The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College is hosting a three-day event this weekend for International Women’s Day. “Resisting Harm: Building the Future” is open to the public, and will feature talks by international and local scholars and activists.
Topics include looking at AI through a feminist lens, organizing women-led labor movements, and feminist resistance against fascism. There will be a student-led march Sunday afternoon starting at the Arcus Center.
Emily Williams is the Center's executive director. They acknowledged that there might be fear around activism right now, but said it’s more important than ever.
“If people are feeling fearful about coming out, or fearful about standing up for justice, or standing up for other people’s rights, this is actually the time to do that,” they said. “And we have to be bold about that, and we have to be resolute about that.”
CoCo Marie is also helping to organize the gathering.
“I’m surrounded by Black and brown queer people, and right now everyone’s terrified,” they said. “So I’m hoping people feel more of a sense of community, locally and globally, and know we’re not in this fight alone.”
Daphne Bos is a senior at Kalamazoo College who’s also one of the event’s organizers. She said she hopes it will highlight some of the activism happening around the world and build a sense of community in Kalamazoo.
“With the state of the world, with the stress a lot of people are feeling right now, connection is really what’s going to get everyone through what’s going on,” she said. “And this is an event for connection.”
"Resisting Harm" begins Friday. There is a suggested fee of $10 to attend, and organizers would like attendees to register ahead of time. More information can be found at the Arcus Center web site.
