Indigenous Women and Women of Color Student Symposium

 

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2018 Summit: This World is Ours to Build

The theme of the most recent summit, held in March 2018, was "This World is Ours to Build." The theme was inspired by civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama, who said, “Remember that consciousness is power… Tomorrow’s world is yours to build.” We were also influenced by Alicia Garza, activist and co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter, who reminded us, “This is the time for us to not just dream about what could be, but also start to build alternatives that we want to see.”

2016 Summit: Igniting Leadership, Confidence, and Cultural Strength

The third summit, held in March 2016, continued and expanded upon past conference themes, and provided an opportunity for attendees to examine these ideas in the context of leadership, confidence, and cultural strength. What are the multiple identities of women of color? How do they affect the learning, leading and living experiences of women of color students, particularly at predominantly white institutions (PWIs)? How do these identities affect how women of color see and work with one another?

2011-2015 Summit History

The inaugural summit, Safe Spaces, Critical Connections, was held in 2011 and centered around the themes of community-building, activism, leadership, and dialogue. The second summit, Loving Each Other Harder: Women of Color, Community and the Intersections of Our Identities*, was a continuation of the conversations that began in 2011. This conference took place in March 2014, and was an opportunity for attendees to examine these ideas in the context of intersectionality. A mini-conference, Being My Sister's Keeper: Supporting Each Other Through Action, was held in March 2015. 

*We are inspired by and graciously credit Maegan Ortiz (mamitamala) for the creation of the language of “loving each other harder” and Jessica Marie Johnson, author of Diaspora Hypertext, for her writing featuring the same language.