This year’s Womxn of Color Retreat was held virtually on Oct. 28, drawing a number of undergraduate and graduate students, staff members and community members.

The virtual event took the form of a panel, with three speakers sharing their experiences as womxn of color. The panelists included Monisha Jackson, a queer Black multiracial woman; Gina Chung, a second-generation Korean American; and Ashley Crooks-Allen, a gender-queer Afro Latinx individual. The panelists spoke about their thoughts on the phrase “womxn of color,” colorism and their individual experiences in their various fields.

Attendees of this panel were able to choose which panelist’s breakout room they wished to be in for the second half of the program. They described the event as informative and enjoyable, noting the conversations around intersectionality as particularly eye-opening. One participant shared that they were glad to see someone of a similar Asian-American background on the panel.

The Womxn of Color Retreat (WOCR), traditionally a multi-day in-person event, serves to create a community focused on finding meaning, healing, support and trust among womxn of color in the NC State community. The purpose is to help all participants move towards actualization by focusing on the inner parts of the self. The retreat holds space where womxn of color can express themselves, explore their multiple realities and intersecting identities in addition to discovering and critically examining the intricacies of power, leadership, solidarity, sisterhood and scholarship.

The 2020-21 WOCR events are a collaborative effort with the campus community centers: the AACC, GLBT Center, Multicultural Student Affairs and Women’s Center. In the spring, there will be healing workshops, yoga sessions, community building game nights and more. A full schedule of programs and events will be available soon.

• Learn more about the Women’s Center.

Elizabeth Moran (she/her) is a graduate assistant in the Women’s Center and a second-year master’s student in the College Counseling and Student Development Program.