SCSU Women's & Gender Studies Department

On May 5th we honor the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Individuals. This year, we want to highlight one of our personal WGS heroes, Ingrid Washinawatok El-Issa (July 31, 1957-March 4, 1999).

A member of the Menominee Nation, Ingrid Opetaw Metaehmoh (Flying Eagle Woman) Washinawatok El-Issa was among the most promising Native American leaders of her generation. As an activist, writer, public speaker, educator, and director of a philanthropic foundation (Fund for Four Directions), she dedicated her life to the cause of Indigenous peoples around the world. A devoted mother and wife of Ali Saleh El-Issa of Palestine, Ingrid was also a prominent leader of the 36,000-member Native American community of New York City, co-founder of the Indigenous Women’s Network, and chair of the Indigenous Caucus in the UN.

In February of 1999, she visited the Uw’a Nation in Colombia with two companions, Lahe’enae Gay and Terrance Freitas, to establish an Indigenous education program for Uw’a children. As Ingrid and her companions were leaving to return home, they were kidnapped on their way to the airport and killed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) eight days later on March 4th, 1999.

Ingrid’s international work reminds us that Indigeneity extends far beyond Turtle Island and that struggles for Indigenous self-determination are deeply interconnected across borders.

The WGS department honors Ingrid through their Ingrid Washinawatok El-Issa Service Award. Established in the fall of 2004 to recognize outstanding Women’s & Gender Studies student scholars in community service.

May we carry Ingrid’s legacy forward by supporting Indigenous sovereignty and practicing community care in our own lives.

With the most heartfelt appreciation, we want to say thank you for attending the 2026 (Re)Making the World: A “How-To” Conference on Feminist, Crip, and Decolonial Worldmaking hosted by the Women’s & Gender Studies Program at Southern Connecticut State University. ♥️

Just a short time ago, we were able to gather together, and we are so grateful for the love and support you all have shown us since. We are so proud of all the presenters who shared their knowledge with us and so thankful for our keynote, all of our plenary speakers, moderators, and performers who helped make this such an inspiring feminist space for collective world-making energy.

To see more photos from the conference please visit this link: https://southernct.photoshelter.com/galleries/C0000RcO8Mg6hu5E/G0000_2fNlOSjTd8/26-Womens-Studies-Conference

This Arab-American History Month we are excited to highlight the incredible Nawal El Saadawi!

Nawal El Saadawi was born on October 27th, 1931 in the small Egyptian village of Kafr Tahla, the second of nine children. In a culture that often saw girls as burdens, her grandmother spoke the harsh truth openly: “A boy is worth at least 15 girls. Girls are a blight.”

Nawal heard it. She never forgot it. And she spent the rest of her life refusing to accept it.

Throughout her life, Nawal faced censorship, imprisonment, death threats, exile, and accusations of apostasy. The government repeatedly closed her organizations and banned her books. Religious authorities tried to forcibly divorce her from her husband.
She outlived them all.

Nawal El Saadawi was also a guest speaker at SCSU in the late 1990's.

Nawal El Saadawi died on March 21, 2021, at age 89, in Cairo.
She became known as “the Simone de Beauvoir of the Arab world” and the godmother of Arab feminism. Her work reminded generations that feminism in the region is not an imported idea — it is deeply indigenous, rooted in the courage of women like her.

For more information on Arab-American History Month, please explore the Arab American Foundation website.

We would like to share this event happening today 4/15/26 at 1pm in the Adanti student center theater will all of you.

*Please note that today's speaking program at 1:00 p.m. has been moved
from Buley Library to the Adanti Student Center Theater (see below)*

“Those Who Returned and Those Who Did Not” is an exhibit from the Museum of Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic, on view at Buley Library from April 15-May 22, 2026.

Opening Program: “Mila Nishball: Story of Survival,” presented by Deborah Weiss, Ph.D., SCSU Professor Emerita
Wednesday, April 15, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Adanti Student Center Theater (new location)
Followed by a reception and exhibit viewing in Buley Library - Ground Floor (accessible by elevator or stairs)

The striking exhibit tells the stories of eight Jewish families who were deported from the town of Mladá Boleslav during the Second World War, including the family of Mila Nishball, mother of Professor Emerita Deborah Weiss. The exhibit was prepared by Museum of Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

A Holocaust Remembrance Program, sponsored by the Judaic Studies Program and Buley Library

Register Here: https://form.jotform.com/260676969364071

Greetings Everyone

We are 9 days away from the SCSU WGS Conference!

We would like to remind current SCSU students that your registration fee is being covered so you will only have to fill out the registration form.

The link for the registration form is here:
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=Y2hzWA7WzkCVxgcjx-qvZyvJeUxgGpdGuD0wyTXJ5tVUOUdQRVpIOFgxUE9SWjhVSkNEVFFHOU9WTS4u&route=shorturl

The link for the payment site is linked here. If you know anyone who is not a SCSU student that would be interested in attending please share the link for payment:
https://secure.touchnet.net/C21400_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=521

We would like to share this virtual event happening tomorrow April 8th, 2026. Dr. Jasbir Puar will be speaking about genocide as perpetual maiming.
The link to registration is listed below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VH-YkVOKRDqYzlDVEKf4ew #/registration
This event is being sponsored by the SCSU faculty development grant.

We would like to share this rally happening today 4/6/26 at Noon in front of Buley Library in support of freeing the SCSU student and others who have been detained by ICE. This rally is being held by SCSU students.

We hope to see you there.

"When we come together, we are unstoppable. On March 31st, we celebrate Trans Day of Visibility and cheer our trans siblings making their voices heard. We are showing up in the streets, at the polls, and in our daily lives.

Right now, attacks on the trans community are escalating. Anti-equality officials threaten our freedoms, our rights, and our very existence, but we are stronger. Our visibility is powerful and when we take action there is no stopping us."

https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/international-transgender-day-of-visibility