People from up and down the West Coast will be gathering in McKenzie Hall this weekend for the second Against Patriarchy conference.
The Student Insurgent as well as campus and community members organized the three-day event, which begins tonight, featuring as keynote speakers activist Leslie Feinberg and slam poet Alix Olson. The conference continues Saturday and Sunday, with more than 50 workshops scheduled.
The conference is part of “a movement towards the elimination of male privilege, domination and sexism” and the goal is “to create dialogue, educate ourselves and each other, and inspire action,” according to the Against Patriarchy mission statement.
Insurgent staff member Oona Beall said the conference is aimed at addressing issues such as racism, sexism and the other “-isms” in “new and different ways.”
Organizers expect more than 500 people, and organizer Lucas Spiegel said he has already received more than 150 housing requests from people who will be attending from out of town.
Feinberg, a transgender activist and union organizer, will speak at 7 p.m. tonight in room 129/229 McKenzie. Tracy Scharn, a member of the Against Patriarchy collective, said the group invited Feinberg to address “gender liberation” in relation to the current global situation and militarism.
“One of the concerns (the Against Patriarchy collective) has during a wartime climate is that marginalized groups become more marginalized in a time when unity and conformity are emphasized,” Scharn said.
Feinberg is a well-known speaker and author of several books including Stone Butch Blues. Scharn said Feinberg advocates ways to become involved in improving the world in a practical way.
Feinberg will be followed by Olson, who has been featured in several New York City venues including Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, Symphony Space with Pete Seeger and Michael Moore, and the HERE Performing Arts Festival and has performed at colleges and universities around the country.
Workshops will begin Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in McKenzie Hall. They will cover a variety of topics, including self-defense, community response to domestic violence and holistic healing for trauma. Another workshop will include a panel of advocates for women in prison.
Raven Koch of Sexual Assault Support Services will be facilitating two of the workshops. Participants in her self-defense workshop on Saturday morning will share stories and learn from each other, as well as learn a few self-defense techniques, she said.
She will also be leading a “rape culture” workshop, which will focus on mass media, religion and other institutions that “mimic power dynamics,” she said.
“These are institutions that support the act of rape and mimic it within its power structure by supporting a hierarchy,” she said.
Spiegel said conference organizers encourage men to attend and have made an effort to increase accessibility by providing translators, free childcare and free lodging in the homes of volunteers.
Beall emphasized that the event is “a conference for everyone — all genders, races and political backgrounds.”
A complete schedule of
events is available at www.fruitiondesign.com/againstpatriarchy.