Speaker Mary Washington to Discuss Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Action

Mary Washington

In celebration of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, the Gender Studies program and the African American Studies program are bringing Dr. Mary Washington to campus to speak to the University of Hartford community.

Dr. Washington, who has a doctorate in sociology from Johns Hopkins University, has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates since 2011.  She is the only openly gay African American elected official in the state of Maryland and one of only two lesbian African Americans serving in any state legislature in the U.S. today.

Washington’s presentation, “Intersectionality and the Reconstruction of Identity and Social Action,” will draw from her experiences as an advocate for women’s rights, racial equality, and marriage equality to discuss the impact of sexuality, race, and gender on the ways Americans organize to create social change.

The event will take place on Friday, March 1, at 1:30 p.m. in the Regents Commons of the new Shaw Center at Hillyer College.  The event is free and open to the public.  In addition to the Gender Studies and African American Studies programs, the event is co-sponsored by the Hillyer College Dean’s Office, the Sociology Department, WELFund, the Department of Politics and Government, and CAPPA.

Download a flyer about Friday's event.