Non-Negotiable Inclusivity Chronicling the Relational, Embodied Work of Antiracist, Accessible Conferencing

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Five genderless geometric figures, colored in smooth alternating gradients of red organge, lime green, lavender, and azure blue, work together to simultaneously deconstruct and reconstruct a beige Western Classical building. On the left, two of the figures hammer and chisel at a trumbling Corinthian column while two more on the right paint the building and an amorphous roof-supporting structure in similar gradient colors. Framed by the two pillars is the final figure carrying a white door with only one hinge attached in front of a colorful open doorway.
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Published: Nov 22, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2688-9595.2022.3.1.45-57
Keywords:
antiracist academic labor diversity work inclusive conferencing intersectional feminism

Main Article Content

Mudiwa Pettus
Sherita Roundtree
Ruth Osorio
Jen Almjeld
Patrick Thomas
Jessica Enoch

Abstract

Six members of a Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition (CFSHRC) task force share their insights and affective responses to their work to identify and operationalize inclusive, invitational practices for the Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference (FemRhets). This article first de­scribes understandings of antiracist practices that guided the group’s work - rooted in the writings of scholars Sara Ahmed, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Michelle Grue - and highlights parts of the task force’s 23-page report outlining partial, initial steps for inclusive, antiracist conferencing. The article ends with each author sharing personal experiences working on this project. The authors seek to root the non-negotiability of inclusive conferencing practices in the need for antiracism, accessi­bility, affordability, and transparency as central to conference planning.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2022): [Guest Edited Special Issue] Conferencing toward Antiracism: Reckoning with the Past, Reimagining the Present
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Articles
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