The 16^th Annual Día de la Mujer (DDLM) Conference, celebrating the lives of Latinas, is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2009. The one-day conference hosts workshops for over 300 Latinas from. 

The title of the 2009 conference is “La Mujer Maravilla.”  The phrase reflects the multi-faceted lives and accomplishments of Latinas—these are women who work to balance their roles as professionals, educators, artists, students, athletes, and others with their familial roles as sisters, daughters, mothers, care-givers, and life partners. The Conference honors these  “wonder women.”

This annual conference has provided a much needed space for Latinas in Michigan to affect social change and to highlight their accomplishments. Keynote presenters, forums and workshops, facilitated by Latinas, provide conference participants with networking opportunities for employment, education and sharing life experiences.

Topics to be addressed include: education, health, politics, community, family, history, culture, and career and personal development. Over two-dozen workshops will be offered for participants of all ages and life phases, including adults, college students, and K-12 students.

In a press release, Dr. Sheila Contréras, Director of Chicano/Latino Studies at MSU, expressed that: “My first experience at Día de la Mujer was stunning.  I marveled at the sight of generations of women, bisabuelas, abuelas, mamás, hijas y nietas, striding through Kellogg Center, taking ownership of it, even if just for a day. 

“As a recently-arrived Tejana longing for home, I was comforted by the presence of so many Chicanas and Latinas. Now, almost ten years later, the model of Día de La Mujer, a community-based and woman-centered conference held at a university campus, continues to remind me of the relevance and the potential of Chicana/Latina Studies.”  

DDLM will be held at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, on the campus of Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

Nominations sought for the Maria Zavala Founder’s Award

The conference planning committee of DDLM invites nominations for candidates for the “Maria Zavala Founder’s Award”.  Every year, this honor is bestowed on a Latina, who has consistently and unselfishly contributed to the Latina/o community. 

Submit your nomination by logging on to:  www.ddlm.ocat.msu.edu/ and providing a one-page letter of support.