Southern Girls Convention : NOLA Indymedia

The Southern Girls Convention welcomes people of all genders, ages, and geographic locations but provides a focus on Southern ladies/trans people committed to social justice. The convention, held June 23 – 25 on University of Houston campus, will feature workshops, film screenings, an arts and crafts fair, and discussions. We are raising money to provide free housing, vegan food, and childcare for those who need it. It’s been hosted in such cities as Memphis, Louisville, Atlanta, Asheville, NC, Auburn, AL, Baton Rouge, and now our very own H-town! Support this awesome adventure with your organizing talents, time, skills, workshop ideas, contacts, cash, space, or your overall good vibes! We’re a blast to work with and would really love your input!

Some frequently asked questions about the SGC and what it stands for:

Why a Southern Girls Convention? “The history of the South is a history of oppression--of misogyny, militant white supremacy, classism, and homophobia. But it is also a history of radical resistance: the home of Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rita Mae Brown, and countless others. As Southern feminists, that history is our history; and the realities we confront in our lives today come out of those two sides of the South. Southern Girls Convention is devoted to exploring those two sides and coming together to change them from within.”

The Southern Girls Convention is held every year because feminists south of the Mason/Dixon Line choose to embrace a history of struggle and to join it. Deep in the heart of the so-called Red States feminists are working together to continue the South's unique history of struggle, to make our home a freer, safe, and just place to live; to build the Beloved Community. The end result of this free and constructive flow of ideas, questions, and information about our lives and our communities, without fear of ridicule or backlash, will benefit our communities – and people everywhere.

We are holding the Southern Girls Convention because we need to unite, create a network, and become empowered. The South is our home. Our struggle is here. Our time is now.

Why are you calling this a Girls convention when the word girl has been associated with women's subordination for so long?

“A few years ago we asked Robin, an organizer of the original convention in Memphis why they decided use the word girl in the name instead of woman. This is how she explained it: "We opted to call it a girl's convention for multiple reasons. We are all about the reclamation of the word girl; taking it back and consequently helping to take away its negative connotation."*

We are organizing this year’s convention to tackle issues specific to women and girls in the South. Please join us in organizing a kick ass festival of resistance, where women and their allies can meet and share ideas!

The Southern Girls Convention welcomes your participation! Please register online or propose a workshop at *www.southerngirlsconvention.org. Or check out our myspace profile (www.myspace.com/southerngirlsconvention). To support, get involved, find out more, get specific questions or concerns addressed, please email sgc_org@yahoo.com.