Female students go to Va. for conference

Four members of Women Advocates and one Black Caucus member embarked on a road trip to the Women of Color and Allies Summit in Arlington, Va. today.

This troop of five women will spend the weekend at the summit, which is titled "Linking Arms in Dangerous Times."

The conference, sponsored by the National Organization for Women, will feature speakers, workshops, films and discussions aimed at including women of color in the feminist movement.

Richeé Byrd, Black Caucus political services committee co-chair, said she hopes the conference will be a positive learning experience for her and a step in the right direction for feminism.

"A lot of women of color are skeptical about being involved in feminism because often the perception is that it doesn't deal with race issues," said Byrd (junior-political science). "This conference is one way of showing that feminism is all-inclusive."

The goal of the conference is to open a dialogue about race by bringing together women of all races, ethnicities and class backgrounds, according to the NOW World Wide Web site.

By addressing issues such as reproductive rights, welfare and affirmative action, the women's rights movement can move forward with the needs of all women in mind, said Women Advocates co-organizer Kristen Beam (senior-English).

"I'm hoping that these workshops we're attending will give us skills to find a common ground with women of color on campus," she said.

Women Advocates, a feminist activism group, was chartered as an official University organization in November and is affiliated with the women's studies program, Beam said.

She said she is excited that five University students will be attending the conference together.

"I'm just ecstatic," Beam said. "I have no idea what's ahead of us, but I know it's going to bring us together."