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Writing from our collaborators
Courses in the Spring 2017 Harlem Semester Initiative
About the Harlem Semester Organized by the Barnard Center for Research on Women and the Department of Africana Studies and launched in 2016, the Harlem Semester Program is an ambitious public humanities initiative that explores the complexities of Harlem’s social, political, and intellectual histories, its leaders, its culture, and its artists. The curriculum of the […]
Read MoreBCRW Spring 2017 Newsletter: Upcoming Events on Black Feminism, Ethics of Being, and More
Director’s Note Over the past few months we have witnessed a heightened sense of fear, shock, and vulnerability about our families, friends, and communities. Yet this moment has also amplified critical research and analysis, creative forms of resistance, deep strategizing, and a recognition of the power and resources we have at hand. While the political […]
Read MoreLetter to Zora Neale Hurston
Dear Zora, At twenty-one, by back is already perpetually sore. Every bend, twist, and turn ignites a dull pain deep in my bones. I have lived with this pain for a while now. Each year it has grown in intensity, reaching a new dimension, developing a new expression. I imagine a hole being dug at […]
Read MoreGearing up for 2017
A NOTE FROM OUR DIRECTOR As we come to the close of a challenging semester, I am reminded of the inspiring conversations, critical insights, and crucial resources the BCRW community has provided over the past few months. I want to thank you for the part you play in this community. Thank you for joining us […]
Read MoreBCRW Launches the Social Justice Institute
The Barnard Center for Research on Women is thrilled to announce the launch of the Social Justice Institute building on the success of the 2014-16 Activist Fellows Program and BCRW’s history of activist-academic collaborations. The inaugural Social Justice Institute Activists-in-Residence are Reina Gossett, Cara Page, Tarso Ramos, Andrea Ritchie, and Dean Spade. Taking seriously the critiques of the academic […]
Read MoreBlack Escapism in Arthur Jafa's "Dreams are Colder than Death"
The escape artist flashed by on a metallic blue motorcycle, pursued by a blur of pulsing red and blue lights. Drawn together by a sentiment exceeding mutual compassion, the sidewalk spectators stood inert, breaths and bodies taut with anticipation. For a moment, parts of us took flight alongside the fugitive, our lives reaching beyond the […]
Read MoreMarriage Institutes Inequality and Violence: Lessons for Queer and Trans Liberation Movements
In October 2013, BCRW and The Engaging Tradition Project at The Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School co-convened a conference called Queer Dreams and Non-Profit blues to examine the critiques emerging from queer and feminist activists and scholars about the impact of funding on social movement agendas and formations. During the […]
Read MoreGender Amplified hosts Dear Daughter Remix Contest
Gender Amplified, an org founded and run by Barnard and BCRW alum Ebonie Smith, is hosting a remix contest for the metal band Halestorm. Check it out and share! HALESTORM TEAMS UP WITH GENDER AMPLIFIED FOR “DEAR DAUGHTER REMIX CONTEST” September 12, 2016–Halestorm and Gender Amplified have partnered to present the “Dear Daughter Remix Contest,” where fans […]
Read More#fcg40: Calling for colored girls!
Forty years ago in September of 1976, for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow was enuf moved to the Booth Theater on Broadway, sparking new conversations about black womanhood, feminism and gender relations. BCRW’s Digital Shange Project and the Barnard Archives and Special Collections(home to the Ntozake Shange Collection) are celebrating Ntozake Shange (BC ‘70) and her […]
Read MoreBCRW Fall 2016 Newsletter
DIRECTOR’S NOTE As a feminist theorist trained as an historian, I believe in the time honored adage that we must know our histories to build the world we need. In that spirit, BCRW’s fall programs will explore our collective feminist archives, some more literal than others, using these histories to take inspiration from our past […]
Read MoreOn the DOJ’s Decision to Stop Using Private Prisons: Detention is Prison, Too. Let’s End It.
The Department of Justice announced today that it will stop outsourcing federal prisons to private prison companies due to extreme levels of physical, psychological, and sexual violence and death in these facilities. While this is the result of decades of abolitionist organizing, activists insist that we not let this news distract us: Private, for-profit prisons will continue to operate […]
Read MorePositivity Activism and Disability Justice: An Interview with Xian Horn
Can you describe some of the work that you do? Sure….In a nutshell: I run workshops on beauty and self-esteem, because I believe it is an essential human right to recognize our gifts and beauty. As a teacher, blogger, and speaker, I’m a storyteller whose stories ideally serve as a reflection of others and the […]
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