Ford Foundation Sponsoring Women's Law Conference At UC

Women from across the nation will gather at the University of Cincinnati the weekend of Feb. 26-27 for a Ford Foundation-sponsored conference that will explore new strategies for using the law to create social change in areas related to women’s health and well-being.

"Women Coming Together: Claiming the Law for Social Change" is a first-time event presented by the UC College of Law and UC’s Joint Degree Program in Law and Women’s Studies. The conference will be held at UC’s Tangemen University Center.

Particular emphasis will be placed on developing strategies that help "marginalized women" – the poor, minorities, immigrants and the incarcerated who often find issues involving the legal system to be overwhelming and who have traditionally been isolated away from the mainstream women’s movement.

"There are many ways to influence the law," says Verna Williams, UC associate professor of law and a conference organizer. "We are going to discuss how we can improve access for women, who in some cases are doubly- or triply-oppressed by issues like class and race. How can we make the law work for these women in a meaningful way?"

To spark discussion, innovators from around the country will be leading sessions during the Cincinnati conference. For instance, a session on "Making Women’s Voices Heard in the Media" will feature Lisa Rudman, Sarah Olson and Renita Pitts, three Oakland, Calif., residents working on the National Radio Project, which seeks to use radio as a vehicle for challenging stereotypes about low-income women and giving them the tools to work for social change.

Additional conference subjects include: building recognition of health care as a human right in the United States; improving living conditions for low-income Americans; family policy and poverty; communicating on topics of women’s health with women of color; discussing the impact of ideology and technology on reproductive health; examining the erosion of civil rights enforcement; and exploring the feminization of the criminal justice system.

The program will also include a reception and dinner on Feb. 26 at the new National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Cincinnati’s riverfront.

The conference is being sponsored by the Ford Foundation, a resource dedicated to working towards solving humankind’s most pressing problems.

Additional information on the conference, including registration materials, can be found on the Web at: www.conferencing.uc.edu/law, or by calling University Conferencing at 513-558-1810.