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Writing from our collaborators
Feminist Scholar Mamphela Ramphele launches new political party in South Africa
Mamphela Ramphele, a keynote speaker at BCRW’s 40th Anniversary conference, has made news in South Africa, possibly to change the face of South African politics. Ramphele has stepped down from her position as Chairwoman of Gold Fields to announce the formation of a new political party, Agang (‘Let Us Build’), in time for the 2014 elections. In the speech that […]
Read MoreA Few More Contributors for The Scholar and Feminist 2013: Utopia
To prepare for the upcoming BCRW conference The Scholar and Feminist 2013: Utopia, we are highlighting the diverse and accomplished contributers who will be challenging us to imagine the impossible through bold presentations and participatory workshops. This is our second round of introductions (check out the first round here), highlighting the work of four Utopia contributors who write, remix, advocate, and […]
Read MoreWomen in the Labor Movement: Campus Activism
With any history of activism, there is a history of oppression to go with it. In recent years, Columbia University has been the site of a series of ongoing labor disputes–disputes so outrageous, in fact, that the situation called for some old- fashioned grassroots organizing. Last fall, I helped start a student activist group, Student-Worker Solidarity (SWS), […]
Read MoreIntroducing A Few of the Contributors for The Scholar and Feminist 2013: Utopia
To prepare for the upcoming BCRW conference The Scholar and Feminist 2013: Utopia, we are thrilled to highlight the the diverse and accomplished contributers who will be engaging, educating, and challenging us to imagine the impossible through bold presentations and participatory workshops. Today, we highlight the work of four such contributors who are confronting the status quo through art, activism, publications, and performance. Dignidad Rebelde is […]
Read MoreNext Steps in the Struggle for Citizenship in the Dominican Republic
On December 6th, at the Human Rights Day event honoring Sonia Pierre, we remembered a woman who amplified the voices of people who were the most marginalized and excluded in her country – women, people in poverty, and ethnic minorities. We celebrated the ambitious and relentless way she developed international coalitions to expose her government for […]
Read MoreNora Connor in Guernica
It has been more than a decade since the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, conflicts that have raised complex questions about women’s roles in combat, the effects of military life on women soldiers, and the ongoing struggles of veterans returning home from war. Filmmaker and freelance journalist Nora Connor, who is currently teaching […]
Read MoreMuslim Women, Activism, and New Media in Kenya
As a college sophomore and member of technology-educated Generation Y, I tend to believe myself worthy of the title “tech-savvy.” I imagine, in true Millennial style, that I have a pretty strong grasp on media technologies and their potential. Ousseina Alidou‘s conversation on Muslim Women, Activism, and the New Media in Kenya on November 14, brought me down a notch. I […]
Read MoreExceptional Conversations about Sexuality
CatalystCon is a three-day conference founded by Dee Dennis with workshops and panels that foster dialogue surrounding all aspects of sexuality and sex-positivity. Its mission is to “spark communication in sexuality, acceptance & activism”, with the belief that knowledge comes first and foremost before activism. Participants, both speakers and attendees, include “sex educators, sexologists, sex workers, writers, activists, […]
Read MoreCATCALLED NYC
CATCALLED logo (sketch of letters on top on buildings at street level) Street harassment is the biggest unlegislated form of violence against women in the world. There is almost no legal recourse against street harassment in public places—a type of harassment that 98 percent of women will face at least once, according to the Harvard Law Review. […]
Read MoreTo Predestine and Condition – On Dorothy Roberts’ Fatal Invention
“The highly publicized lawsuit was intensified by the clinic’s failure to deliver a white baby…” Dorothy Roberts stood before a room full of people, showing a picture of what seemed to be a happy interracial family portrait. But it wasn’t a happy family picture, or even a success story. The picture staring down at that night’s crowd […]
Read MoreStaking Our Claim: Writing Trans* Characters for the 21st Century
Before I attended Staking Our Claim: Trans Women’s Literature in the 21st Century, I was unsure of what to expect. The literature I’ve encountered that addresses trans*issues has been rare, and has almost always focused on the protagonist’s transition, as if the experience of being trans* starts soon before hormone therapy and reaches its conclusion at the end […]
Read MoreStudent & Campus Activism: Change Through Collaboration
Student activism has a rich history and legacy. From the protests against American involvement in the Vietnam War across U.S. college campuses to the more recent Chilean protests against the country’s education system, student mobilization has proven critical to the ever-changing landscape of social justice. Scholars and activists from around the country touched on this very subject […]
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