University of Richmond to Sponsor Annual Women in the Know Conference

August 15, 2003

Singer, composer, cultural historian and activist Bernice Johnson Reagon will give the keynote address at the University of Richmond's third annual "Women in the Know: The Power of Knowledge in Our Lives" conference Sept. 13. The conference will run from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at North Court on the Westhampton College campus.

Conference participants will choose one mini-course from among the following topics: how the law has treated women in America, advertising's and television's negative influences on women, ecofeminism and diversity in the United States.

"Women in the Know brings together women of all ages in pursuit of knowledge that strengthens us personally and professionally," explained Juliette Landphair, dean of Westhampton College. She will speak on the relevance of women's education in the 21st century.

Reagon holds a Ph.D. from Howard University and is a distinguished professor of history at American University, specializing in the history of African-American culture. She also is curator emerita at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History but is probably best known as a performer with Sweet Honey in the Rock, a singing group she formed in 1973. Several award-winning documentaries have featured her solo work, and she has won Emmy awards as a composer and performer.

The conference is open to all women and costs $28, including lunch. For more information, call (804) 289-8470 or visit http://oncampus.richmond.edu/alumni/witk/. Deadline for registration is Aug. 29.