UCLA Center for the Study of Women Streisand Center

Thirty years ago, Lisa Lowe's "Immigrant Acts" transformed how we understand the relationship between state, capital, and culture through the lens of Asian American gendered radicalization. This fall, scholars trace its lasting impact across disciplines, geographies, and generations. Join us for this free symposium!

🗓️ Thursday, October 8, 2026 | 3:00 – 7:00 PM
📍 Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center, UCLA

Featuring scholars from The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Critical Race & Ethnic Studies at UCSC, Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality (NYU), UCLA Department of Gender Studies, Department of English and Creative Writing (Dartmouth), CSU Northridge, and the University of Washington — with a response from Lisa Lowe herself (American Studies, Yale University).

https://wgss.umd.edu/events/immigrant-acts-symposium

Presented by The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and UCLA Asian American Studies Department UCLA, with support from the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, CSW|Streisand Center and UCLA Department of Gender Studies.

Despite years of progress, women are losing ground in Hollywood.

The latest UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report finds that less than one in four streaming films in 2025 were directed by women—the lowest level since the report began tracking streaming releases. Women also experienced declines across nearly every major employment category in the streaming film industry.

The findings come despite clear evidence that audiences embrace diverse storytelling. Films led by women and people of color continue to resonate with viewers, underscoring that representation is not only a matter of equity but also of audience demand.

As conversations about gender equity continue across industries, this report serves as an important reminder that progress is not guaranteed, and that continued research, advocacy, and accountability remain essential.

Read more about the findings from UCLA's Hollywood Diversity Report: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/hollywood-diversity-report

This Sunday: Join the UCLA Prison Education Program and Bruin Underground Scholars for the Second Chance Film Festival, featuring screenings and discussions centered on incarceration, reentry, and what a second chance can look like. Free! RSVP here: https://csw.ucla.edu/event/second-chance-film-festival-presented-by-pep-x-bus/

Did you live in Los Angeles during the January 2025 wildfires? UCLA Nursing is seeking women with lupus to participate in a research study exploring how the wildfires may have affected lupus symptoms, healthcare access, and overall well-being.

Your experiences can help researchers better understand the impact of wildfire smoke and climate-related events on people living with lupus and improve future care and support.

Participate in a 90-minute focus group (virtual or in-person) and receive a $75 gift card.

Interested in learning more or signing up? Connect with UCLA Nursing here: https://nursing.ucla.edu/articles/announcement/now-recruiting-study-participants-lupus-the-los-angeles

Senior Spotlight on our student worker, Zaia Hammond!

Zaia is a 4th year Human Biology and Society major at UCLA and has supported CSW|Stresiand Center's office for the past 2 years. In her time here, she has made significant contributions to the center by spearheading our Books to Jails initiative and helping with daily office tasks.

We’d like to thank Zaia for her time and energy that she’s contributed to CSW|Streisand Center and congratulate her on completing her time at UCLA.

After graduating, Zaia will be applying to medical school!

Leisy Abrego receives 2026 Gold Shield Faculty Prize

Appreciation post for our student workers!

We couldn’t do it without you! From making our space welcoming, to running our mini library and book drive, designing our newsletter, social media posts and fantastic graphic design, they do it all!

Were endlessly grateful and so lucky to get to work with you, Zaia, Anna, Molly, Missy, Ria and Ethan 🩷

Excited to welcome Josephine and Medha to the office next year!

Senior Spotlight: Anna Li

Anna Li (she/her) is one of our Office Operations Student Workers and a 4th year Materials Engineering major at UCLA! She has supported CSW|Stresiand Center's office for the last 3 years. In her time here, she has made significant contributions to the center, working on events like “Beyond Representation: Practicing Feminist Engineering,” Faculty Writing Retreats, and helping with daily office tasks.

We’d like to thank Anna for her time and energy that she’s contributed to CSW|Streisand Center and congratulate her on completing her time at UCLA.

After graduating, Anna will attend the Cambridge Judge Business School to study Strategy, Marketing, Operations, and Organisational Behaviour and work as a strategy consultant for L.E.K. Consulting in Melbourne, Australia! Thank you Anna!

How did ideas about fetal life, personhood, pregnancy, and the law shape the pre-modern world—and how do those histories continue to shape debates today?

Join UCLA History Department for Fetal Subjects and Legal Personhood in the Pre-Modern Catholic World: Theology, Medicine, and the Law, a three-day conference exploring how religious doctrine, medical knowledge, legal systems, midwifery practices, slavery, and reproductive experiences informed understandings of fetal life from the medieval period through the nineteenth century.

June 8–10, 2026
Royce Hall 306, UCLA
Hybrid attendance available via Zoom

The conference brings together scholars from across North America and Europe to examine topics including embryology, abortion, pregnancy criminalization, midwifery, cesarean surgery, slavery, and legal personhood in the Catholic world.

Featured Keynote Lectures

Monday, June 8 | 4:30 PM
Abortion in Early Modern Italy
with John Christopoulos, Associate Professor of History at the University of British Columbia. This keynote explores abortion, reproduction, and social regulation in early modern Italy, offering new perspectives on how communities, institutions, and individuals understood pregnancy and reproductive decision-making.

Tuesday, June 9 | 4:30 PM
The Dangerous Womb: A History of Pregnancy Loss and Blame
with Kathleen Crowther, author of Policing Pregnant Bodies: From Ancient Greece to Post-Roe America. Drawing connections between the distant past and contemporary debates, Crowther examines the long history of assigning responsibility and blame for pregnancy loss, revealing how ideas about reproduction have been shaped by law, medicine, and cultural beliefs across centuries.

Whether you're interested in history, religion, law, medicine, gender studies, or reproductive justice, this conference offers a fascinating opportunity to explore the deep historical roots of questions that remain urgently relevant today.

All are welcome. We hope you'll attend in Royce Hall or online for these timely conversations.

Congratulations to CSWAC Executive Board Member Leisy Abrego for being named the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Gold Shield Faculty Prize! The award recognizes her outstanding contributions to teaching, mentorship and scholarship at University of California, Los Angeles.

We are pleased to share Dr. Leisy Abrego has been selected to receive Gold Shield's 30th Faculty Prize. Awarded annually, the Gold Shield Faculty Prize recognizes a UCLA faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional achievement in undergraduate teaching, research or creative work, and service to the university.

Dr. Charlene Villaseñor Black, Professor Emerita and 2016 Gold Shield Faculty Prize Recipient shared the following words, “Abrego is one of UCLA’s most gifted and influential teachers, in addition to being an internationally-recognized impactful scholar. Her research on Central American Studies and Illegality Studies is widely cited across multiple fields and has informed national U.S. policy, while her teaching deeply shapes the lives of our students, inspiring them to action.”

Please help us in congratulating Professor Abrego 🎊