Going...Going...Gone??

Almost 300 women of color at- tended the National Women's Stud- ies Association Conference in Connecticut last year. This year there were only about 30. What happened?

Racism was the theme of last year's conference held in an all- white, secluded university town. Women of color were invited to speak about race, and did so in a variety of contexts. Some discovered, however, that race was the only thing they were asked to talk about, even if they felt quite competent in other areas as well. Others discovered they had almost as much trouble discussing race with other Third World women as they did with white women. There were breakthroughs, though, and women opened up to each oth-

er.

By the time the conference was over everybody seemed burned out or up or both about color, and some black women gave up on the NWSA organization, even if they did not give up on their sisters in it. Some white wom- en decided they had been guilt- tripped enough and pledged to drop the subject of racism al- together for the rest of their lives.

This year the NWSA confer- ence was held at Humboldt State University in Arcata, Califor- nia, more remote than ever from women of color, both geograph- ically and ideologically. The theme this year was Feminist Connections Throughout Education, and a lot of women, especially black women, left feeling the connections were not made. Few workshops addressed the issue of race or racism in feminist

education, and few women of col- or participated in panels or events that did not have a ra- cial/ethnic focus.

The lesbian presence in the National Women's Studies Associ- ation is strong and open. There are few professional associations where "out" lesbians can be per- ceived as competent in their respective fields, not just as lesbians. Many heterosexual women who attended were uncom- fortable about the lesbian pres- ence, as they were about the presence of "non-academic" wom- en, such as community organiz- ers, at what they interpreted as an academic meeting.

Conference costs this year and last were extremely high, and other expenses. Third World women are usually the most sharply affected by these costs and many simply could not afford to come, especially the large number of black women con- centrated on the East Coast.

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