Dear GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies Alumni,
While spring hasn’t officially sprung here in Madison (8 inches of snow await those willing to brave the still chilly weather) the GWS community’s many accomplishments are making it easy to focus on new beginnings. These beginnings include the more than 60 of you (a new record!) who updated us on your inspiring achievements and life stories – from helping to develop a new cancer screening tool for HPV-associated cancer to coaching a local Girls on the Run team to operating a psychotherapy practice for queer and trans folks.
GWS faculty have been equally busy. Sami Schalk recently received a UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color Award and a Distinguished Teaching Award. Kate Walsh has been awarded a U.S. Department of Justice grant to expand on-campus sexual assault services. Annie Menzel has received a Research Service Grant for her antiracist and feminist service contributions to the UW-Madison campus.
After an unprecedented 2020, it’s impossible to predict what lies ahead for the rest of 2021. What is certain is that we are eager to learn more about the amazing ways you’re using your commitment to justice for women, trans and gender non-conforming people, people of color, queer people, and disabled people to make your community a better place.
Here’s the survey again if you’d like to fill it out.
In solidarity,
GWS Alumni Committee
CRGW Colloquium Series
Anna Campbell
Anna Campbell, GWS Professor and Affiliate of the Art Department and Center for Visual Cultures will give a virtual talk on February 25 at 3:45pm called, “Dress Rehearsal for A Dream Sequence: On a Practice in Queer Archive-Making.” Find information and register at the above link.
Sami Schalk
Sami Schalk, GWS Professor, will give a virtual talk on April 29 at 3:45pm called, “Articulating and Enacting Black Disability Politics in the National Black Women’s Health Project.” Find information and register at the above link.
Virtual Conferences
4W and WGSC Conference
Registration is open for the fully virtual 2021 4W and UW System Women's and Gender Studies Consortium Conference, taking place on April 8-10. Free and open to the public, the conference offers keynotes and plenaries, a drag show, an artist exhibition, among other events. Learn more and register at the above link.
Ethics of Care Borghesi-Mellon Conference
The Center for Care Initiative, an ongoing collaborative project stewarded by GWS faculty Chris Garlough, James McMaster, and Annie Menzel with Professor Michael Peterson from Interdisciplinary Theater Studies, will host a virtual conference on May 13-14. The theme is “Relationships of Care Across and After Worlds." Find more information at the above link.
Alumni Spotlights
Liv Estrella Yang, '15, GWS Certificate
Liv is the founder and CEO of Faceted Beauty™. Liv shares her reflections on the role of gender studies in shaping her professional path.
"GWS enabled me to learn different frameworks such as intersectionality that continue to challenge how I see and receive the world. In turn GWS provided me with the tools to challenge how the world sees and receives people, especially in the beauty industry."
Ed Graves, '06, LGBTQ+ Studies Certificate
Ed shares his reflections on the role of LGBTQ+ Studies in shaping his professional path, including his work as a gay organic farmer and as a public librarian in the rural South.
"LGBTQ+ Studies were particularly helpful for me to learn that I was part of a legacy of resilient people asserting their humanity and fostering communities, and that approaching my professional life with a feminist analysis helped me to be successful working with other people and make better choices that are informed by an understanding that’s bigger than just my perspective."
Stay Tuned for Day of the Badger
Day of the Badger is an annual campus-wide experience to support the UW and will take place this year on April 6th and 7th. Stay tuned for more information at the above link.
Update Your Contact Info
Interested in receiving updates from GWS, like our electronic newsletter? Be sure your contact information, including your email address, is up-to-date at the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Update it at the above link.