Welcome & Dedication | Women of Color in the Academy Conference

“Surround yourself with people who eyes light up when they see you coming.” Andre DeShields, Tony-award winning actor for Hermes in Hadestown.

This quote speaks to the healing power of being seen by others who take delight in us, of being welcomed for our whole selves. Being in good community sustains life.

Thank you for coming, for making your way here today. We welcome you with glad hearts and open arms. To you we say, you safely belong. Your unmuted voices, your scholarship steeped in power to the people, explorations of human identities: race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, age, ethnicity, and size. We welcome you, the skin you are in, your first language, your place of birth, who you love. We are delighted that you have come amid the forces that endeavor to keep us out and down.

We celebrate our dedication to truth telling, to speaking up, to knowledge, to discoveries, curiosity, science, literature.

We live in times now that for too many of us feel eerily unrecognizable from what we have previously known. Within our bodies, we feel the uncertainty, fear, and confusion that rises within us as we bear witness to power that is misaligned with civility, out of step with respect for people’s dignity, that ignores basic human rights and that attempts to poison our collective pursuit of happiness.

We come from people who have navigated treacherous terrain. Our ancestors’ stories of getting to higher ground, making a way out of no way, wading through the water, overcoming, have been gifted to us. Their struggle, persistence, and triumph are ours. Their propensity for survival is now encoded in our own DNA. Let us drink from their wells of wisdom, listen to what they need us to remember, and share their poems, songs of unity, and unbreakable code emblazoned in love. With this foundational knowledge, let us continue to take emboldened steps toward freedom, life, and joy.

A dear friend sent me words of elevation on New Year’s Eve which inspired my words:

May this conference, our time gathered here breathe hope into places that grew tired of waiting. May our hearts honor the need to rest without intimidation. With intentionality, may we trust, especially when it feels fragile to do so, that we are well, will continue to be well, and that the love and hope we cultivate, are seeds of liberation.

We dedicate the 2026 Women of Color in the Academy Conference to all of us.

We who have been directly and adversely impacted by the current anti-diversity, equity, inclusion climate. We the DEI scholars who have faced erasure of our livelihoods and scholarship. We the immigrants and indigenous communities who have been targeted. We the LGBTQI2s+ community members; and others whose very existence has been questioned. We hope that this conference will inspire hope among these communities to continue their impactful efforts towards a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world. For as we know, diverse perspectives lead to better solutions, better outcomes, and greater creativity.