This Friday, men and women came together to discuss the varying struggles women face every day. Furthermore, the conference did a fabulous job acknowledge the importance of women empowerment. The great part of this conference was the inclusivity it fostered for all types of women. Women had the chance to engage in open discourse about simply being a female, but also about the internationality of being a female with other identities (i.e. black, trans, low-income, etc.).
This year’s conference was entitled “Creating Our Stories: Challenges, Resilience, and Victories.” It was based upon the ideas of “One DU” and “Truth About Stories”, which were ideas fostered by the freshman class that joined the DU community this year. The conference opened with speaker Regan Byrd who dedicates her life to grassroots social activism with the purpose of giving women a voice, specifically with the additional identities of being black, trans, and low-income. Our own Chancellor Rebecca Chopp and Professor Linda Olson presented their thoughts on today’s environment for women. Both elaborated on the plethora of new opportunities women are able to take advantage of now that the professional world is becoming increasingly welcoming to females in the work force.
In addition to these various speeches, workshops were held throughout the day presenting information on all sorts of topics ranging from sexual assault to the stereotype-threat women often face in the professional work environment. In this rocky political landscape filled with accusations of people not respecting women, it was a great time point for this women’s conference, because it gave the women on campus the chance to lean about each other and feel supported. It was a valuable few hours spent discussing the necessity for women empowerment, and reaffirming the women on campus that our community can and will support all women, no matter what backgrounds or identities. It was a truly amazing event, allowing women to feel wanted and loved in today’s world.