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2005 Women of Color & Allies Summit:
Workshops

Saturday, April 2

Workshops I, 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Workshops II, 3:20 p.m. - 4:40 p.m. Workshops III, 4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Workshops I, 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Session in Detail

Privatizing Social Security: The Economic Security Threat of Our Lifetime
Deborah Chalfie, Maya Rockeymoore, Marian Inguanzo, Bertha Smith
Room: Salon A/B
Backed by right-wing think tanks and a heavily-funded publicrelations campaign, George W. Bush and the Republican Congressional leadership have made privatizing Social Security their number one legislative priority. In an attempt to divide and conquer, they are making concerted appeals for support to communities of color. Privatization would aggravate those disparities and be financially ruinous for workers and families of all generation and races and particularly devastating for women, especially women of color. This workshop will inform participants about the pivotal role Social Security benefits play in supporting women, caregivers and children of color, and will expose the fallacies in the Bush Administration’s approach.

Film: “The Women of Juárez”
Olga Vives, Diana Castañeda
Room: 14th Floor Suites, 1428
“Señorita Extraviada, Missing Young Woman” by Lourdes Portillo tells the haunting story of the more than 350 kidnapped, raped and murdered young women of Juárez, Mexico. Visually poetic, yet unflinching in its gaze, this compelling investigation unravels the layers of complicity that have allowed for the brutal murders of women living along the Mexico-U.S. border. In the midst of Juárez’ international mystique and high-profile job market, there exists a murky history of grossly underreported human rights abuses and violent acts against women. The climate of violence and impunity continues to grow, and the murders of women continue to this day. The film uses what director Lourdes Portillo comes to see as the most reliable of sources—the testimonies of victims’ families.

El Terrorismo de los Estados Unidos
Zenaida Mendez, Candida Bido, Rosalba Polanco
Room: 14th Floor Suites, 1432
¿Están los Latinos aislados del acontecer nacional en los Estados Unidos? ¿Por qué seguimos siendo los más pobres de la nación? Muchos Latinos estamos aquí y allá. Exploremos como influir en la política en los Estados Unidos aquí y allá. Los Latinos en los Estados Unidos cada día están más aislados del acontecer nacional. Las reformas migratorias, la falta de seguro médico, los acosos policiales igual que el racismo ambiental afectan a nuestras familias desproporcionadamente.

Religion, Spirituality & Values: Reclaiming Our Beliefs
Rev. Marjani Dele, Jessie Washington, Maria Elena del Valle
Room: Salon C
It’s been said that feminists are unhappy with “God.” Yet many feminists of color are at the center of many churches and for years have also enjoyed certain spiritual traditions: Yoruba, Buddhism, Spiritism and Goddess, among others. Come find out about feminists reclaiming faith, beliefs and the moral high ground.

Invisible Warriors: Refuse & Resist!
Antonieta Gimeno, Sian Lewis, Ana Lara, Nancy Haque, Donna Payne, Andy Marra
Room: Salon D/E
As lesbian/bisexual/transgender women of color we have led and will continue to lead, challenge and change our communities. Please join us for a discussion among a diverse group of intergenerational, multi-racial, mixed gender LBT women to talk about where our activism has been, where it is now and where it is going.

Meeting the Challenges of Work, School, Family
Nicole Brown, Leslie Annexstein, Anna-Maria Thomas, Deyanira Bautista
Room: 14th Floor Suites, 1430
The juggling act, supermom, paychecks stretched too thin and women falling into the wage gap, attacks on affirmative action, educational equality, single moms and families needing welfare and childcare, all are affecting the women of color community and their families. Panelists will address these issues and discuss policy solutions.

Workshops II, 3:20 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.
Session in Detail

Political Roundtable: Defying the Odds, Breaking the Color Barrier (SBS)
Diana Castañeda, Hon. Grace Diaz, Olga Vives, Vanessa Salinas
Room: Crystal Ballroom A,B
Join in a fascinating discussion about the challenges of running for office for women of color. Our seasoned political panelists include women who have defied the odds and run historical races—both as winning candidates and as campaign organizers. If you’re thinking about running for state, local or national office, this workshop is not to be missed.

Economic Justice in the Workplace
Sian Lewis, Tiffany Heath, Meredith Moise
Room: Salon D,E
Women, and particularly women of color, still struggle to achieve pay parity with their male colleagues. This workshop focuses on the labor movement’s efforts to narrow the economic gap between women of color and their counterparts, including the effects of unionization and the unique plight of immigrant workers. The impact of community groups on workplace justice campaigns will be discussed, with an emphasis on non-discrimination legislation and the rights of lesbian/ bisexual/transgender workers.

Immigrant Women: Sisters in the Struggle
Amanda Baran, Joanne Lin, Flavia Jimenez, Rosalba Polanco
Room: 14th Floor Suites, 1428
This workshop will include an overview of U.S. immigration policies and how they affect women of color and immigrant victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking. In addition, the workshop will also include an interactive skills-building session which will focus on learning different advocacy strategies that participants can take back to their own communities.

Racism & Women of Color in the Women’s Movement (Part I)
Cherie Brown, Phyllis Alexander
Room: 14th Floor Suites, 1430
Join in a safe-space discussion about how to make women of color more central in the women’s movement. Join in a dialogue about how we can move forward together on issues about racism with authenticity and accountability? Part one of a two-part session. Please attend both sessions.

The Color Divide: Latinas of Color
Belkis Necos, Maritza Williams, Michele Colón, Ana Rodriguez
Room: 14th Floor Suites, 1432
An Afro-Latino is a Latino person who is of African heritage or lineage. Afro-Latinos make up 40 percent of the population of the Caribbean, Central America and South America, but are a huge, yet largely invisible group of people in the U.S. Come to find out how we are connected to and/or excluded from the network of identity and power in the U.S.

The Feminist Agenda in Hip-Hop
Sonya Renee Taylor, Melissa Best, Sheila Mirza, Goldie Patrick, Toni Blackman, Gabriela Rico, Usavior
Room: Salon C
Throughout Hip-Hop’s presence of more than 35 years, it remains the most pronounced cultural identifier across gender, class and ethnic lines. When every other outlet was blocked Hip-Hop provided a platform for younger generations to express politics, community, heritage, respect and solidarity through music and art. Where is the feminist agenda on the Hip-Hop platform? Have we gone from Queen Latifa’s “U.N.I.T.Y.” to 50 Cents’ “G-U.N.I.T.”? Have “lyrical geniuses” been replaced by contemporary images and stereotypes of women of color in the media, pop culture and more specifically the Hip-Hop subculture? Newspapers, magazines and television have been saturated with charges against the Hip-Hop community. We will provide a space to explore the legitimacy, history and consequences of such representation.

Workshops III, 4:45 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Session in Detail

Violence Against Women & Sex Trafficking
Wenchi Yu Perkins, Andrea Ritchie, Georgina Salomon
Room: Crystal Ballroom, Salon A/B
Panelists will look at the various kinds of violence aimed at girls and women, including sexual assault, domestic violence and trafficking. Join women of color leaders and coalition partners to discuss various ways of putting an end to violence.

Race, Gender & Surveillance: The War on Drugs
Lisandra Caba, Alfreda Robinson, Deborah Peterson Small, Gilda Yazzie
Room: Crystal Ballroom, Salon C
Women of color and black youth have experienced the greatest increase in criminal justice supervision, which means they are either in jail, in prison, on probation or on parole. The Bush Administration’s approach to addressing drug use and drug users threatens youth, women and families. Explore why an expanding number of feminists have chosen to devote their lives to the reform of our country’s drug laws and policies.

Community Activism (SBS)
Anita Cameron, Elizabeth Padilla, Rhonda Russell, Gail García McWilliams, Maretta Short
Room: Crystal Ballroom, Salon D/E
Using organizing, public education and direct actions to expand our base, diversify our coalitions and promote equality and justice through grassroots organizing.

HIV/AIDS: Women of Color Fight Back
Mary Cross, Miguelina Leon, Nyounti Tuan, Jomal Alcober
Room: 14th Floor Suites, 1428
HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects women of color. This workshop will shed light on the social, political, economic and cultural influence that have together created an environment ripe for the increased vulnerability of women of color to the growing HIV/AIDS pandemic. Most importantly, the panel will discuss early prevention measures and recommend public policy solutions.

Young Feminists Rise Up! Mobilizing & Energizing the Next Wave
Latifa Lyles, Angela Arboleda, Erin Hanna
Room: 14th Floor Suites, 1430
Join other young feminists in crafting a “call to activism” and discuss issues that face young women of color and the importance of mobilizing other young women.

Racism & Women of Color in the Women’s Movement (Part II)
Cherie Brown, Phyllis Alexander
Room: 14th Floor Suites, 1430
Join in a safe-space discussion about how to make women of color more central in the women’s movement. Join in a dialogue about how we can move forward together on issues about racism with authenticity and accountability? Part two of a two-part session. Please attend both sessions.

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