Spelman To Host "Sister Scholars" Conference
ATLANTA, GA - The Spelman College Women’s Research and Resource Center will host the 11th Annual Toni Cade Scholar-Activism Conference “Sister Scholars for Social Change,” March 25-26, 2011, at Camille Hanks Cosby Center. The conference honors the scholar-activist legacy of Toni Cade Bambara (1939-1995), preeminent Black feminist writer/filmmaker/organizer, and features paper presentations, workshops and performance pieces that delve into dimensions of Black/African women’s lives, scholarship and social change activism.
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts a 79 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 12:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman.
“Year after year we’ve been able to motivate students to engage in creative ways to celebrate the life and legacy of one of our most important sheroes,” said Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Ph.D., founding director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center. “No one else remembers Toni Cade Bambara annually in the ways we do, and for that, I am sure the people she impacted for so many years, including me, are very grateful.”
The keynote speaker is Monica White, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology at Wayne State University. She will discuss “Toni Cade: Planting the Seeds of Resistance.” Other speakers include poet, writer and activist Alice Lovelace and filmmaker Taryn Crenshaw.
Topics explored at this year’s conference include: the black female body, halting sexual trafficking and digital activism.
The conference kicks off Friday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. with an opening celebration featuring artistic/scholarly reflections on Toni Cade Bambara’s life, a gallery walk through the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art and a performance by the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble. There will be various presentations and workshops Saturday, March 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. covering a range of activist issues relevant to Black/African Diasporan women’s lives. A Social Justice Fair, with information and exhibits from local, national and international social activist organizations and movements, will take place March 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cosby Center.
On-site conference registration begins March 26 at 9:30 a.m. at the Cosby Center.
Conference Schedule:
- Friday, March 25, 2011
6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. - Opening Celebration and Reception
- Saturday, March 26, 2011
9:30 a.m. - Registration Begins
10 a.m.-11:15a.m. - Opening and Plenary – The Relevance of Toni
11:20 a.m.-12:15p.m. - Panel Presentation Sessions
12:45 p.m.-1:45 p.m. - Luncheon with Guest Speaker
2 p.m.-5 p.m. - Presentations and Workshops
5:10 p.m.-6:30 p.m. - Closing Plenary – Movement Building
The Women’s Research and Resource Center is the first women’s research center at a historically Black college and the first one to offer a women’s studies major. Over the course of its 25-year history, with sustained support from the Ford Foundation, the Center has facilitated faculty and student leadership development; collaborated with other departments/programs on and off campus to establish new courses (most recently in the sciences) that address issues of gender and race; established international linkages with universities outside the U.S. to increase their capacity to promote faculty and student development; and hosted a number of conferences that explore the lives of African and African descended women in a variety of cultural contexts.
