By Amber McGee
Editor in Chief
The Empowering Women of Color Conference (EWOCC) is holding their 31st annual creative writing contest, open to students ages 13-19 years old.
Every year EWOCC selects a theme to represent the conference and to have students write about. This year the theme is #DecolonizingFeminism; Reclaiming Our Bodies and Our Communities in a Digital World.
Founded in 1985 by students at the University of California Berkeley, EWOCC has become a major success in bringing people from all backgrounds together to discuss the issues and needs of women of color.
Throughout its history the conference has had noted speakers like Angela Davis, Cherrie Moraga, Elaine Brown, and at last year’s conference, Cece McDonald. This year’s main speaker will be Feminista Jones.
The conference will be held on April 9th from 8AM to 6PM, at Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall. Tickets are available for anyone interested here.
While the creative writing contest is open to anyone, it’s important to know that preference will be given to entrants who identify as a women of color and “speak specifically to a direct or indirect experience with the conference themes.”
The application for those interested in applying can be found here, along with more information the topics students should write about.
Submitted writing does not have to be in essay form. Other writings like poems and short stories are also accepted. All that matters is whether they talk about the conference themes or not.
The two runners up will receive free admission to EWOCC, and the winner will get a cash prize, free family admission to EWOCC, various merchandise, and the chance to read their piece at the conference.
For more information on EWOCC, check out the Facebook, Twitter, or official event blog.
Anyone who has questions should direct them to ewocc-ga@berkeley.edu.
