Zoom Information: https://tufts.zoom.us/j/97288428006?pwd=CaxIZK5XqOMOUTZwm2Pw8HQ4meS8xo.1
Meeting ID: 972 8842 8006
Passcode: 837871
Opening Remarks by Dr. Cynthia Enloe & Keynote by Dr. Karen Tang (November 21 3-5pm)
Dr. Cynthia Enloe
Professor Enloe’s feminist teaching and research have explored the interplay of gendered politics in both the national and international arenas, with special attention to how women’s labor is made cheap in globalized factories (especially sneaker factories) and how women’s emotional and physical labor has been used to support many governments’ war-waging policies — and how diverse women have tried to resist these efforts. Racial, class, ethnic and national identity dynamics, as well as ideas about femininities and masculinities, are common threads throughout her studies.
Dr. Karen Tang (@karentangmd)
Dr. Karen Tang is a nationally recognized leader in reproductive health. She is a consultant for the WHO, and has partnered with corporations such as Procter and Gamble for social media campaigns. She regularly lectures across the country on reproductive health topics, and is at the forefront of the use of social media to promote health education across a wide audience.
Her book, IT’S NOT HYSTERIA, a guide to common gynecologic conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS, infertility, menopause, with a focus on self-advocacy, is available in North America, UK and the Commonwealth, and will be translated into Spanish, Polish, and Romanian.
Resilience and Liberation Through Art: Art as a Tool for Social Change (November 22 9:45-10:45am)
In this panel, speakers will discuss the power of art to reclaim marginalized aspects of identity and enact resilience against structural toxins. Panelists will present on, and discuss, design for deconstructing social norms; participatory art and resilience in Sudan and South Sudan; and artivism.
Qais Assali (@qaisassali)
SMFA Professor Qais Assali’s art/design practice working with archives, engages issues of time and memory, collective trauma, and diasporic doubling through investigations of historical events, the deconstruction of their role as author, and their own subject position. They use visual analogy, translation, substitution, and appropriation strategies to rethink forms of communication architectures. From there, their work investigates truth vs. fiction, ambiguity vs. didacticism, fake/copy vs. original, and problem-solving vs. problem-making.
Khalid Kodi (@khalid_kodi)
Khalid Kodi is a Sudanese American master artist, educator, and cultural critic renowned for his prolific work on participatory art projects in Sudan and South Sudan. He uses art to facilitate dialogue across various forms of difference. His work addresses social justice issues such as racism, injustice, the legacy of slavery, wars, and genocide—particularly in Africa—employing art to reclaim marginalized aspects of identity and enact resilience against structural toxins. Kodi’s art includes sculpture, painting, installation, and environmental art. His work has been widely exhibited and featured in publications like The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art. He has received grants, fellowships, and residencies from ArtOmi International Arts Colony and the St. Botolph Club Foundation. Kodi is a Professor of Practice at Northeastern University.
Omaid Sharifi (@OmaidSharifi)
Omaid Sharifi is an artivist and President of ArtLords — a movement of self-styled artivists who use art for positive social transformation and advocate for artistic freedom worldwide. A former fellow at Harvard University, Atlantic Council, and Asia Society, Omaid is a board member of CIVICUS, a worldwide alliance that focuses on strengthening citizen action and civil society, and a recent Solidarity Award winner by Vital Voices. With a career spanning over 20 years, he has demonstrated exceptional skill in planning, designing, and implementing a wide range of projects focused on using for freedom and democracy not only in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and South Asia but also in various other international locations. His commitment to the arts and civil society is evident through his extensive involvement and leadership.
Health for Whom? Exploring Health Justice in a Global Context (November 22 11:15am-12:15pm)
This panel seeks to explore the relationship between individuals, society, and systems when it comes to health equity and access. Additionally, the conversation will illustrate how one’s identity shapes their access to healthcare, and how these individuals remain resilient against structural toxins. The panel will also take a broader look to understand how existing health systems can support diverse identities and healthcare needs to ensure liberation from pain, illness, and structural oppressions.
This panel is made possible by the generous contributions of the Tufts Medical Global Health Program and the Office of the Provost at Tufts University.
Emma Hernandez
Emma Hernandez is a Communications Manager at We Testify, amplifying diverse abortion narratives and helping people speak about their abortion experiences. She serves on the INeedAnA advisory committee and as Board Secretary of the Lilith Fund, which for over two decades, has provided financial assistance and emotional support to people seeking abortions in Texas. Her passion for the work stems from her own multiple abortion experiences.
Brianna Suslovic
Brianna Suslovic is a health equity-focused abolitionist researcher and PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. Her work focuses on the nexus of psychiatric and carceral systems, examining jail-to-community transitions and diversion programming for individuals with serious mental illnesses. Prior to starting her doctoral studies, Brianna was a forensic social worker in New York City. Her research is guided by the wise insights of her former clients. She holds an MSW from Smith College, and she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Harvard College.
Lolly Durotoye
Lolly Durotoye is the Director of Health Policy and Government Engagement at Partners In Health in Sierra Leone. With over 15 years of experience in health sciences, international development, and strategic partnerships, Lolly currently provides technical guidance to the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health (MOH), ensuring that national health policies focus on pro-poor and gender-responsive strategies for health systems strengthening and universal health coverage.
Lolly serves as Vice-Chair of the MOH Governance and Leadership TWG and co-chairs the country’s International Health NGO representative body, facilitating high-level coordination and knowledge-sharing between MOH, global health institutions, health sector partners and civil society. Her extensive background includes managing large-scale maternal health programs and initiatives in post-crisis recovery, notably after the Ebola outbreak.
Lolly’s previous work with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) saw her lead national peacebuilding programs in The Gambia, enhancing women and youth’s participation in political processes while integrating reproductive health initiatives into peacebuilding frameworks. Her academic credentials include a BSc in Health and Exercise Science from Wake Forest University, a MSc in Clinical Forensic Science from Drexel University, and a certificate in Global Health Delivery from Harvard University. Lolly is also a Hilton Humanitarian Prize Laureate Scholar.
Through her multifaceted career, Lolly has consistently emphasized the intersection of health policy, gender equity, and community resilience.
Interactive Workshop: Embodying Resilience – Healing Through Expressive Art (November 22 12:30-1:30pm)
As Fletcher students we are constantly taking on increasingly more complex and intersectional issues, solving the world’s most complex situations. This conference examines the roles of resilience and liberation in many spheres, however it is important to understand how we personally and physically can remain resilient in increasingly challenging and uncertain times. Utilizing expressive arts and drama therapy, this workshop will explore personal resilience through expressive arts and drama therapy, processing burnout in the body and equipping oneself with tools to maintain physical self care and personal resilience.
Ana Bess Moyer Bell, MA, RDT
Ana Bess is a drama therapist, playwright, and harm reduction activist. She was the founding Executive Director of the nonprofit 2nd Act for almost a decade. 2nd Act’s mission is to change the way people and communities respond to the impact of substance use through film, theatre, and drama therapy. Her first play was utilized by Senator Elizabeth Warren in Congress to support youth treatment legislation and Rhode Island Governor, Daniel J. McKee noted it as a reason why he signed the Nation’s first Overdose Prevention Site bill in the fall of 2021. Her second play, Act II, a story about the complexity of addiction recovery, was commissioned by Trinity Repertory Company and produced by the Rhode Island Department of Health as a public health strategy across the state. She has practiced drama therapy nationally and internationally; most notably with the US Embassy in Ukraine to support refugee youth. She served as an advisor to Rhode Island Governor Daniel J. McKee on substance use, harm reduction, and recovery. She’s currently an Adjunct Professor in the Expressive Therapies Graduate Program at Lesley University, the Treasurer of the North American Drama Therapy Association, and a contracted Drama Therapist for several nonprofits and state agencies.
Advancing Gender Equality Through Collaborative Action and Policy Frameworks (November 22 12:30-1:30pm)
How can international institutions, legal frameworks and philanthropic efforts collectively promote liberation and resilience amid global uncertainties? Our expert panel will approach this question from policy, legal and philanthropic angles, examining how targeted funding, strategic partnerships, integrated gender perspectives, and support for diverse gender identities and leadership can be pivotal in advancing gender equality in sectors from healthcare to education to international security.
Dr. Sonja Kreibich (@germanyinboston)
Dr. Sonja Kreibich took up her post as the Consul General of Germany to the New England States in July 2022. Before arriving in Boston, she served at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin as the Head of Division for Pan African Issues, Southern Africa and the Great Lakes from 2018-22. Prior to this, she served as the Head of Unit for European Migration Policy from 2014-2018, and as press spokesperson in the Speaker’s Office from 2002-2006. Sonja’s roles within the Foreign Office have taken her abroad to the German Permanent Mission to the UN in New York as well as to the German Embassy in Bucharest, Romania. She studied law at the University of Bonn and at the University of Edinburgh and obtained a Dr. iur. from the University of Bonn
Dr. Phoebe Donnelly (@PhoebsG86)
Phoebe Donnelly is a Senior Fellow and Head of the Women, Peace and Security program at the International Peace Institute. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Phoebe’s doctoral dissertation on forced marriage by rebel groups won the Peter Ackerman Award for the outstanding doctoral dissertation at The Fletcher School at Tufts University in 2019. Phoebe is a Feinstein International Center visiting fellow and was previously a Women and Public Policy research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. She received her PhD in International Relations from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At IPI, Phoebe leads convenings and research on topics including gender and peace operations, gender-based violence, and on advancing the WPS agenda.
Lily Sargeant
Challenges on the Pathway to Liberation: Structural and Acts of Resilience for LGBTQI+ Identities (November 22 2:45-3:45pm)
This panel will explore what liberation and resilience look like and how they can be achieved in the context of the challenges that LGBTQI+ individuals have faced, as well as how to consider these realities in advocacy, policy, practice, and programming. Panelists will discuss how they work to pursue positive change for LGBTQI+ individuals in their current roles. Further discussions will concern how policy and practice have worked to address gendered stereotypes. Panelists will ultimately outline how we can balance working toward resilience in the short term and liberation in the longer term.
Jamie J. Hagen (@jamiejhagen)
Jamie J. Hagen (pronouns: she/her) is a lecturer in Global Politics at the University of Manchester and works at the intersection of gender, security studies, & queer theory. She brings a queer feminist, anti-racist approach to bridging gaps between academics, policy, & activism. Jamie Hagen has co-edited Queer Conflict Research: New Approaches to the Study of Political Violence & co-developed Queering Women, Peace & Security: A Practice-Based toolkit.
Nora Noralla (@noranoralla)
Nora Noralla is a human rights researcher and consultant. Her areas of expertise encompass sexual and bodily freedoms, as well as the intersection of Sharia law and human rights in Muslim-majority countries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa region. Currently, she serves as the executive director of the Cairo 52 Legal Research Institute. She has authored numerous scholarly papers, analyses, and reports, including “Gender Trouble in the Land of the Nile: Transgender Identities, the Judiciary, and Islam in Egypt” and “The MENA Trans Archives Series: Understanding the Judicial Directions & Practices on Legal Gender Recognition in the Middle East and North Africa Case Law.”
Kathryn Hampton (@Kathryn_Opal)
Kathryn Hampton is the Senior Advisor, U.S. Strategy at Rainbow Railroad and is seconded to the office of the U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons as a Senior Advisor on LGBTQI+ refugees. Kathryn is a human rights advocate with more than a dozen years experience in refugee protection, research and policy, working with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the International Rescue Committee, the International Commission on Missing Persons and Physicians for Human Rights. Prior to joining Rainbow Railroad, she implemented protection programming, conducted field investigations and advocated with and for displaced and conflict-affected populations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, Turkey, Ukraine and the U.S.-Mexico border. Her research has been published in peer reviewed journals and cited in outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Guardian. Kathryn holds an MSt in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford and an MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies from the University of London.
“Freedom” and Recovery: Power and Resilience in Conflict and Post-Conflict Societies (November 22 4:00-5:00pm)
This panel will discuss gendered aspects of resilience and gendered power relations during and post-conflict. Panelists will critically reflect on what ‘conflict’ and ‘post-conflict’ mean and unpack the implications of using the term ‘resilience’ to describe conflict recovery trajectories. Panelists will end by providing examples from their work where people have found ways to thrive amid or after conflict.
Birhan Gebrekirstos Mezgbo
Birhan Gebrekirstos Mezgbo is a Master’s student in Humanitarian Assistance at Friedman School, Tufts University, focusing on humanitarian issues, human security, and gender intersectionality. She is the co-author of Meqanit (Tearing the Body, Breaking the Spirit), a book documenting the experiences of women and girls, including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), during the Tigray war. She is the founder of Fetli, a community organization, and hosts a radio program dedicated to the healing of SGBV survivors. A human rights activist, she volunteers with humanitarian organizations to document human rights and sexual violence violations. She is currently a research assistant at the World Peace Foundation; previously, she was a researcher at Mekelle University’s Mekelle Institute of Technology.
Dr. Sandra McEvoy
Sandra McEvoy is Clinical Associate Professor of Political Science & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Boston University. Her research focuses on gender and conflict, particularly related to how war creates vulnerabilities and opportunities that are both gendered and sexed. Her research draws on fieldwork in post-conflict Northern Ireland, where she has worked for 20 years with women members of Protestant aligned paramilitary organizations. Her work has been published in edited collections, handbooks, and journals. She co-edited with Michael Bosia and Momin Rahman The Oxford Handbook on Global LGBT and Sexual Diversity Politics (2020) which examines the historical emergence of LGBT politics and the social significance of sexualities as a gateway to political demands. More recently, she has examined the vulnerability of queer forced migrants who have been displaced by war, conflict and natural disasters caused by climate change.
Previously, McEvoy served as Associate Director of the Consortium on Gender, Security, and Human Rights; Director of Political Science and Global Studies at Wheelock College; fellow at the Mount Holyoke Women’s Studies Research Center; Chair of the Women’s Caucus of the International Studies Association (ISA) and founding chair of the ISA LGBTQA Caucus.
Henri Myrtinnen (@HMyrttinen)
Henri Myrttinen (he/him) is Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute for Intercultural and International Studies at the University of Bremen and an independent consultant on gender, peace, and security. He has more than 20 years of experience in the field, working for a range of NGOs and research institutions, as well as an independent consultant for several international organisations. Much of his work has focused on critically examining masculinities in the context of conflict and peace as well as on integrating diverse SOGIESC perspectives. He holds a PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Wai Wai Nu (@waiwainu)
Wai Wai Nu is a former political prisoner and the Founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Peace Network (WPN) in Myanmar. Through WPN, Wai Wai works to build gender equality, peace, and mutual understanding between Myanmar’s ethnic communities and to empower and advocate for the rights of marginalized women throughout Myanmar, including by documenting mass atrocities and cases of sexual and gender-based violence.
Through her work on the My Friend Campaign, she has been recognized as a Champion of Prevention by the UN Office of the Prevention of Genocide and Responsibility to Protect. Wai Wai is a recipient of the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for Women’s Peace Security (2018) and the City of Athens Democracy Award (2021). She was also named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum; among “100 Top Women”, BBC (2014); Next Generation Leader, Time Magazine (2017); and Women of the Year, Financial Times (2018).
Nu received her bachelor’s degree in law (LL.B) from the University of Yangon in Myanmar and her master’s degree in law (LL.M) from the University of California, Berkeley. Recently, Nu served as a fellow at the Center for the Prevention of Genocide, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and as a visiting senior research fellow with the Human Rights Centre at the University of California, Berkeley.