OU Women's and Gender Studies Summer 2017

2016-2017 NEWSLETTER

Letter From the Director

I remain grateful for the opportunity to direct the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma. It feels good to finally be awarded tenure. It goes without saying that I have been strengthened by the support of my colleagues and look forward to continuing to serve the program in the future.

After two years of service, Sherri Irvin has decided to step down as the Women's and Gender Studies Center for Social Justice codirector. I cannot thank her enough for her service, and I am grateful that she will continue to lead the Social Justice Workshop. Lisa Funnell has been named the new co-director, and is an excellent addition to the team.

I am happy to say that our core faculty continues to grow. Our department now includes two tenure-track professors (Funnell and Hollie Mackey); one tenured full professor (Jill Irvine); one tenured associate professor (myself); and one ranked renewable term professor (Megan Sibbett). I am also thrilled to report that JoAnna Wall has been offered a three-year renewable term lecturer position. Wall has been a dedicated member of the Women’s and Gender Studies program for many years. It is great to see her commitment to the university, the students and the department be recognized. The program has shown remarkable growth in the past two years, growth that we should be proud of.

During the 2016 Winter Intersession, we offered our first study abroad course. I cotaught “Women Creating Social Change,” with Architecture’s John Harris. The goal of the

course, which took us to Gulu, Uganda, was to expose students to participatory action research via direct collaboration with the Women’s Advocacy Network, a group of women who were abducted as young girls by the Lord’s Resistance Army. During the course, students completed a photo-voice project with the women. The project is available as part of the Women’s Advocacy Network website (http:// justiceandreconciliation.com/ initiatives/womens-advocacynetwork).

2016 saw big changes to the managerial structure of the Take Root Conference. Emma Newberry-Davis assumed the role of assistant director for the conference, and Irvine decided to step down as the director. I am nevertheless happy to report that Wall has taken over as the new Take Root Conference director.

Wall has been a part of the Take Root Planning Committee for several years and, as a practicing lawyer, she brings added skills to the position.

In addition, I am happy to say that the Women's and Gender Studies Center for Social Justice remains the premier place for social justice activism in our state. It continues to grow in terms of funding, outreach and programming. We appreciate former Dean Kelly Damphousse’s support in this endeavor, as it has made a significant impact on our ability to administer the center’s ever-expanding list of permanent programs. Additionally, in fall 2016, we welcomed Megan Smith as the center’s new program coordinator. A recent graduate of Oberlin College, Smith brings a commitment to social justice page 1

research and activism.

The Women’s and Gender Studies Board of Advisors also continues to be very active. They hosted the second annual “All Are Welcome Tailgate” for more 60 students, faculty, staff and program supporters during the OU-Ohio State football game.

With logistical support from Susy Jorgenson, they also hosted the third annual Voices of Justice fundraiser at the Sam Noble Museum on April 21, 2017. It was a pleasure to recognize the Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson, the Rev. Lori Walke, Kasey Catlett and Kathy Fahl as this year's Courage Award recipients.

Though we have a way to go, I feel that we are well on our way to actualizing many of our goals for the program. For now, my top priority is applying for department status and moving toward the creation of a Women's and Gender Studies M.A./Ph.D. program. This continues to be a productive and exciting time for the OU Women’s and Gender Studies Program. We continue to expand and increase our presence on campus and in the community. Although tight budgets undeniably create major challenges for the entire university, faculty enthusiasm and student interest in Women's and Gender Studies remains high, and these are our most important assets. I am optimistic. The Women’s and Gender Studies Program’s best days are ahead.

2016-2017 NEWSLETTER

Presidential Dream Course Fall 2017

Bodies That (Don't) Matter

In This Issue: Board of Advisor's Tailgate Party

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WGS Center for Social Justice Fall Programming 3-4

The talk dealt with the concept of melancholia – defined by Ortega as a persistent mourning that doesn’t know how to stop – and how it can be used as a form of resistance, as well as tackling the issue of the multiplicitous identity.

WGS Center for Social Justice Spring Programming 5 Take Root 2017

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Activist-in-Residence

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Teach Out on Race

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WGS Board of Advisors Voices of Justice 9 2016-2017 Award Winners

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WGS Graduates

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CLPP

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by Megan Smith The Presidential Dream Course is a program started by President David Boren that provides onetime funds for a selected course to bring in experts to interact with students in the course and offer a public lecture for the general public. This fall, Women's and Gender Studies director Lupe Davidson and professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Kirsten T. Edwards co-taught a Presidential Dream Course titled “Bodies That (Don’t) Matter.” As part of the course, a series of speakers came to OU throughout the fall.

The first public lecture was held in September, featuring Mariana Ortega of John Carroll University.

The talk was titled “Bodies of Color, Bodies of Sorrow: Resistant Mourning, Becoming-with, and Coalitional Politics.” More than 100 people were in attendance.

The Dream Course concluded with a panel of local scholars and activists titled “#BlackLivesMatter, Material Bodies, and Racial Justice.” Panelists included T. Elon Dancy II, professor of education and associate dean for community engagement and academic inclusion; Grace Franklin, co-founder of OKC Artists for Justice; Karlos Hill, associate professor of African and African American studies; Joshua B. Nelson, associate professor of English and interim director of Film and Media Studies; and Gabriela Rios, assistant professor of English.

The Women of Color Collective with Mariana Ortega.

The second public lecture took place in October, with George Yancy of Emory University. Titled “Nigger Is Not My Name,” Yancy took on some controversial topics, including white supremacy, Black Lives Matter and hate mail he received after publishing an essay on a philosophy blog.

His talk brought in an audience of approximately 225 people.

In October, 275 people gathered in both Gaylord Auditorium and upstairs in Gaylord 2030 to hear the third and final individual lecturer, University of Maryland professor and theorist, Patricia Hill Collins. Her lecture was titled “We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest: Lessons From Black Feminism.” Collins was extremely well-received, and her talk emphasized the roles both black and white people play in dismantling systems of oppression and anti-black racism.

The crowd at Patricia Hill Collins lecture.

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From left: Grace Franklin, T. Elon Dancy, Gabriela Rios, Karlos Hill, and Joshua Nelson

150 people attended the event and listened to panelists speak for approximately an hour about such subjects as reactionary politics and collective action, after which time the floor was opened to audience questions.

As a whole, the Dream Course was extremely well-attended and wellreceived, and Women's and Gender Studies felt honored to bring such influential minds together during the fall semester.

Fall Programming and Women's and Gender Studies Board of Advisors Events Can I Thrive at OU?

by Megan Smith

On Sept. 28, the Women's and Gender Studies Center for Social Justice held a student panel and discussion titled “Can I Thrive at OU?” The event was designed to create a space for students and faculty to discuss what makes it hard for them to feel comfortable and welcome at OU. First, nine student panelists spoke, telling their stories in a 3- to 5-minute summation. Next, the group of nearly 120 people broke into small groups facilitated by faculty to discuss what they had heard and share their own stories.

The event acted both as a follow-up to last year’s “I Can’t Breathe,” and a precursor to a philosophy course taught by professor of philosophy and Center for Social Justice co-director Sherri Irvin the following spring, “Justice in Society.” Hugely successful, the event concluded with a few of the smallgroup members volunteering to share their own stories.

Below: Nearly 120 people attended this event.

Above: Student panelists share their experiences

Tailgate Party

by Megan Smith

On Sept. 17, the Women’s and Gender Studies Board of Advisors hosted a Tailgate Party, complete with food, drinks and games. Forty people, including students, faculty and staff enjoyed the day before heading to the OU-Ohio State football game.

From left: Brenda Wheelock, Steve Davis, Jackie Farley, Susy Jorgenson, Gene Callaway and Fred Alavi Tailgate party participants outside of Robertson Hall.

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Fall Programming (continued)

by Megan Smith “Should I Vote?” was an event that took place on the evening of Oct. 11. A group of six panelists spoke on the issue of voting during the 2016 election cycle. They included: Sarah Adams-Cornell, Live Indigenous OK/matriarch; Stephen Ellis, associate professor

Panelists share a laugh.

Should I Vote?

of philosophy; Mackenzie IsraelTrummel, assistant professor of political science; Cindy Simon Rosenthal, professor of political science and director of the Carl Albert Center; Mirelsie Velazquez, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies; and Lawrence Ware, lecturer and diversity coordinator in philosophy. Fifty people attended the event and listened to the panelists speak for an hour before offering their own questions. Issues addressed included voting in a guaranteed-to-go-red state, voting as a person of color, and the difference between being a voter and being an activist. Although much of the discussion left things

2016-2017 NEWSLETTER

ambiguous, one thing was certain: all six panelists heavily advocated voting in local elections, though they had differing views on presidential elections. Where Israel-Trummel suggested that voting Democrat in a red state is important because it gives credence to the Democratic party in Oklahoma and helps it to gain traction, Ellis argued that voting with one’s heart is the most important when equipped with the knowledge that your state will go red no matter what; he is agreeable to third party votes. In spite of differing viewpoints, the panel was very friendly and respectful. The event also included a voter registration table provided by the Gender + Equality Center, run by student volunteer Sofi Halpin.

LGBTQ Week

by Megan Smith This year, Women’s and Gender Studies hosted their second annual LGBTQ Week. Keeping with the theme of last year, each day of the week of Oct. 17-21 focused on a different identity of the spectrum.

On Monday, Megan Sibbett of Women's and Gender Studies and Elyssa Faison of history cofacilitated “Lesbian Life on a College Campus,” a conversation in which atendees talked for nearly two hours about lesbian identity, lesbian erasure and the history of lesbianism within the LGBTQ community.

Tuesday continued with Anthony Natale of Social Work leading “Gateway: Coming Out and Finding Resources.” Natale spoke about how the process of coming out has changed from the previous generation to the current one, and said he believed that each generation was learning to accept LGBTQ individuals more, but that

it’s important for people to call out homophobia when they see it. As Natale put it: “You are part of the solution. You’re not waiting for it to happen, you are it.”

On Wednesday, Meredith Worthen, jointly appointed in sociology and Women's and Gender Studies, facilitated “But I Exist Too! INVISIbiLITY,” a conversation about bi-erasure and biphobia. She talked about the ways in which bisexuality is misperceived by everyone, not just those outside of the LGBTQidentified community, because of the popular misconception that bisexuality is a stepping-stone to coming out as gay or lesbian.

On Thursday, “Trans Talk” was facilitated by Women's and Gender Studies Center for Social Justice staff members Megan Smith and Emma Newberry-Davis. Taking an idea from Monday’s tactics, they handed out notecards and asked participants to write down questions anonymously. They spent most page 4

of the session addressing these questions.

The week concluded with Friday’s session, “Queer Identity and The Everyday,” facilitated by Kami Day, retired adjunct faculty in Women's and Gender Studies, and Sterlin Mosley, human relations and Women's and Gender Studies. They began by introducing themselves and their relationship to queer identity, then answering audience questions. One area of interest was how to be a good ally to members of the LGBTQ community. Day said that “speaking up when you can makes a huge difference,” while Mosley encouraged the attendees to “have the courage to say something because you know better.”

Each day of LGBTQ Week took place in Farzaneh Hall, thanks to the College of International Studies.

Spring Programming CASA Informational

by Megan Smith

To kick off the spring semester, the Center for Social Justice partnered with Cleveland County CASA to provide an informational session for students, faculty, and staff wanting to get involved with Cleveland County Court Appointed Special Advocates, who work with youth in the foster system. The event consisted of two panels of speakers: the first featured current CASA volunteers, and the second former foster youth. More than 20 people came and listened to the two panels, and half of them signed up for training to become

CASA volunteers. Volunteers spend time out of every month working with foster children to advocate for their needs while they are in care, and friendships often continue long after the children have been placed in permanent homes, according to several current volunteers who were present.

Above: Panel of current CASA volunteers.

Left: Panel of former foster youth

Art Gallery

by Megan Smith

Above: Former College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kelly Damphousse mingles with students and faculty.

Above: "The World Within Her" by Rayne Grandy.

Left: Over 40 people came throughout the evening

Right: Lupe Davidson talks to students.

Left: "Another Unknown" by Megan Kelly.

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For a winter project, staff members Susy Jorgenson and Megan Smith decided to re-instate the Women’s and Gender Studies Art Gallery, a project featuring, student, staff and faculty artwork on the walls of Robertson Hall for a semester.

A committee of faculty and staff selected 18 pieces for display. After hanging the work, Women's and Gender Studies staff hosted a gallery opening and welcome back party on Feb. 2, where more than 40 people, including former Arts and Sciences Dean Kelly Damphousse, attended to meet faculty, learn about the artwork from the artists themselves and enjoy refreshments. It was a very successful showcase of OU community talent, and the Women's and Gender Studies staff hope to continue the art gallery in the future.

Take Root: Red State Perspectives on Reproductive Justice 2017

2016-2017 NEWSLETTER

different trainings. These trainings first round of breakout sessions. are a way for participants to Later in the evening, the opening develop skills and engage plenary showcased Indigenous This past February, Women's further with the reproductive RJ activism and featured and Gender Studies hosted justice framework. The first Casey Camp-Horinek, Pamela the Seventh Annual Take Root: session was facilitated by Kingfisher, Dawn Stover and Red State Perspectives on Coya White Hat-Artichoker.

Reproductive Justice Conference. Annie Tobias and Eugene Allen of Be Present, during which 500 students, faculty, activists, participants strengthened skills The second day of the conference practitioners and community started with a keynote speech members from around the United in three leadership realms and learned tools for addressing

by Dr. Willie Parker. A prominent States attended the biggest intersecting issues and sustaining figure in the reproductive reproductive justice conference partnerships among people justice movement, Dr. Parker that focuses specifically on with different backgrounds, invigorated the participants the voices of people living in experience, viewpoints, values with his remarks. The rest of the traditionally “red” states. and needs. The second session day was devoted to breakout was facilitated by Shannon Ivey sessions, which covered topics of Provide and Skye Ashton including grassroots activism Kantola of Multicultural Efforts at Standing Rock, reconciling to End Sexual Assault, and religion and reproductive justice, participants participated in the prosecution of pregnant a Theatre of the Oppressed women and access of abortion workshop. Theatre of the for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Oppressed is an interactive, community. Paula Sophia Dr. Willie Parker, keynote speaker physical and playful tool used to Schonauer, a local transgender investigate situations in which activist, closed the conference one is denied their basic rights, with a performance of her slam The conference weekend kicked personally and collectively, and poetry. off on Feb. 23 with a screening participants were able to explore of Ava Duvernay’s Oscarand learn techniques to use in nominated documentary, 13th. their own communities.

The screening was followed by remarks from Deborah Small, The 2017 conference featured executive director and founder a bonus session on Friday of Break The Chains. Small was afternoon with Loretta Ross, interviewed in the film about co-founder and former national her work on mass incarceration, Paula Sophia Schonauer gives her closing remarks coordinator of the SisterSong and she has a longstanding Women of Color Reproductive relationship with Take Root, both We are proud of the continued as a speaker and as a member of Justice Collective. Her session, “Calling in the Callout Culture success of the Take Root the Advisory Committee. to Build a Reproductive Justice Conference, and we are already Movement,” was delivered to looking forward to 2018!

The pre-conference activities a packed room ahead of the continued on Feb. 24 with two

by Emma Newberry-Davis

Take Root staff and volunteers

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Activist-in-Residence Ebony Golden

by Megan Smith During the spring semester, the Women's and Gender Studies Center for Social Justice was proud to welcome Ebony Noelle Golden as the Activist-inResidence. Golden hails from Houston, but has spent the last decade in New York. A poet, dancer, choreographer and performance artist, Golden is the founder of Betty’s Daughter Arts Collaborative, a group of artists who come together to create impactful performance pieces, particularly in Harlem and the Bronx, both of which Golden has

called home during her residency in New York.

discussion with five other people about her work and passions.

Throughout the week of March 27–April 2, Golden participated in several events, including an interactive workshop, a lunch discussion, several class visits and a lecture-performance.

She also taught an intensive weekend class, “Conjuring Home,” which culminated in a performance for friends and family of the students on Sunday afternoon.

The biggest event of the week came on Thursday, when three members of Golden’s Arts Collaborative arrived from New York and performed a dance piece titled “Conjuring Home: Rituals for Re(story)ing, Remembering, and Resilience.”

The piece focused on the concept of locating and working toward home, and Golden performed spoken word poetry while her peers danced.

On March 28, her workshop of 11 faculty members and students consisted primarily of writing prompts and sharing.

Workshop participants wrote about a series of words such as “Root,” “Route,” “Resilience,” “Emancipate” and “Affirmation,” then broke into groups of two and three to share what they had thought about while free-writing.

The following day, Golden had an intimate brown bag lunch

Golden ended the week with a weekend intensive class, where she and 15 students worked together to tackle the complex topic of displacement, to discover ways to conjure personal definitions of home, and to perform rituals that may function as personal healing, or a collaborative call to action. It was a busy, successful week.

Ebony Golden during her Wednesday workshop.

Above: Dancers performing a piece-in-progress choreographed

by Golden.

Above: Ebony Golden and members of her workshop.

Right: Golden and her collaborators after their Thursday performance.

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Spring Programming (continued) Teach Out on Race

by Megan Smith

Imam Imad Enchassi's keynote speech.

The fourth annual "Teach Out on Race" was held April 7. This year’s event followed the theme of “Building Coalitions for Justice.”

More than 95 people came to the Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center throughout the morning, most of them early enough to hear Imam Imad Enchassi’s keynote speech.

Enchassi, of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, was

extremely well-received, balancing humor with a message on the importance of community.

After the keynote, participants split up for two breakout sessions, each addressing four topics. The first session covered “Advising, Race and Student Success,” “Identity Policing, Immigration and Racial Vulnerability,” “Pipelines, Environmental Racism and Indigenous Sovereignty” and “Black Women’s Experiences with Race- and Gender-Based Coalition Efforts.”

In the second breakout, topics covered were “Community Policing: Developing Public Partnerships,” “Social Movements: Learning from History,” “Racing Queerness” and “Unpacking Privilege.”

graduate students Rodney Bates and Royce Young Wolf. The lunch involved a presentation, followed by time for everyone to write their thoughts on index cards and have a frank discussion on oppression and privilege.

Royce Young Wolf and Rodney Bates.

After an hour, these sessions concluded and everyone gathered in the multipurpose conference room for a working lunch led by

Ritualizing the Womb

by Megan Smith

On April 12, Women's and Gender Studies faculty and staff hosted a public lecture by Bala Saho of the Department of History to present a public lecture titled "Ritualizing the Womb: Kañeleng Women's Resolve to Counter Infertility in the Gambia." The lecture covered Saho's work studying rituals practiced by women deemed infertile in Gambia, and how they formed a close-knit group to cope with being outsiders. He spoke for an hour and then received questions from the 20 audience members, many of whom were African immigrants themselves and were able to share related stories.

Bala Saho, assistant professor, Department of History.

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2016-2017 NEWSLETTER

Women's and Gender Studies Board of Advisors Voices of Justice Gala

by Susy Jorgenson On April 21, the Board of Advisors, under the leadership of board president Gene Callaway, held a fundraising event, "Voices of Justice: Celebrating Oklahoma’s Activists and Allies" for more than 200 program supporters. The event, held in the Grand Hall of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, honored individual Oklahomans who have gone above and beyond in the fight for justice.

Four Oklahomans were awarded the 2017 Women’s and Gender Studies Courage Awards. The Courage Award recognizes an individual or couple who courageously breaks down barriers and makes society more inclusive, equitable and just.

The recipients were the Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson of Oklahoma City, executive director and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Oklahoma and co-organizer of the Women’s March on Oklahoma; the Rev. Lori Walke, associate pastor of Mayflower Congregational Church in Oklahoma City, a social justice advocate and pioneer in performing same-sex marriages in Oklahoma; and corecipients Kathy Fahl and Kasey Catlett of Norman, director and assistant director, respectively, of OU’s Gender + Equality Center, and advocates for women and LGBTQ students.

Dickerson is an associate minister for Church of the Open Arms in Oklahoma City. She serves on several civic and community advocacy boards, including the Oklahoma City Martin Luther King Coalition, OKC PRIDE, the Diversity Center of Oklahoma and the Black Lives Matter chapter of Oklahoma City. She was recently appointed to the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice and is a founding member and executive board member of the National Organization of Women, Oklahoma City chapter. She is a certified doula and midwife and serves as secretary of the National Association

of Black Social Workers. She volunteers with the YWCA Stomping Out Racism Campaign and works with several youth mentoring and advocacy organizations, including Girl Scouts, Bridging the Gap and Court Appointed Special Advocates. A published poet, Dickerson celebrates her love of the arts as a member of IAO Poetry Committee and the Dramatic Flair’s actors troupe. She is a graduate of Lemoyne Owen College and NOVA Theological Seminary.

Kasey Catlett, Kathy Fahl, Sheri Dickerson and Lori Walke

Passionate about social justice and the public good, Walke earned her law degree from Oklahoma City University in 2009 and her master of divinity degree from Phillips Theological Seminary in 2011.

She was ordained in the United Church of Christ the following year and began her ministry at Mayflower. A strong ally for the LGBTQ community, Walke helped to organize a celebration when marriage equality became legal in Oklahoma on Oct. 6, 2014, and was honored to officiate the marriages of 14 couples that evening. Over the next six months, she presided over the wedding ceremonies of more than 100 same-sex couples, earning her Freedom Oklahoma’s Ally of the Year Award. She sought to expand women’s health care and reproductive justice through volunteer work with Planned Parenthood and the Board of Central Oklahoma Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, where she serves as vice chair. page 9

A licensed clinical social worker, Fahl has served since 2007 as director of OU’s Gender + Equality Center. In 2008, she created the first OU Ally program, a cultural and awareness training that aims to create an LGBTQ-affirming campus.

Since the program’s inception, more than 4,000 staff, faculty and students have received training.

As the university’s OU Advocates coordinator, Fahl manages a team of 40 volunteer advocates who respond to instances of campus sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking and harassment. In 2012, she was certified as a Title IX coordinator. Fahl also is a facilitator for the Start Smart campus initiative on the gender wage gap and pay equity for women.

Catlett has served as the associate director of LGBTQ and Health Programs at OU’s Gender + Equality Center since 2014. In this role, he oversees Ally education and awareness initiatives that support, welcome and celebrate LGBTQ students on campus. Last year, he singlehandedly trained over 1,000 new Allies. In addition, he is responsible for the health programs for the Center, including safer-sex education, breast health awareness and healthy perspectives on body image. To aid in the Center’s programming needs, Catlett advises student groups, such as the LGBTQ Program Advisory Board, Greek Ally Task Force, Sexperts and Mosaic Executive Committee. He initiated the first Mosaic: Social Justice Symposium that highlights the contributions of students and brings awareness to contemporary issues of social justice.

The Voices of Justice event raised money to fund the annual student travel scholarships to various national conferences and the Center for Social Justice’s Activist-inResidence program. The proceeds additionally are used to expand our ability to teach classes and offer workshop and internships for our students.

2016-2017 Women's and Gender Studies Award Winners Oliver Luckett and Scout Anvar with members of the Board

Melissa Jones with Sherri Irvin

Board of Advisors Scholarship Award

Alice Mary Robertson Award

Lorena Uribe, Charnell Walls, Jerri Culwell and Elizabeth Sexton with Lupe Davidson

Eric Bosse and Kristen Bailey with Denita White

Robert D. Lemon Social Justice Award

Betty Baum & Norman Hirschfield Award

Vivian Morris with JoAnna Wall, Marilyn Korhonen and Lupe Davidson

Abbey Taylor, Chase Johnson and Alison Kelley

Rita A. McClaskey Outstanding Senior Award

Jill Irvine Leadership Award

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Congratulations to Our Graduates!

Chase Johnson with Lisa Funnell

Emma Lancaster and Rayne Grandy with Megan Sibbett

Social Justice Minors

Women's and Gender Studies Minors

Abbey Taylor, Vivian Morris, Shawntal Brown and Rabia Ahmad with Lupe Davidson, Lisa Funnell, JoAnna Wall and Megan Sibbett

Ashley Swamy with Emma Newberry-Davis

Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate

Women's and Gender Studies Majors

The University of Oklahoma, in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to: admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services. Inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies may be directed to: Bobby J. Mason, University Equal Opportunity Officer and Title IX Coordinator, (405) 325-3546, bjm@ou.edu, or visit www.ou.edu/eoo.

This publication, printed by the Women's and Gender Studies, is issued by the University of Oklahoma and authorized by Lupe Davidson, director of. 50 copies have been prepared and distributed at no cost to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma.

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CLPP 2017: Student Reflection

by Emma Lancaster In early April, Mileena Zafra, Alyssa Fisher, Scout Anvar, Rabia Ahmed and I boarded a sleepy 5:30 a.m. flight to begin our journey to Amherst, Massachusetts. We had all been fortunate enough to win the Women’s and Gender Studies Travel Scholarship Award, and had unanimously decided to use our funds to attend the 2017 Civil Liberties and Public Policy Conference. After a few weeks of planning our trip, we were ready to head up to the northeast to attend one of the most impactful social justice conferences in the United States.

immediately we could tell that we were in the right place. Before the conference had even started, I realized just how luckily I was to be a part of something so sacred, and to be included in a space that truly welcomed everyone.

After completing registration, which included writing our preferred names and pronouns on our nametags, we sat down as a group to decide what sessions we wanted to attend. Day 1 included workshops such as "Muslims and Reproductive Justice: Empowering our Community through Dismantling Stereotypes," "Expanding Healthcare Access for Trans and/or Non-binary People" and "Black Mamas Matter." We We were surprised by the campus decided to split up to attend as many sessions as we could, and of Hampshire College upon between the 5 of us, we able pulling into the parking lot. The to attend nearly every session university is roughly one-fifth of offered. the size of OU, and is decorated with small, modern buildings. The Attending CLPP was truly an eyecampus itself was rather spread opening experience, and I left the out, and sat on top of a beautiful conference with a renewed sense field dotted with wildflowers. We were worried that perhaps we had of fight and dedication. Attending the conference solidified my arrived at the wrong university commitment to activism, and because one so tiny surely opened my eyes to how many wouldn’t be hosting such a large, nationally acclaimed reproductive people are fighting for the same things that I am. Activism within justice conference, but almost

2016 - 2017 NEWSLETTER

University of Oklahoma Women's and Gender Studies 731 Elm Ave. Robertson Hall, Room 101 Norman, OK 73019-2112

a red state can be disheartening at times, but attending the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Conference reminded me of why I’m fighting, and that real change is possible.

I am eternally grateful to the Women’s and Gender Studies Program for giving us this amazing opportunity, and for shaping us into the fierce advocates that we are today. We also want to encourage as many undergraduates as possible to attend this conference, which is truly the opportunity of a lifetime.

Emma Lancaster, Mileena Zafra, Scout Anvar, and Alyssa Fisher Not pictured: Rabia Ahmad.