Attendees joined us on October 27, 2026, to celebrate the launch of the Women’s and Gender Studies Oral History Archive, a new resource documenting the history and impact of Women’s and Gender Studies, Women in Learning and Leadership, and LGBTQ Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Through personal stories and reflections, the collection explores the origins of these programs, the labor and care that have sustained them through changing contexts, and their ripple effects in and beyond the university.
The event featured a panel discussion with individuals whose oral histories are included in the collection, offering firsthand perspectives on advocacy, challenges, community-building, and institutional change. Attendees also heard from the students and faculty who created the project and learned how to access and use the collection for research, teaching, and engagement.
Dr. Amy Brainer kicked off the event by introducing this new archival resource. A cross-generational panel followed:
- Rashmi Luthra, a transnational feminist media studies scholar and retired UM-Dearborn professor who served as director of Women’s and Gender Studies;
- Suzanne Bergeron, a feminist political economist and retired UM-Dearborn professor who served as director of Women’s and Gender Studies and founding director of the Women in Learning and Leadership (WILL) program;
- Heather Simpson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, speaker, and adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling and UM-Dearborn alum who served as chair of WILL and administrative assistant to the Women’s and Gender Studies program;
- Amny Shuraydi, assistant professor of Criminology, Law, and Criminal Justice, affiliate of the Center for Arab American Studies, Middle East Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies, and current faculty director of WILL (now WILL+).
The panel discussion was followed by a reception with a DJ and light fare.
The Women’s and Gender Studies Oral History Archive at the University of Michigan-Dearborn is an outcome of the IHP Research and Engagement grant led by Dr. Amy Brainer with the assistance of Fatima al-Bedany and Lyla Kerr.
The Feminist Voices Across Generations event was presented by the Inclusive History Project in partnership with the Commission for Women (UM-Dearborn), Iris, Mardigian Library Campus Archive, Pride, WILL+, Women’s and Gender Studies (UM-Ann Arbor), and Women’s and Gender Studies (UM-Dearborn).
For questions or more information, contact [email protected].