The 12th annual Faculty Women of Color in the Academy (FWCA) national conference was held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington on April 11-14.

The Office for Inclusion and Diversity at Virginia Tech, supported by Virginia Tech Continuing and Professional Education, hosted nearly 700 women scholars of color in-person and online for four days of connection, support, and empowerment.

Scholar, feminist, and writer Cherrie Moraga gives her keynote presentation at the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy 2024 national conference.

A Latine woman with graying shoulder-length hair and glasses stands against a blue backdrop and presents from a podium and laptop. She is wearing a colorful beaded necklace.
Scholar, feminist, and writer Cherrie Moraga

Vice President for Strategic Affairs and Diversity Menah Pratt smiles during her keynote presentation at FWCA 2024.

A Black woman with gray hair at her roots and dark locks smiles while seated giving a presentation. She is wearing a bright orange and gold dress and hand-made jewelry.
Vice President for Strategic Affairs and Diversity Menah Pratt

Gabrielle Tayac of George Mason University presents from a podium at FWCA 2024.

An Indigenous woman with long curly hair and glasses holds one hand to her throat while she presents from a podium and laptop. Her jacket has three stripes in pink, orange, and white.
Historian and activist scholar Gabrielle Tayac

“I founded this conference because, at the time, there was no space for scholars like me to come together in community to connect with and empower one another,” said Menah Pratt, vice president for diversity and strategic affairs. “Watching the conference grow into what it is today, where we have attendees from 33 states, D.C., Ethiopia, South Africa, and India, affirms not only the need for FWCA but its impact beyond the walls of its home institution. I have no doubt we will hit our goal of 1,000 attendees by 2027.”

Scholar-author Stephanie G. Adams (center, in the suit) poses with her co-authors as well as Menah Pratt and Chatrice Barnes following her presentation.

A group of women pose against a blue backdrop. The woman in the center, who is the primary subject, is wearing a suit and glasses.
Scholar-author Stephanie G. Adams (at center, in the suit) poses with her co-authors as well as Menah Pratt and Chatrice Barnes following her presentation.

Scholar-author Victoria Reyes shares passages from her book, Academic Outsider, as part of her presentation at FWCA 2024.

A Latine woman with long dark hair and glasses sits in a leather chair and looks out into the audience behind the camera. She holds a book and several pages in her hands.
Scholar-author Victoria Reyes shares passages from her book "Academic Outsider" as part of her presentation.

The in-person conference offered 25 workshops and posters, while the virtual conference offered 25 on-demand workshops and posters, all of which highlighted the presenters’ research. The virtual conference also provided access to livestreams of the eight featured speakers’ presentations, which included three keynotes, two scholar-authors, and three signature leadership panelists.

The Signature Leadership Panel at FWCA 2024 featured Rev. Courtney Buggs as the moderator, as well as Javaune Adams-Gaston, Mari Castañeda, and Mariam Lam as the featured panelists. Posing with them are Menah Pratt and Chatrice Barnes.

A group of women pose against a blue backdrop wearing bright colors and smiling. Behind them are chairs set up for a panel discussion on a stage.
The Signature Leadership Panel featured the Rev. Courtney Buggs (at center) as the moderator as well as Javaune Adams-Gaston, Mari Castañeda, and Mariam Lam (at far right) as the featured panelists.

The conference partnered with local businesses to serve as vendors throughout the weekend, including D.C. staple Loyalty Books, which supported the authors’ book signings. The conference also provided space for its sponsors to connect with attendees face to face.

On the final evening of the conference, four scholars were presented with the conference’s annual awards:

  • The Future of the Academy Award: Charis N. Tucker, Virginia Tech
  • The Woman of Excellence Award: Tayloria Adams, University of California, Irvine
  • The Zenobia Lawrence Hikes Award for Faculty: Sofiya Alhassan, University of Massachusetts
  • The Zenobia Lawrence Hikes Award for Administrators: Paula Groves Price, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

FWCA 2024 Awards winners Paula Groves Price (front row, second from left), Sofiya Alhassan, Charis N. Tucker, and Tayloria Adams pose with Chatrice Barnes and Menah Pratt in front of the performers from the Evening of Excellence.

A large group pose on and in front of a stage with a blue backdrop. Four women on the floor in front of the stage hold glass awards.
Faculty Women of Color in the Academy award recipients Paula Groves Price (front row, second from left), Sofiya Alhassan, Charis N. Tucker, and Tayloria Adams pose with Chatrice Barnes and Menah Pratt in front of the performers from the Evening of Excellence.

The conference also offered holistic support for the participants. Morning yoga was led by Lacretia “Cre” Dye, associate professor and school counseling program coordinator in the Department of Counseling and Student Affairs at Western Kentucky University and registered yoga teacher.

Dye’s sessions were complemented by Angela’s Pulse, an organization that builds communities through performance and embodied methodologies. Lead artist MK Abadoo and creative director/co-founder Paloma McGregor guided participants through exercises focused on grounding oneself in the body.

Lacretia "Cre" Dye leads a large group of women through a yoga class at FWCA 2024.

A woman in black yoga gear kneels on her yoga mat with her eyes closed. Many women take rest poses on their mats around the room in the background.
Lacretia "Cre" Dye leads a large group of women through a yoga class.

Lead artist MK Abadoo (left) and creative director/co-founder Paloma McGregor of Angela's Pulse open Friday morning's session with grounding exercises.

Two people in stylish clothing stand a few feet apart looking at each other as they explain something to the audience beyond the stage. Both are smiling.
Lead artist MK Abadoo (at left) and creative director and co-founder Paloma McGregor of Angela's Pulse open Friday morning's session with grounding exercises.

“With our largest sponsorship support and highest number of onsite attendees in conference history, FWCA 2024 is one for the history books,” said Chatrice Barnes, director of the national conference at Virginia Tech. “From our exceptional featured speakers to the workshops, vendors, sponsors, and of course, our incredible attendees, this conference is unlike any other.”

Next year’s conference will be held April 10-13, 2025, in Arlington.

For a full overview, please visit the FWCA website.

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