On September 19-20th, the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies hosted a celebration for its 50th Anniversary. Throughout the 2-day event, the department’s current students, faculty, and staff were joined by alumni and community members to celebrate this momentous occasion. It was a timely opportunity to reflect on the department’s historical milestones and celebrate the accomplishments of our programs and our alumni, while also imagining together our future impact.

The celebration kicked off at Hale Hall with a panel featuring WGSS MA and PhD alumni who shared their experience of working in academia, followed by a poster exhibit presented by current WGSS graduate students. This was an opportunity for current MA and PhD students to share and highlight their research interests and network with others on ways to collaborate or support their work. During lunch, guests participated in our Alumni Story Sharing Project through which we hope to empower the stories of the WGSS community through written and recorded testimonies. If you missed this opportunity to share, you are still welcome to write or record a message. More to share on these stories in the coming weeks!

Later in the afternoon, one of our alumni inspired guests with a live performance. The staged reading, titled Mothers of the Movement, navigates the experiences of four mothers grieving the loss of their children to police violence, while acknowledging their legacies and further calling for justice. This was followed by a second panel featuring WGSS alumni working in the professions and arts, who shared how feminist scholarship helps inform their current work in business, law, and politics.

On Friday evening, guests gathered at Ohio Union for a dinner reception, where former WGSS department chairs shared how their leadership contributed to the department’s growth and evolution across 50 years. A WGSS affiliated faculty member then performed a musical act and kicked off a fun night of dancing for all.

On Saturday, we welcomed a final group of panelists, recent graduates of WGSS, who spoke about how their major shaped their current work in a diverse range of fields The celebration wrapped up with a community art piece, where guests co-created a feminist mural to represent how the community is experiencing their survival, resistance, and joy amidst challenges in this current moment.

Throughout the weekend, we were delighted to be joined by nearly 150 guests to commemorate this significant milestone. It was a wonderful opportunity to share what we have both accomplished and learned, while building momentum for what the next 50 years may bring to WGSS!