Annual Conference Resource Lists

This presidential address and opening discussion augments “The Journey Not Only the Arrival, Critical Connections Not Only Critical Mass: (Re)Thinking Feminist Movements,” the theme for our 2024 annual conference in Detroit and the title of President Heidi R. Lewis’ Presidential Address. Detroit was Grace Lee Boggs’ home for over 60 years and the place where she founded the National Organization for an American Revolution with her husband Jimmy 45 years ago. So, our theme honors two of her quotes, “activism can be the journey rather than the arrival” and “movements are born of critical connections rather than critical mass.” Our conference is a space where we gather to think about, discuss, and develop strategies to resist myriad forms of subjugation and oppression. 

We gather to teach and learn from one another, to support and care for one another, to celebrate one another, and to share in each other’s pain and joy. At the same time, it’s just as important to attend to the complicated contours of our relationships with one another. What happens when heterosexism, ableism, and colonialism show up in us? What happens when we perpetuate anti-Black racism, transantagonism, and xenophobia? What happens when we privilege the arrival at the expense of the journey? What happens when we sacrifice critical connections in favor of galvanizing critical mass? These questions, and more will be strengthened by members of the James and Grace Lee Boggs Foundation: Donald Boggs, Aurora Harris, Dr. Gloria House, Alice Jennings, Dr. Scott Kurashige, Tiffany Lee, and Julia Putnam as thought leaders and organizers who embody all that James and Grace Lee Boggs visioned in their activism.

President Lewis’ hope is for us to collectively raise and interrogate these questions for the sake of what she often refers to as the always advantageous but sometimes contentious contours of solidarity. Even though we may be certain about our many intended destinations, she invites us to nurture curiosity about our journeys and connections with each other, because that is the lesson from Boggs that resonates with her most.

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In “Multivocal and Multidirectional: The Rich Legacy of Women’s Studies,” President Heidi R. Lewis refers to the late 1960s and especially the 1970s and 1980s as the Golden Age of the kind of organizing that is central to our field. During that time, the National Organization for Women, Redstockings, Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, National Black Feminist Organization, Women of All Red Nations, Salsa Soul Sisters, Combahee River Collective, and other groundbreaking organizations were founded. One of those organizations was NWSA, which was established in 1977 and incorporated in 1978. The following year, the Association held its first conference at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, with nearly 250 sessions and 600 participants. To celebrate that historical moment, we are excited to facilitate a discussion with Layli Maparyan, past Women of Color Caucus Co-Chair; Yi-Chun Tricia Lin 林怡君, past President (2012-14); Premilla Nadasen, past President (2018-20); and Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith, who presented her work on the religious experience of Mexicanas in Arizona during that very first conference. Returning to our histories is a critical aspect of feminist work. At this juncture, it is especially important to revisit our roots for wisdom and empowerment—and for lessons in solidarity—as our art, activism, and scholarship continue to evolve to meet the moment and shape the future. 

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From viral hashtags to grassroots movements, the digital realm has emerged as a powerful arena for amplifying marginalized voices and driving impactful activism. Throughout the years, U.S. presidential elections have highlighted the crucial role digital platforms play in shaping narratives, mobilizing constituents, and driving tangible change. Given the outcome of the US presidential election, this session will highlight a diverse group of panelists, from grassroots organizers to scholar-activists, who will share their experiences and insights on how they have used the dynamic landscape of social media as a catalyst for political empowerment and social metamorphosis, particularly within disenfranchised communities.

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In 1974, activists including Lorelei DeCora Means, Madonna Thunderhawk, Phyllis Young, Janet McCloud, and Marie Sanchez founded Women of All Red Nations (WARN). Involving members from over 30 tribal communities, WARN challenged settler colonialism - especially coercive sterilization and mining on native lands - while also advocating for the rights of women within native communities and sovereignty movements. This presidential session celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of WARN by bringing together Indigenous feminist scholars and activists to discuss key issues in Indigenous feminist scholarship and activism, including the ongoing need to challenge settler colonialism and the violence it enables against Indigenous women and Two-Spirit People, as well as the ways Indigenous feminists theorize notions of (non)human relationality, environmental stewardship, decolonization, and sovereignty.

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In 1972, Chicana women working in the Farah Manufacturing Company waged a battle to form a labor union in order to fight for better working conditions. The strike, a landmark in the history of what would come to be known as Chicana feminism, ended in favor of the Chicana workers in 1974. This was one of many important events in the 1960s and 1970s that would lead to the formation of Chicana feminism as an activist and intellectual formation. Since then, Chicanas have continued to develop theory and praxis in order to better the lives of Mexican-descended women, queer and trans folks, children and families, and communities writ large. This panel is comprised of Chicana feminist activists, thinkers, and community builders who continue the legacies forged in the Farah Strike and so many other activities from half a century ago. The panelists consider the key contributions of Chicana feminism as well as the exciting new trajectories such work takes in the 21st century.

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Founded in 1974, Salsa Soul Sisters was the first organization dedicated to and led by Black lesbians in the United States. A network of homegirls, they created a legacy of political strategy rooted in creativity, pleasure, and care that remains timely and critical in this moment. This presidential session celebrates this legacy by staging a conversation around archiving Black queer stories, educative innovations, collective care practices, and the raw work of coalition building across differences. This honest dialogue consists of panelists whose work aligns with core principles, actions, and aspirations of Salsa Soul Sisters and watering care communities in the tradition of “A village taking care of itself” today.

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Motivated by a desire to highlight the various forms of contemporary activism that fall under the “transnational feminist” umbrella, this presidential session highlights the various registers of resistance employed by activists in Brazil, China, Nicaragua, Palestine, and Turkey against state violence, surveillance, repression, occupation, and exile. We are coming together in this session with the hope of amplifying and activating critical coalitional feminist tactics for navigating authoritarian, colonial, national, and imperial powers. 

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Audre Lorde first visited Berlin in 1984 and returned annually until she transitioned in 1992. Inspired by her many visits, she wrote “This Urn Contains Earth from German Concentration Camps,” “Berlin is Hard on Colored Girls,” and other texts, including the “Foreword” to Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out, the first book published by Afro-Germans and the first to define “Afro-German,” a term Lorde coined with her Black German comrades and friends. 30 years after Lorde, Heidi R. Lewis journeyed to Berlin to teach her annual study abroad course for the first time. During her many visits, Lewis has also practiced transnational worldmaking with Black women in Germany, many who had relationships with Audre, such as the late Ika Hügel-Marshall, Ria Cheatom, and Katharina Oguntoye. During this session, Lewis will celebrate Lorde’s 90th birthday by honoring her time in Berlin with Katja Kinder, Peggy Piesche, and Maisha Auma of Generation Adefra, Germany’s first grassroots activist group for Black women.

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