UNM's Women's Resource Center and the Women Studies department kick off International Women's Month Friday with a conference that celebrates outstanding women and the longevity of the two programs.
Elizabeth Cahn, program services coordinator for the Women's Resource Center, said the title of the conference, "Water in the Desert: A 30-year Celebration of Women in Activism, Academics and the Arts," is metaphorical and literal in describing the position the center and department are at in the beginning of the 21st century.
"It often feels that sometimes feminism is like water in the desert - hard to find, but essential for a healthy life," she said. "We also thought it made a nice connection with the conference being about women and women's studies in New Mexico, because clearly that's the kind of environment we exist in here."
The conference marks 30 years of service by the center and the department - both of which were founded in 1972.
It will feature more than 60 presenters taking part in workshops, panel discussions and entertainment. The conference activities will take place in Dane Smith Hall Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sandrea Gonzales, director of the Women's Resource Center, said it was important to mark the anniversary because both groups are among the oldest of their kind in the United States.
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"That we have survived this long is very special," she said. "For us to continue to offer our services to women on campus and in Albuquerque is very important. We hope to be around a lot longer."
The last time the center and the department held an event this big was its 20th anniversary. That year, famed feminist Gloria Steinem was the keynote speaker.
For this year's conference, which begins Friday at 7 p.m., the keynote speaker will be Dr. Angela Bowen of California State University at Long Beach.
Bowen, an interdisciplinary scholar who specializes in history, literature, biography and social movements, was one of the first women in the country to earn a doctorate in Women's Studies. She also was part of the center's 20th anniversary celebration.
"We really appreciated the things she had to say, so she was a good choice to help us celebrate," Gonzales said.
Bowen's speech is called "30 Years Together in Activism, Academics and the Arts: Celebrating Our Past, Envisioning Our Future."
Joining Bowen will be UNM professors Teresa Cordova, from the Architecture and Planning Department, and Basia Irland from the Art and Art History Department.
Award-winning performance poet Alix Olson of New York City will close the night with a performance. Olson, a championship slam poet and the 1999 New York Foundation of the Arts fellow, touches on the personal as well as the political.
"She's an incredible young woman," Gonzales said. "She's a strong activist and an extremely creative individual."
Tickets for the opening celebration are $10. Conference registration is $40 and covers attendance for day and evening events as well as a box lunch Saturday.
For more information on the conference, visit www.unm.
edu/~women/conference.htm. or call the Women's Resource Center at 277-3716.
by Kenn Rodriguez
Daily Lobo
