Women's Center attends the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in New Orleans

This week the Harvard College Women’s Center staff attended the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity hosted in New Orleans, Louisiana!

Heidi Wickersham, former Director, and Alejandra Rincon, Assistant Director, presented “Not Just VP Material: Supporting Women of Color in Student Government” which spoke on the arc of abuse and misogyny that Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color face in positions of leadership (in this presentation specifically student government). A central question for the audience was “What can we do about this as community members within an institution of higher learning?”

That question has also guided our thinking throughout the conference as we thought about non punitive possibilities with the keynote speaker, Michelle Alexander or with Loretta J. Ross in her presentation on “Calling In Calling Out Culture” about the effects that hurtful interpersonal dynamics are having on our ability to organize movements.

The conference has been an enriching, learning, community space and we will use these reflections to guide our work and mission forward. Stay tuned for new and exciting initiatives coming this fall!!