Feminist conferences remain crucial spaces for solidarity, organizing and collective resistance.
There’s a palpable buzz in the air when you walk into a gender and women’s studies conference: a mixture of excitement, apprehension, and the relief of finally feeling able to breathe again after trying to exist in a world that seems insistent on suffocating the voices of women everywhere.
When I woke up the morning of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Women & Gender Studies Consortium (WGSC) 2026 spring conference, these emotions were only heightened by the fact that I was running horribly late. After brushing my teeth and throwing on an outfit, I rushed out of my dorm, eager to immerse myself in a space of feminist scholarship and activism. As a gender and women’s studies major and an intern working the conference, I had been looking forward to the event all year.
The annual conference is co-convened by the WGSC and the Office of the Gender & Women’s Studies Librarian (GWSL), a library located on the UW-Madison campus. Fittingly, this year the theme was “Rooted in Justice: Fifty Years of Feminist Scholarship and Community Engagement.”
The title harkens back to the first conference held by the WGSC in 1976, which focused on creating resources for women’s studies. With panels on “How to Develop a Women’s Studies Program” and “Overcoming Resistance to Women’s Studies,” there is a sense of gratitude for the academics who fought for these programs to even exist.
This 50th anniversary mark was an achievement that felt especially powerful in the face of budget cuts to gender and women’s studies (GWS) programs in Wisconsin and across the country. While the GWS field has always been met with doubts and criticisms, the current moment feels exceptionally alarming and reminiscent of obstacles faced by activists and academics 50 years ago.
Despite these looming challenges and setbacks, the conference was a success, filling the UW-Madison Union with feminist discussion and camaraderie. There were presentations about developing resources to better support LGBTQ+ students, and an overwhelming sense of unity as audience members shared their schools’ struggles to keep these programs alive. Panelists spoke about the value and importance of a GWS degree, and the energy in the room was palpable as listeners nodded along.
On the other side of things are the students, who in some ways are my favorite part of working the conference each year. Many UW-Madison entry-level GWS classes offer conference attendance as extra credit, bringing in a wide assortment of undergraduates for whom this is their first academic or GWS conference ever. While helping them pick sessions that pique their interest or watching them chat with classmates about the most recent speaker, I could see that interest in GWS is alive and thriving.
It was readily apparent how much students, professors and other attendees needed this event. From thunderous applause during keynote speakers, to whispers of “I’m so glad we get to do this every year” between old friends, there is a certain magic in these types of gatherings.
I couldn’t stop thinking about “Coalition Politics,” a speech given by activist Bernice Johnson Reagon at a women’s music festival in 1981 about the importance of gathering together in discomfort to build a movement. Presented only five years after the first WGSC conference, her message rang true then and still resonates today.
“Coalition work is not work done in your home,” she says. “Coalition work has to be done in the streets.”
Although academia is a relatively privileged place for political organizing, and GWS conferences are not literally “the streets,” they are a powerful place for community building nonetheless, especially when we take the time to put down our devices and come together to listen.
And despite shutdowns of GWS programs and executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, coalition work is still happening in these spaces around the country and the globe.
Iowa State University recently held their Women’s and Gender Studies Student Research Conference, encouraging students to be the face of the discipline and have the opportunity to present their research for the first time.
And the National Young Feminist Leadership Conference took place in late March, carving out a space for budding activists to meet, share their ideas, and build collective power.
Coalition work doesn’t have to be flashy or involve travelling somewhere for a big conference. It can also be putting up a sign in your yard, having meaningful discussions with your neighbors, or starting a consciousness-raising group that meets at your local public library.
By the time the conference came to a close, I was exhausted but also rejuvenated and ready for the challenges ahead. Because even though it might seem easier or more comfortable to do the work alone, there comes a time when we must gather, share ideas and together build something that will last. Feminist and gender and women’s studies conferences are one of many great places to do just that.
Ms. Classroom wants to hear from educators and students being impacted by legislation attacking public education, higher education, gender, race and sexuality studies, activism and social justice in education, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Cue: a new series from Ms., ‘Banned! Voices from the Classroom.’ Submit pitches and/or op-eds and reflections (between 500-800 words) to Ms. contributing editor Aviva Dove-Viebahn at adove-viebahn@msmagazine.com. Posts will be accepted on a rolling basis.
