The Griffon News

The Center for Multicultural Education presents the first Annual Women’s Summit, “Sisterhood Denied,” on March 26 in Blum Union 218/219 at 6 p.m. for Women’s History Month.

The summit will introduce women to Global Sisterhood and controversial issues that deny true unity among women. It will start with the introduction of the staff, which is a combination of professors and students.

Connie Brown, senior in sociology and CME intern, said that the topics of interest are sisterhood, feminism, womanism issues that deny sisterhood and global women’s issues.

“I will start the discussion by asking definitions from the audience and the panel about the topics about sisterhood, feminism and womanism,” Brown said. “Then for the topic – Issues that Deny Sisterhood – I will show clips of “The Way Home” by Shakti Butler to spark questions from audience. I will ask the audience how it makes them feel, their thoughts and let the audience ask the panel questions.”

Brown also said that she will show clips for the topics of racism, socioeconomic status and ethnocentrism, which relates to the Issues that Deny Sisterhood.

Then Brown will ask questions regarding Global Sisterhood issues to the audience and panel.

“Why do we need to be concerned with what is going on with women around the world?” Brown said.

Also, Brown will give brief information on reproductive rights in China and One Child Policy, female genital mutilation, acid throwing and bride burning, and then ask the audience for their input.

Close to the end of the Women’s Summit, around 7 p.m., the audience members will break up into discussion groups without the panel, but the panel would be welcome to join in. The topics that will be discussed are Global Sisterhood, women in the workplace, what can be done to expand Global Sisterhood and why there aren’t more women’s groups on campus.

The discussions groups will last for thirty minutes.

Janell Banks, one of the panelists, thinks that women students should come out and make new friends and build on a sisterhood connection.

“I think all the different women will be able to educate each other, and everyone will benefit greatly,” Banks said. “I think it’s important for women to attend the summit, to come and connect with all sorts of women and be able to all come together and see each other as equals.”

Students like sophomore Divine Adams agree with Banks, wanting to come out and see what the Women’s Summit is all about.

“It will be nice to hear the discussions that they will be talking about and see how women interact with each other from different race, backgrounds and religion,” Adams said.

Another female student, sophomore Michaela King, said that she would like to attend the Summit as well because she found interest in the title.

“‘Controversial Issues that Deny True Unity’ I was intrigued by,” King said. “It just seems like an interesting topic, and I just wanted to know what the reasons were that separated women from becoming united.”