Beyond the U.S. Borders

Women’s Studies also sharpened its dedication to looking beyond the borders of the United States by highlighting the contributions made by transnational feminist activists and scholars. Alex Deschamps’ courses on Caribbean women and transnational development exemplified this commitment. Also, in 2004 Ann Ferguson collaborated with faculty at the University of Havana to organize a women’s studies conference in Cuba. Thirty UMass faculty and students traveled to Havana to participate. The program also kept pedagogy and advising at its heart. Faculty and instructors repeatedly received nominations and awards for their teaching and Karen Lederer won the prestigious Outstanding Staff Advisor Award, recognizing her outstanding advising skills and the individualized attention to the undergraduate majors and minors she advised.

June Jordan, a Caribbean American poet, activist, scholar, and teacher, died of breast cancer in the summer of 2002 she left a legacy of passionate political and creative work. That fall, Women’s Studies collaborated with the Black Student Union, the Women of Color Leadership Network, and the Office of ALANA Affairs to organize a memorial event in her honor, out of which came a powerful conference just over a year later. In February 2004, Arlene Avakian and the department collaborated again with these groups, along with New World Theater, and held a “Revolutionary Convening,” a conference based on Jordan’s life and thought. It aimed to bring together artists, activists, and scholars to foster conversations about the contemporary socio-political landscape. The conference proved to be a memorable event that included inter-generational, inter-disciplinary panel discussions about current political struggles and revolutionary pedagogy; theater, music, spoken word, and poetry performances; and a keynote address by Sonia Sanchez. Several participants had personal connections to Jordan during her life and offered recollections of her spirit and commitment. This conference reaffirmed Women’s Studies’ dedication to bridging existing divides between art, politics, and scholarship and working collaboratively to amplify innovative voices on the UMass campus and beyond.⁵¹

⁵¹ WOST Newsletter Spring 2004, p. 3.