The ASUO Women’s Center hosted the annual Lyllye B. Parker Women of Color Summit Saturday at the EMU and Many Nations Longhouse.@@http://pages.uoregon.edu/women/@@
Two-hundred registered participants and more than 30 volunteers spent the day together partaking in a variety of workshops and seminars aimed at embodying the mission of the summit, “United: Acknowledging the past, being present and creating change.”@@same link@@@@’Two hundred’ at the beginning of the sentence? — MB@@

Stephanie Gonzalez@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Stephanie+Gonzalez@@, University senior and Women’s Center diversity coordinator, discussed the importance of listening to the community while she structured and planned the event.
“I really tried to structure the conference around bringing unity to our community as opposed to a disparity,” Gonzalez said.
The summit had an all-day itinerary, which included team-building exercises, the creation of a mural and a self-defense discussion. Along with the numerous workshops provided, there were also two speakers who addressed the group.
One of the two speakers present for the conference was Nanci E. Luna Jimenez@@http://lipstick-feminists.org/@@, a certified professional facilitator who presented her workshop titled “The Power of Apology.”
The aim of the workshop was to learn the meaning and power behind a clean apology and to become aware of people’s ability to forgive not only others but themselves as well.
“An apology is permission to begin repair. It is not the repair itself,” she said.
Jimenez, who is the founder and president of Luna Jimenez Seminars and Associates@@http://lunajimenezseminars.com/@@, has worked with a vast array of companies and nonprofit organizations facilitating and conducting seminars promoting leadership and growth.
She continued on to discuss what she hoped people would take away from not just her seminar but also the day as a whole.
“The world of justice that we want to create, a world free of oppression, free of hurts, starts with me and starts with you,” she said.  “We can only be from where we are … from understanding and compassion. That’s the kind of justice I want to create. It has to start with me first.”
Carla Villanueva@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Carla+Villanueva@@, a University junior and office assistant for the Women’s Center, spoke of how important she felt the day was for the University and the community in general.
“I think a lot of communities are underrepresented and not getting enough attention,” she said. “I also think it’s important for white allies to be aware that our community does exist.”