The Black Student Union revives its annual Women of Color Seminar with a “younger, more vibrant vibe,” as Essence executive editor Joan Morgan-Murray hosts tomorrow’s event at the New Africa House, according to the BSU president.
BSU President Arthur Hunt said the seminar aims to offer knowledge on issues relevant to women of color, self-reflection, and the opportunity to network.
Interested participants should register at the New Africa House at 9 a.m. to select two of the ten offered tracks, one during the morning and the other in the afternoon. Breakfast will be provided, followed by an opening by Morgan-Murray and then the morning tracks will begin. Lunch will also be provided and participants may come to only the morning or afternoon sessions but are encouraged to attend both.
The ten tracks are based on issues the organizing committee felt affected women of color and most importantly, would spark discussion. Some of the issues that will be discussed are the color complex, women in the workforce, life after college and Morgan-Murray will speak on the portrayal of women in Hip-Hop.
Undergraduate and graduate students as well as a handful of professors will facilitate the remaining tracks. Hunt said, “[We want a] dialogue, we don’t want to feed it to them.”
Each track is limited to fifteen people because “we want the classes to be small enough to be intimate but big enough for discussion,” Hunt said. “I hope people will take with them a sense of self, and that they will be able to discuss issues they were never able to discuss, to express their opinions and to network with other women of color on campus.”
Every event the BSU presents, Hunt explained, aims to both build a community and to educate the community in general.
The male community is also welcome to this event. Although the BSU expects the seminar attendees to be largely women, Hunt said a few men will be in attendance.
“I like the idea of men being there, it gives the [discussions] more perspective,” he added.
Morgan-Murray was a guest of the BSU last year, in a lecture based on her book When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down. Positive reaction to the event prompted the BSU to welcome her again for the seminar. She will only be available during the seminar’s morning session.
After breakfast, the morning session runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon. For those interested in attending only the afternoon session, the BSU encourages people to register between noon and 12:45 p.m. The seminar ends at 4 p.m.
A registration table will be present at the doors of New Africa House throughout the day, tracks will be held in separate classrooms, while meals and the opening and closing remarks will be held in the building’s library.
The event is co-sponsored by the Women of Leadership Network, UMass Student Affairs Cultural Enrichment Fund and Student Commission.
