ANN ARBOR—Women, experts, activists and scholars will come together at the University of Michigan for a day to discuss strategies in dealing with perceived gender and racial biases in the legal system and society as a whole.

The conference, “Women & Girls, the Law, and Social Change,” will be held 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. National experts, activists and scholars will speak on a range of issues that affect women and girls, from health care and domestic violence to welfare reform and Title IX. The conference, open to the public, is organized by ACLU of Michigan with co-sponsorship from U-M’s Center for the Education of Women (CEW), Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG), and the Women’s Studies program, along with the Women Lawyer’s Association of Michigan Foundation and several other organizations, schools and agencies.

“The problems are wide-ranging but often inter-related, and there hasn’t been a conference like this that addresses many if not all of them for many years,” said Kary Moss, ACLU of Michigan’s executive director. “There is a great need for women to come together to develop action strategies, and that’s what we hope people will walk away with at the end of the day—concrete ideas about things they can do to make a difference in the way women and girls are treated in today’s society.”

“Justice is not blind,” said Pamela Reid, who directs U-M’s Women’s Studies program. “Too often gender and race are built into how our policies and legal decisions are made. This conference is so important because we need to understand what is happening, and why, so that we can address the problem areas. “For example, the juvenile justice system is giving out increasingly harsh sentences to women and girls. The rate of incarceration for girls is increasing at a faster rate than that for boys, and as with boys, we’re talking primarily about girls of color. This has important implications not just for the children, but also for adults,” Reid said. Keynote speaker will be state Sen. Gilda Z. Jacobs (D-Huntington Woods), who made history in the House of Representatives as the first woman floor leader in either chamber.

At the end of the day, Desiree Cooper, Detroit Free Press columnist, will discuss women and political participation, pulling together the various themes discussed during the panel discussions. Those panels will cover access to health care, domestic and sexual violence, women and girls in the criminal justice system, welfare reform, employment and earnings, issues facing adolescents, Title IX, lesbian/bisexual/transgendered rights, and creative activist strategies.

The registration fee is $20 and the charge for breakfast and lunch is an additional $20. For a registration form or more information, contact Carmetta Jones, 313-578-6801 or visit www.aclumich.org/events/events.htm.

Related Links:

• Center for the Education of Women
• Institute for Research on Women and Gender
• Women’s Studies