Women’s Center wins national award for Black Feminist Symposium

Just seven years after launch, the University of Cincinnati’s Black Feminist Symposium has been recognized nationally for its commitment to intersectional feminism and inventive strategies to address the emergent and changing needs of the campus community. UC has received the Outstanding Women’s and Gender Equity Center (WGEC) Program Award from the National Women’s Studies Association. The Outstanding WGEC Program Award recognizes the work of women’s and gender equity centers as sites of feminist praxis. When accepting the award, Women’s Center Assistant Director Charmaine Kitsinis said, “On behalf of the Black Feminist Symposium committees, past and present, I want to thank you for recognizing our event and lift up the many centers who are doing hard work to bring to the fore the stories and needs of women on their campuses.”  

As with many successful student initiatives, the Black Feminist Symposium was created as a result of Bearcats advocating for their needs. Kitsinis said, “this event came out of an obvious need for connection, leadership and scholarship around the needs of Black women at UC, and has continued to grow and thrive under the same mission: lifting the voices and stories of Black women through panel discussions, research presentations, artistic expression and networking.”  

Students, employees and community members are invited to participate in the 8th annual Black Feminist Symposium on March 1 in the Tangeman University Center Great Hall. Registration closes February 23. The symposium is dedicated to celebrating Black feminist thought, scholarship and activism both at UC and in the community. Each year, the event offers a rich array of voices through a full day of speakers, panels, workshops and networking led by students, staff and faculty, as well as community members from Greater Cincinnati. This year’s theme, Revolutionary Sisterhood, asks participants to think about how we can reimagine sisterhood. Rhiannon Carnes (she/her), the founder and executive director of the Ohio Women's Alliance is this year's keynote speaker. Registration is open on GetInvolvedUC and open to the campus community. The event is sponsored by the Women’s Center, Student Affairs, Ethnic Programs and Services and Student Government.

Featured image at top: Participants listen to the keynote speaker Khisha Asubuhi at the 2023 Black Feminist Symposium in TUC's Great Hall. Photo/Ainsley Moore.