More than half of the population is female, yet the social and political issues affecting females, specifically minorities, are all but ignored, AndrÇa Mays said.
"Women as a group are disproportionately affected by social ills such as poverty and abuse," said Mays, organizer of the first annual Women of Color Mixed Heritage/Ethnicity/Race conference. "We are paid less in jobs than men. We hold fewer political and professional positions than whites and men."
The Women of Color Mixed H/E/R Conference, scheduled for March 26 and 27, will address these as well as a variety of other issues concerning women, including cultural politics, identity, race, class and gender.
"It's important to recognize, dialog about and organize around the particular issues facing women of color and mixed heritage, ethnicity and race," Mays said. "These issues are many times underrepresented and often unrepresented in dominant society."
The conference theme is visibility and voice, emphasizing the importance and influence of women of color in all facets of society.
"There is a wonderful variety of amazing women out there doing important work in the arts, academia and communities," Mays said. "It's to all our advantages to make their work more visible, so we know who's doing it and where. We wanted to provide a space to dialog and share, so we can all benefit from it."
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On Friday, feminist playwright, poet and essayist Cherr°e Moraga will open the conference with a keynote speech at 7 p.m., in the Student Union Building Ballroom. Moraga has received national recognition for her work regarding the Mexican culture and community. Her books include Loving in the War Years: Lo Que Nunca Pas¢ Por Sus Labios and The Last Generation. Her more recent work has been in theater, where she has written "Watsonville: Some Place Not Here" and "The Hungry Woman: A Mexican Medea." Moraga's rÇsumÇ boasts 10 books, 19 collected anthologized writings and nine theater productions. She also co-founded the Kitchen Table Press, the first women-of-color publishing outlet in the United States.
"Moraga is a feminist's hero," Mays said. "She was one of the first mixed-raced women in the academy to articulate from a personal and theoretical perspective the politics of identity and how they circulate in U.S. national culture. She's an excellent example of our conference theme."
The conference continues into Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., when the main focus is directed toward workshops, readings and performances from women of color throughout the Albuquerque community.
Although the conference is centered around women of color, everyone who is interested is welcome to attend, including men.
"Considering the increased rates of interracial-marriage and multi-culturalism in this country, men and women would be well served for men to attend," Mays said. "One of the biggest mistakes we make is not showing up to discover how issues that seem unrelated to us have a direct impact on who we are and how we move in the world."
