Noted LGBTQ+ activist to keynote Oakton conference March 8

Noted LGBTQ+ activist, playwright and slam poet Stacyeann Chin will deliver the keynote for “Intersect This! Poverty and Privilege Through the Lens of Gender and Sexuality,” the Women’s and Gender Studies Conference at Oakton Community College, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road.

The Jamaican-born Chin is best known as a co-writer and original performer in the Tony Award Winning “Russel Simmons Def Poetry Jam” on Broadway, for which she received a 2003 Drama Desk Award. She is currently the poet-in-residence at The Culture Project. In 2009, Scribner published her memoir, “The Other Side of Paradise.” Her work has also been featured in Essence, Jane, The New York Times, The South African Times and many other publications.

“The conference is for students and community members who want to learn, connect with one another and confront challenging social issues. It is our hope to build bridges within the community and to introduce attendees to the wealth of academic excellence, creativity and social engagement that Oakton has to offer,” said Lindsey Hewitt, associate professor of Anthropology and Humanities and co-coordinator of the Oakton Women’s and Gender Studies Department.

A schedule of events includes:

8:30 – 9 a.m. Registration (coffee and bagels), Performing Arts Center lobby

9 – 9:15 a.m. Conference Welcome and Opening Remarks, Performing Arts Center

9:15 – 10:45 a.m. Keynote Address by Staceyann Chin, Performing Arts Center

10:45-11 a.m. Break

11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Session I: Select one of the following:

12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Lunch, Cafeteria

1:15 – 2:30 p.m. Session II: Select one of four breakout sessions, TenHoeve Center

2:30 – 2:45 p.m. Break

2:45 – 4 p.m. Session III: Select one of four breakout sessions, TenHoeve Center

4 – 5 p.m. Reception, TenHoeve Center

Advance registration for the conference is highly encouraged and can be found at www.oakton.edu/newsevents/events/WGS_conference19.php. Anyone interested in the issues facing women and girls today in education, business, politics and society are welcome. General admission is $35, non-Oakton students are $15 and the conference is free for Oakton students who register before Sunday, March 3. Registration includes continental breakfast, lunch and a closing reception high tea. Same-day registration will take place in the Performing Arts Center lobby.

For more information contact Lindsey Hewitt at lhewitt@oakton.edu.