Schedule and Workshop Descriptions

Friday, October 28
Spelman College Atrium, Manley College Center

5:00 – 7:00 pm
Pre-Conference Community Reception
RSVP for Friday Night Event to saglobalconference@feminist.org

Saturday, October 29
Cosby Academic Center

9:00 – 11:00 am
Opening Plenary - Cosby Auditorium
Organizing Worldwide for Women's Rights, Human Rights, Economic Justice, and the Environment

Crystal Lander, Campus Program Director, Feminist Majority Foundation

The Honorable Shirley Franklin, Mayor of Atlanta *

Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Director, Spelman College Women's Resource and Research Center

Susan Hill, President, National Women's Health Organization*

Dr. Joanne DeMark, Associate Director & LGBTQ Caucus Leader, National Coalition Building Institute Atlanta

Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority and Feminist Majority Foundation; Publisher, Ms . Magazine

11:00 – 12:30 pm
Breakout Session #1

Human Trafficking and Globalization in the New Millennium
Cosby Room LL32

Poverty, women's low social status, and expanding markets for cheap labor are at the heart of human trafficking. Learn more about international efforts to combat the exploitation of women trafficked to work in sweatshops and for sexual and domestic servitude, as well as the relocation of women and families to urban areas for exploitative work. Speakers will also discuss the constraints the current U.S. administration applies to foreign NGOs that work with victims of trafficking.

• Discussant: Erin Porter, Mercer University Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance President
• Alesia Adams, Center to End Adolescent Sexual Exploitation
• Stephanie Davis, Policy Advisor on Women's Issues, Office of Mayor Shirley Franklin
• Reverend Roslyn Satchel, Executive Director, National Center for Human Rights Education

Human Rights as an Umbrella for All Rights
Cosby Room 104

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that the recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. It is within this framework that social justice activists are working both domestically and globally to eliminate poverty, fight discrimination based on sexual orientation, end gender-based violence, protect the environment, and work together to build a progressive movement for positive US foreign policy. This umbrella is large and diverse, and equally strong and resilient. Leaders and activists will discuss the diverse social justice human rights framework and its applications to various movements.

• Discussant: Robbie Frank, Spelman College Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance
• Dr. Joanne DeMark, Associate Director & LGBTQ Caucus Leader, National Coalition Building Institute
• Deepali Gokhale, Queer Progressive Agenda
• Joya Banerjee, National Wildlife Federation

The Global Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Cosby Room 214

Learn about the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS and how it “has a woman's face.” Find out how the prevention of HIV/AIDS could soon “have a woman's face” through microbicides. Panelists will discuss new developments in the research of microbicides as well as other user-controlled prevention methods. The discussion will include how local and global groups are fighting against the spread of HIV/AIDS and how the Global Gag Rule impacts their efforts.

• Discussant: Tiffany Brand, Agnes Scott College
• Antoinette Barnes, SisterLove, Inc.
• Terri Wilder, Georgia Campaign for Microbicides

Theocracy in Action: Religious Fundamentalism in a Political Context
Cosby Room 103

Religious fundamentalists place great importance on the control of women, particularly in the areas of education, health, and reproductive rights. Panelists will examine fundamentalist movements in major world religions and their effects on women, particularly when such movements become entangled in politics. Participants will analyze the influence of the religious right on the United States ' response to domestic and international issues such as family planning, human trafficking, and HIV/AIDS prevention.

• Discussant: Emily Baunach, Vanderbilt University Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance
• Sara Ryan, Campus Organizer, Americans United for Seperation of Church and State
• Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority and Feminist Majority Foundation; Publisher, Ms . Magazine
• Susan Hill, President, National Women's Health Organization*

12:30 – 2:00 pm
Lunch, Spelman College Dining Hall
(Vegetarian options available)

2:15 – 3:45 pm
Breakout Session #2

Viewing Contraception and STI Prevention through a Human Rights Framework
Cosby Room LL32

Access to contraceptives and reproductive health services should be the right of every woman, but we know that access to safe and legal abortions, healthy forms of birth control, effective condoms, and other health services is limited at best. Panelists will share thoughts and experiences on how current U.S. abstinence-only policies hinder the global fight against HIV/AIDS. They will also discuss how the Global Gag Rule and the de-funding of the UNFPA increase maternal mortality and limit access to vital reproductive healthcare and services for many families around the world.

• Discussant: Crystal Lander, Campus Program Director, Feminist Majority Foundation
• Dawn Lasusky, Atlanta Feminist Women's Health Center
• Lynda Lattke, Senior Program Manager, Global Health Action
• Yixin Duan, Program Manager, Global Health Action
• Dr. Kathryn Yount, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Emory University

Implementing Positive Feminist Change: The UN's Role in Promoting Peace, Human Rights, Women's Equality, and a Healthy Environment
Cosby Room 104

The UN human rights treaties are part of an international legal system that sets the standard for the promotion and protection of human rights. In the U.S. and globally, human rights treaties and conventions provide powerful tools for winning women's equality and human rights as well as promoting peace and protecting the environment. Discover the role of the UN in implementing feminist goals, learn more about treaties such as CEDAW and the practical applications of conventions and treaties, and find out ways to encourage the expansion of positive change.

• Discussant: Cheryl Stanga, Emory University UNIFEM
• Sarah Hemingway, National Outreach Coordinator, Americans for UNFPA
• Glory Kilanko, Director and Coordinator, Women Watch Africa, Inc.
• Anne Olson, Georgia Co-Coordinator of the Stop Violence Against Women Campaign, Amnesty International
• Loretta Ross, National Coordinator, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective

Wars against Women, Women against War: Militarism and its Impact on Marginalized Populations at Home and Abroad
Cosby Room 103

This session will examine the short and long term effects of war on communities domestically and throughout the world. Panelists will discuss U.S. military occupation abroad, the intense recruitment efforts in low-income communities and communities of color at home, and the economic, environmental, social, and political consequences of militarism.

• Discussant: Kelly Blanchard, Intern, Feminist Majority Foundation
• Deanna West, Senior Program Manager, National Center for Human Rights Education
• Dr. Gale Harrison, Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies, Georgia Southern University
• Jennifer Iliana Ortiz, Field Outreach Associate, Women's Actions for New Directions

Globalization and Its Impact on Labor, Women's and Human Rights, and the Environment
Cosby Room 214

Globalization has given new importance to the role of international trade agreements and the actions of multinational corporations. Issues such as pollution, outsourcing, poverty, and workers' rights have taken on significant meaning for communities locally and internationally. Workshop participants will discuss the effects of globalization on the world's laborers, the environment, and human rights. The panelists will describe campaigns to combat the exploitation of workers in sweatshops and in other inhumane working conditions, as well as discuss how to hold corporations accountable for their labor practices.

• Discussant: Amber Bowles, University of Georgia
• Isaac Silver, Regional Coordinator, United Students Against Sweatshops
• Parvina Nadjibulla, Women's Environment and Development Organization
• Avi Brisman, Civil Rights Legal Fellow, Metro ATL Task Force for Homeless
• Reverend Roslyn Satchel, Executive Director, National Center for Human Rights Education

4:00 – 5:30 pm
Closing Plenary - Cosby Auditorium
Acting Beyond Borders: Mobilizing Young People for a Positive U.S. Foreign Policy

Moya Bailey, Former President of the Spelman Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance

Dr. M. Bahati Kuumba, Associate Professor of Women's Studies, Spelman College

Representative Nan Orrock, Georgia House of Representatives; President, The Women Legislator's Lobby

Loretta Ross, National Coordinator, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective 

*Invited