National Women's Studies Association

The presidential address given by President Heidi Renée Lewis at our annual conference in Detroit last November, "The Journey not only the Arrival, Critical Connections not only Critical Mass: (Re)Thinking Feminist Movements," is now published on our website. Link in bio. #NWSA #WomensStudies #GenderStudies #Feminism #FeministStudies #SexualityStudies #WGS #WGSS Image Description: The first image features a photograph of Dr. Scott Kurashige, Tiffany Lee, Dr. Gloria House, Julia Putnam, Dr. Deloris Ann Berrien-Jones, Aurora Harris, Alice Jennings, and Lewis followed by white font on a dark purple background and the NWSA logo in dark green. The second image features white text on a dark purple background and the dark green NWSA logo.

Given the magnitude of Donald J. Trump’s upcoming inauguration and the ways his election has and likely will continue impacting Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, President Heidi Renée Lewis will not be publishing a blog today. Instead, the Governing and Council and National Office have published a statement on the state of the field, and will resume publishing the presidential blogs next month. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. #NWSA #NWSA2024 #WomensStudies #GenderStudies #Feminism #FeministStudies #SexualityStudies #WGS #WGSS Image Description 📸: The four images feature white text on a light purple background accented by a light green quotation mark and the NWSA logo.

We’re incredibly excited to amplify the FIRST EVER virtual comprehensive sexual and reproductive health clinic explicitly created for Black women - @Kyndred Our Black feminist colleagues at @Kimbritive dreamed up AND brought to reality ✨ revolutionary healthcare home where Black women are truly seen, heard, and celebrated. We're talking comprehensive services, including sexual wellness education, mental health support, reproductive healthcare, and early telemedicine abortion care - all designed with Black women at the heart of every decision.✨

We’re incredibly excited to amplify the FIRST EVER virtual comprehensive sexual and reproductive health clinic explicitly created for Black women - Kyndred Our Black feminist colleagues at KIMBRITIVE dreamed up AND brought to reality a✨ revolutionary healthcare home where Black women are truly seen, heard, and celebrated. We're talking comprehensive services, including sexual wellness education, mental health support, reproductive healthcare, and early telemedicine abortion care - all designed with Black women at the heart of every decision.✨

*New President’s Blog!* “Accountability Flows All Ways, Always: Anti-Black Sexism, Rudeness, and Disrespect at the National Conference; or, I Almost Titled My Presidential Address ‘What We Gon’ Do ‘bout the Shit between Us?’ I Should Have” #LinkinBio #NWSA #NWSA2024 #WomensStudies #GenderStudies #Feminism #FeministStudies #SexualityStudies #WGS #WGSS #AntiBlackSexism #SexistRacism #RacistSexism Image Description 📸: Small light purple dots at the top left corner. Two thin light green arrows pointing down with a dark green one in the middle at the top right corner. The NWSA logo in light purple in the center. “New president’s blog” in white, cursive font underneath flanked by two dark green stars. A photo of President Lewis underneath, wearing a long yellow dress and white tennis shoes, in a convention center photo space with “Huntington Place” in neon purple lights above her. The title of the blog to her right.

As we look ahead to January 20th, U.S.-based feminists must accept that what is happening in classrooms and courtrooms is not unusual or new. Knowing that far right-wing politicians have long been inspired by global anti-gender ideology movements in countries like Russia, Hungary, and Argentina, we must reject exceptionalizing our near-future political situation as somehow completely distinct from neoliberal democracy. Trump’s Project 2025 is certain to be a nationwide escalation of the attacks we've been resisting in states like Texas, Florida, and New Hampshire targeting "wokeness," critical race theory, queers, women, immigrants, and the books and gender studies classrooms that enable critical thinking on these topics. In this critical community chat, Member-at-Large Dr. Jessica N. Pabón-Colón joins the host of the "Feminism, Fascism, and the Future" podcast—Dr. Laurie Essig—and future podcast guest, Dr. Nicole Morse, to situate the "not exceptional" nature of this moment taken within a global context, offering strategies of resistance from transnational feminist movements long engaged in anti-fascist liberation work. 🔗 This event is free! We ask that folks register (https://lnkd.in/gWYsSFUk) to receive our meeting link and any follow-up materials or resources! #NWSA #NWSACommunity #CriticalConversations #FeminismFascismandtheFuture #genderandsexualitystudies #womensstudies #FeministStudies 📸 Image Description: A dark purple square with two logos on the top: the National Women's Studies Association and the Feminism, Fascism & the Future podcast. In white lettering, the title reads: Feminism, Fascism & the Future: A Critical Community Chat on Trump and the Global Anti-Gender Movement. A subtitle in a light purple block with black lettering reads: Tuesday December 10, 2024 | 12:30 - 1:30 PM ET. On the bottom of the square there is a headshot for each of the three speakers. From left to right: Dr. Laurie Essig, Middlebury College; Dr. Jessica N.Pabón-Colón, NWSA Member at Large; Dr. Nicole E. Morse, University of Maryland Baltimore.

From November 14th to 17th, I attended the National Women's Studies Association 44th Annual Conference. This year's theme, The Journey Not Only the Arrival, Critical Connections Not Only Critical Mass: (Re)Thinking Feminist Movements, set the tone for a space where we gathered to discuss and develop strategies to resist multiple forms of oppression and to share in each other’s pain and joy — “a deeply meaningful act during a time when attacks on our field are more pronounced than ever” as stated by NWSA President Dr. Heidi Renée Lewis. I had an amazing time in community with smart, ambitious, caring, and brilliant women from across the country, presenting on uplifting scholarship and activism that speaks to the breadth and depth of women's, gender, and sexuality studies. I had the pleasure of learning about Feminist of Color Disability Studies, Feminist Muslim Studies, and Black Feminist Liberation movements and practices. I am grateful for the intentional spaces created, from the quiet room to recharge, to the multi-faith room equipped with portable prayer rugs and a place to make wudu. This conference reminded me of how much I love and miss being in academic spaces, as well as how much these spaces need to improve to support the wellness and holistic success of Black and Brown women. #NWSA2024 #womenstudies

This weekend, I had the honor of traveling to Detroit with my friend and peer, Laurel Wallace, for the National Women's Studies Association Conference to present our research, “Feminist Justice After Life: Art, Memorial, and the Filipina ‘Comfort Women.’” It was extremely empowering as undergraduates to present alongside two incredible scholars, Jessica T. and Seon-Myung Yoo. Our research focuses on the lolas–Filipina women who were forced into sexual enslavement by the Japanese military during WWII. Coming from our positions of power and privilege, Laurel and I interviewed the head of Lila Pilipina (an organization committed to justice for lolas), Sharon Cabusao-Silva, to ensure we accurately conveyed their stories and understood what constitutes justice for the lolas. We explored how public art serves not only as a memorial but as an active extension of the lolas’ personhood, which is imperative for aging movements. Traveling around Detroit and attending sessions/panels (my favorite was "'Fund Whores Not Wars:' Queering (Trans)National Resistance") was also a highlight of this experience! It is rare to be in spaces where people openly talk about systems of power and oppression and how we can create spaces of community to combat it; I do not take the privilege lightly of being in this space of solidarity. I will never forget this experience and I hope I return next year!

My first time attending the National Women's Studies Association Conference in Detroit, #NWSA2024, was such a rich experience. I was very happy to have my workshop chosen as a featured session on Saturday. Thank you, #KristianContreras, #HeidiRenéeLewis, and the National Women's Studies Association, for the opportunity and your generous support of my attendance. “Media Mastery: Sharing Your Voice with the Public” had a great turnout, and I was so grateful for the energy and engagement in the room. Universities, professional organizations, and conferences, take note: if you're looking for a high-energy speaker who can help your faculty or members prepare for their media appearances, I'm available.😉 Scholars, spread the word! The best thing I heard at the conference was a quote (sadly, the originator wasn’t mentioned) that could be our official motto for the next 4 years: "Don't comply in advance. Make them make you!" Here are highlights of the sessions I went to: • #AmplifyingFeministScholarshipInThePopularPress: “Republicans put 50 years into overturning Roe v. Wade. Can you imagine progressives and liberals putting 50 years into anything?" — Dr. #JanellHobson with Dr. #BonnieStabile, Dr. #NicoleGuidottiHernández, and #AliciaWoodbury • “We're asking you to stop paying for the genocide. If my people are not free, you will never be free.” — #MalakMattar #PalestineIsAFeministIssue with #RababAbdulhadi, #HuwaidaArraf and #HeidiRLewis • #MisogynyAsPoliticAndSubculture with Dr. #MaryLynStoll, Dr. #KathrynLinaresGray, and Dr. #WengiYang, #KileyRomano, #MikaCollins — This session was 🔥 #IntimatePartnerStalking #IncelCulture #PoliticalTheory • Kaitlyn Bailey's #WhoresEyeView (#OldProsOnline) was the best one-person show I've seen in a while. Hilarious and educational! • Video games and the Queer streaming community (#MegOslundPrendergast), Barbie and white feminism (#SofiaBrewerBerresBallejo), and Asian-American feminist film studies (#LSKim) all packed in one morning panel • The "Transnational Feminisms: Issues of Power in the Media" panel covered slang used by gay men on Chinese social media (#JiajieNelsonMeng), K-pop femininity and ornamentalization (#VickyYongkunWu), and the fetishization of deaf and mute women in Sinophone film and pop culture (Dr. #LinLi) • 'Classism and the Academy: An Intersectional Feminist Analysis of Higher Education, Contingent Faculty, and Shared Governance' (Dr. #JessicaWalz, Dr. #AshleyBarnesGilbert, and Montana Petersen) — Everyone should have access to this information before starting grad school. Though where would the academy get its cheap labor if folks were confronted with the full picture…? 😔 Finally, thank you, Anthony B Media for capturing these, shall we say, dynamic action shots 😂 during my workshop. I can’t wait to see the rest. #MediaMastery #SharingYourVoiceWithThePublic #MediaTraining #AcademicWorkshop #AcademicConference #Professor #MediaEngagement #NandaDyssou #CoriolisCompany