News Release

October 23, 2001

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Annual Women's Day Conference to Feature Women's Rights Activist from Afghanistan

A women's rights activist from Afghanistan and a prominent member of the Washington, D.C., press are among the dynamic speakers featured at Oakton's Women's Day Conference from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9, at the Des Plaines campus.

A popular event since its inception in 1984, the Women's Day Conference is an opportunity to reflect on the advancements made by women, to address current issues and to contemplate the future. In the opening session of the conference, three women share their experiences advocating for others. Tahmeena Faryal and Anne E. Brodsky, Ph.D., will discuss their work with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), an independent political and social organization of Afghan women fighting for human rights and social justice.

Faryal, a Pakistan-based member of RAWA, travels internationally to raise awareness of the plight of Afghan women and the work being done by RAWA on their behalf. Brodsky, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is an active supporter of RAWA who recently spent two weeks with the association in refugee camps and schools along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. Also speaking at the opening session is Toni M. Bond, the executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund. She will talk about reproduction rights and her participation in the World Conference Against Racism held recently in Durban, South Africa.

Lynn Sweet, the Washington Bureau Chief of the Chicago Sun-Times, will present the keynote program, "Women, Washington and the News." Before moving to Washington, Sweet was the Sun-Times political writer. She also writes a column for the paper and until Sept. 11 spent most of her time following stories about politics and government. At the end of September, she accompanied House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and more than 100 members of Congress to New York to view the remains of the World Trade Center. In July, she broke the story that William Kennedy Smith-years after being acquitted of rape charges-was considering running for Congress from a Chicago district. She spent a month in Tallahassee after the 2000 election covering the presidential recount.

Throughout the day, attendees can choose from a variety of workshops, including "Woman and AIDS: The Global Challenge," "Sweatshops and Globalization: A New Generation of Student Activists," "Balancing Two Worlds: South Asian Women in the United States," "Feminism and the Motion Picture Code," and "Battling the Big Guys: The Challenge of Running a Feminist Bookstore in a Corporate Culture."

Also included are three programs made possible through the Illinois Humanities Council. Through a series of first-person characterizations performed in full costume, Annette Baldwin Kolasinksi brings to life five suffrage leaders, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Stacey Robertson, Ph.D., associate professor of history and director of the Women's Studies Program at Bradley University, discusses the many roles of Midwestern women in the antislavery movement. Chicago actress Alma Washington dramatizes the life of Lucy Parsons, a woman who figured prominently in the Chicago labor movement of the late 19th century.

A registration fee of $35, payable by Nov. 1, includes the conference and lunch. Registrations will be accepted the day of the conference for a fee of $40.

For more information about the Women's Day 2001 Conference or to receive a conference registration form, call Claudia Cabay at (847) 635-1745.