“Historians and Feminists: An Intergenerational Conversation,” an event sponsored by Veteran Feminists of America (VFA), will take place in Durham, North Carolina, on Friday, March 31.
Feminists who were active in the Second Wave women’s movement of the 1960s and ‘70s will engage in a dialogue with young historians who are researching, writing and teaching about the movement.
There will be three panels. The first panel focuses on Grassroots Organizing. The activists in that panel are:
- Mandy Carter – Leading African-American LGBTQ activist from North Carolina; founder of Southerners on New Ground (SONG)
- Heather Booth – Lifelong progressive organizer; a founder of “Jane,” which performed 11,000 abortions before Roe vs. Wade became law
- Kathy Bonk – Expert on women in media; directed Media Project for National Organization for Women Legal Defense & Education Fund
Historians on the first panel are:
- Melissa Estes Blair – Auburn University; author of Revolutionizing Expectations: Women’s Organizations, Feminism, and American Politics, 1965-1980
- Robin Morris - Agnes Scott College; author, “Organizing Breadmakers: Kathryn Dunaway and the Georgia STOP ERA Campaign”
- Jessica Wilkerson – University of Mississippi; author, Where Movements Meet: From the War on Poverty to Grassroots Feminism in the Appalachian
The second panel focuses on Law and Government, and the third on Employment Activism.
The day kicks off at 9:30 am with a keynote speech from Dr. Nancy MacLean of Duke University, a leading historian of the U.S. in the 20th century.
Friday evening at 5:30 is a VFA Salute to Southern Feminists at a reception and awards dinner.
On Thursday, March 30, at 4:00 pm, there is a welcome reception at the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture at Duke.
All conference details, including registration form, are available on the website: www.sharingourstories2017.org.
Direct any questions to sharingourstories2017@gmail.com.
Kathy Rand, VFA Board Member