Gender, Women, and Sexuality Students Attend National Feminist Leadership Conference
A group of four gender, women, and sexuality studies students recently attended the Feminist Majority Foundation’s National Young Feminist Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. The focus of the conference was to educate and motivate young people - specifically college students - on feminist issues.
Conference speakers covered topics such as reproductive rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. Attendees also learned about challenges that can come into play when trying to implement a political action.
In addition to attending the conference, the students met with a staff member of Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, representative of Pennsylvania’s 5th district which is home to Widener and much of the surrounding area. They shared their concerns about various feminist issues and expressed interest in continuing to build a relationship with Congresswoman Scanlon’s office.
Each of the four students received scholarship funding from the Feminist Majority Foundation to attend.
“Students reported that this trip was transformational,” said Mariah Schug, director of gender, women, and sexuality studies. “They made important career contacts with feminist political leaders - contacts which may influence the course of their careers. Finally, they left the conference with a new sense of empowerment and commitment to taking political action in their own communities.”