Portland State University to hold Feminisms Conference October 31

Portland State University to hold Feminisms Conference October 31

The 2008 Feminisms Conference, entitled “Under Pressure: Women, Oppression, and Leadership” will take place Friday, October 31st from 9am to 5pm in the Smith Memorial Student Union at Portland State University. An array of campus groups have come together for this conference to address how gender oppression cannot be addressed without understanding oppression based on race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality, and to build coalitions between local and campus groups working for social justice.

Kathleen Saadat, community activist and Director of Diversity and Human Resources at Cascade AIDS Project, will present the keynote speech at the conference luncheon. Conference workshops will examine how oppressions intersect to further marginalize and disenfranchise women, examining topics ranging from body image to identity to organizing. Optional roundtable at the end of the conference will provide opportunities for like-mind individuals to strategize for the coming year.

Students, staff, and community members of all genders are invited to participate in the conference. Registration for the conference is free and available online through the conference website at http://www.wrc.pdx.edu/conference. Registration closes October 24th.

The Feminisms Conference is a student-led conference designed to bring together people from Portland State University and the greater Portland community in an effort to explore the many forms of feminism in relationship to current events and concerns. FemCon 2008 is presented by the PSU Women’s Resource Center, Queer Resource Center, Las Mujeres, NAACP, ASPSU, Office of Diversity and Equity, and Women’s Studies Department. For more information, visit http://www.wrc.pdx.edu/conference.