advocacy by, for and about women and girls in Georgia, in all their diversity. The conference brings together leading researchers, teachers, activists and community members to share expertise, strengthen networks and strategize for positive social change in Georgia and beyond. The conference seeks to stimulate questions about the status and concerns of women and girls in the state that will generate influential research and bring that research to the attention of policymakers and activists across the state and region.
This year’s conference will include a keynote address by Ada Cheng, professor-turned-storyteller and solo performer. Cheng was a tenured professor in sociology at DePaul University from 2001 to 2016 when she resigned to pursue a career in performance. During her tenure at DePaul, she taught courses on gender, sex, sexuality, masculinity and immigration. Her keynote performance, “Not Quite: Navigating Citizenship and Belonging,” will include an interactive audience talkback.
In addition to the keynote address, the conference will include a plenary roundtable discussion on the importance of community building in local and state-level activism. Panelists include Briana Bivens from Athens for Everyone, Shannon Clawson from Georgia Equality, and Agbo Ikor from Spark Reproductive Justice Now. More panelists will be announced.
The conference will also feature workshops facilitated by the Feminist Women’s Health Center, Georgia 4-H, the University of Georgia LGBT Resource Center and more, as well as knowledge sharing, community building and networking opportunities.
The conference is open to academics, advocates, activists, students and community members. The cost is $45 for academics and professionals, $25 for community members, and $10 for students. Registration ends Oct. 14. The full conference program and registration information can be found online at http://iws.uga.edu/wagg or by calling 706/542-2846.
