Texas State Hosts The Women of Color Forum

By DaLyah Jones
News Reporter

A Texas State administrative office hosted The Women of Color Forum Friday at the LBJ Student Center. The Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion officials hosted the workshop in hopes to increase awareness of issues related to gender, race, privilege and vulnerability. Top Scholar Coordinator and graduate student Karina Ogulana said she has seen the positive effects of the forum.

“We invite anyone who is willing to engage in the conversation, especially those who recognize that this is something necessary and not just someone who wants to hijack the conversation,” said Ogulana. “I think that being in this space and kind of creating those relationships allows those relationships to continue to flourish outside of this space.”

Texas State University student Jerrilyn Roberson said she fell in love with the program after her first time going.

“I’m a very private person and they were so open with me when I first met them, it just makes me comfortable,” said Roberson. “It’s a beautiful thing because many people think that they are alone and they’re not.”

Roberson also encourages female students of color to come to the event next month.

“There are so many wise people who walk through these doors and I learned so much from them. Even if you don’t like to share, I think people should come and listen.”

The forum is the first Friday of every month. The event is a part of the Black History Month kick-off, which consists of Mama’s Kitchen, The Hill Country Jazz Festival, The BSA and NPHC – Desegregation Picnic, The Pan-African Action Committee Book Exchange, Black Excellence Week and The Langston Hughes Project.

OSDI is a Texas State University office that is dedicated students on campus. OSDI hosts many other events like the Women of Color Forum. Last semester the office hosted Equality University, which is a day long conference dedicated to bringing individuals of different backgrounds together for a day of dialogue. The conference included a day of sessions and national speakers, who spoke on the subject of race, gender, sexual-orientation and other topics.

Information and upcoming events can be found on the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion website.