Women of Color conversations to start Friday, continue throughout the year

What it means to be a woman of color is the focus of a conversation series that begins at 12:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12, in the Student Union. Faculty, staff and community members are invited to attend and share their experiences and insights.

Organizers for this informal conversation series anticipate it will build toward a larger roundtable and keynote presentation in the spring.

Conceived by Princess King from the Dean of Students Office, the Women of Color series was created as an accessible on-campus opportunity for women of color to share meaningful dialogue around a variety of issues that directly affect their day-to-day lives. Regena Brown of the Multicultural Resource Center worked with King to develop the series’ current format: monthly conversations that culminate in an end-of-year roundtable.

“Some of the roots of these conversations start with societal messages women receive, often stemming from an ideal that some people will never obtain,” said Brown. “Last year, we started to explore the concept of a dualistic identity—kind of having one foot in each world and sometimes being called on to be the representative of your race in certain settings.”

Brown has identified body image, healthy personal and professional relationships and building a healthy self-esteem as topics of future discussions.

The conversations are primarily student-focused and one of the main goals of the series is connecting students with alumni for mentoring relationships, explained Brown. “When you graduate, things don’t magically change. You have to consider what that means in work spaces, growing into potentially having families, and what all that means for your life and career path.”

Brown said she envisions the end-of-year roundtable as a larger half-day event with a keynote speaker. Panelists would address and delve further into each of the discussion topics addressed throughout the academic year.