Event Recap: Exploring the Intersectionality of Race & Gender

On September 18^th, the Utah Women & Leadership Project hosted a Women’s Leadership Forum entitled “Exploring the Intersectionality of Race & Gender.” The panel for this event consisted of four thoughtful and engaging women: Sui Lang L. Panoke, International Trainer and Consultant, and Founder of Rethink International; Michelle Love-Day, Consultant in the Jordan School District Educational Language Services, Teaching and Training Department; Dr. LaShawn Williams, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Assistant Professor at Utah Valley University; and Dr. Christy Glass, Professor of Sociology and Interim Director, Center for Intersectional Gender Studies & Research at Utah State University.

Although 2020 will be known as the year of the global pandemic, it will also be recognized for years to come as the year of a dramatic shift in the discussion of race in America. This equality dialogue also builds on the ongoing discussion of women’s equity propelled by #MeToo movement in 2015. The Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements have placed a spotlight on enduring racial and gender inequalities in the U.S. Both movements were launched by Black women who continue to call attention to the intersections between race and gender in shaping opportunity and justice in America. During this event, our panelists discussed the impacts of race and gender biases and how to break those stereotypes while empowering one another.