Southern Girls Convention News

Some recent additions to the SGC 2006 event website that may interest those of y’all who will be joining us at the convention this weekend:

• An updated schedule of the weekend’s events is online at: SGC 2006: Schedule
• A list of the scheduled workshops, with links to descriptions, is online at: SGC 2006: Workshops
• Further information on parking and getting to the convention site, along with links to maps and directions, is online at: SGC 2006: Getting There

Scroll down to the previous post to check out the workshop schedule!

Friday, June 23^rd’s event will be held at The Artery from 4 to 10 PM. It will be a chance for you to check in (and for the people who haven’t registered to do so), listen to our own local DJ Shoe spin records, eat some ice cream graciously donated by Amy’s Ice Cream, watch some movies, chat with people from all over the South, and, if you need a place to stay, get matched up with the people who will be putting you up for the weekend. Child care will not be provided on Friday.

To get to the Artery from I-10 West, merge onto 59 South (exit 770A), then go onto 288 South (toward Lake Jackson/Freeport), exit Southmore/Calumet, take a right onto Southmore, a left on Jackson, and the Artery will be at 5401 Jackson at the corner of Prospect. The building itself is mostly obscured by greenery so it can be a little hard to see. There is no parking lot, you must park on the street in the surrounding neighborhood.

If you arrive in Houston after 10 PM (which you should please try to avoid!) and need a place to stay, call Ellie at (281) 250-0566 to see where you should go.

Saturday, June 24^th’s event will be held at the University of Houston’s UC Underground from 8:30 AM to midnight. Come check in and eat a light breakfast in the morning for an hour before the first workshop block starts. The Arts and Crafts Fair starts at 11 AM and will be a chance to check out and support DIY ethics in action (also known as buying cool handmade stuff and feeling good about it!). Lunch is served at noon (with the craft fair continuing throughout) and followed by more workshops. Dinner is served at 6, with one more workshop block following and then the evening’s entertainment begins at 8 PM! Saturday night presents you with 2 options: leave the convention and head to the Houston GLBT Pride Parade or stick around to check out the scheduled entertainment. That night’s entertainment includes performances by Your Heart Breaks, Karl Blau, a fashion show from a local Houston artist, and readings of fearless, feminist porn from the ladies of Gynomite. There will be childcare provided except during meals and the night’s entertainment.

To get to the UC Underground from 45 South, exit Spur 5 South, turn right on University, cross Calhoun and enter campus at Entrance 1, the UH Visitor Information Booth will be on your left, after you pass it the UC will be on your right. We will send out another email about parking information when we find out more.

Sunday, June 25^th’s event will be held at the University of Houston’s UC Underground from 8:30 AM until 12:30 PM. Come check in and eat a light breakfast in the morning for an hour before checking out a couple workshops. There will be childcare provided except during breakfast.

To get to the UC Underground from 45 South, exit Spur 5 South, turn right on University, cross Calhoun and enter campus at Entrance 1, the UH Visitor Information Booth will be on your left, after you pass it the UC will be on your right. We will send out another email about parking information when we find out more.

What should you bring with you?

• Cutlery (fork, knife, spoon), plate, and cup (we encourage you to bring these items to help us cut down on waste and costs)
• Comfortable clothes for hot, humid weather (though the convention will be held indoors in a well air-conditioned building!)
• Sunscreen
• A sleeping bag and pillow (if you’re staying indoors there is a good chance you will be on someone’s floor and not in a spare bed)
• Medications, the security blanket/teddy bear from when you were a baby, and other things you just can’t live without
• Money for dinner on Friday night (we will have some non-vegan ice cream and maybe a few snacks, but you are asked to feed yourself that night) and anything you want to buy at the Craft Fair
• Your lovely self and all of your rad friends!

Here is the workshop schedule and descriptions for next weekends convention! Both are subject to change at any minute (but hopefully wont have to).

Stay tuned for workshop descriptions!

Hey SGCers!

You knew that SGC would be in Houston, Texas this year. Now we’re proud to let you know where in Houston. Friday night’s events (and registration) will be held at The Artery art space, on 5401 Jackson, and Saturday and Sunday’s events will be held in the University Center Underground at the University of Houston. For more information on the locations and how to get to them, be sure to see Getting There.

Hey folks!

If you know friends, family, or other folks that might be interested in this year’s Southern Girls Convention in Houston, spread the word about it by forwarding an e-mail to them. You can also let a lot of interested folks know about it by forwarding the note to the e-mail lists of any groups or networks you’re a part of, or by putting up a post about it on your favorite blog or bulletin board. Here’s the announcement we’re sending out; please forward it far and wide!

Eighth Annual Southern Girls Convention. June 23-35, 2006. Houston, Texas.

WWW: http://southerngirlsconvention.org/2006/

WHAT IS SOUTHERN GIRLS CONVENTION?

The Southern Girls Convention is an annual grassroots meeting for networking, organizing, educating, agitating, and activism, devoted to empowering women, girls, and transfolks in the South, and to furthering the struggle for social justice. Each year’s convention is hosted by a different Southern community and facilitated by local organizers. Past conventions have brought together hundreds of folks in Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; Auburn, Alabama; Athens, Georgia; Asheville, North Carolina; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

This year, Southern Girls Convention invites activists from across the country to meet in HOUSTON, TEXAS on the weekend of June 23-25, 2006. Hundreds of activists will meet for discussion, action, and entertainment devoted to building a feminist community in the South.

WHAT CAN I DO THERE?

Southern Girls Convention is based around discussions, workshops, and presentations which give participants the opportunity to share skills, share ideas, discuss important issues, organize campaigns, and have fun as a ommunity. All workshops are organized and facilitated by the participants themselves–that means you! (Have a great idea for a workshop? Fill out our online form.)

Other events will include an arts and craft fair, nightly music shows, and tables for participants and organizations to display information, zines, art, and things they have made.

SGC also allows hundreds of activists from across the country to meet, network, strategize, and organize in their efforts on behalf of social justice. Feel free to bring video projects, zines, writing, and anything you are interested in sharing to the convention.

Childcare will be available at the convention space. Housing will be provided for those who register in advance.

Past workshops at SGC have included:

• Group discussions on fatphobia, abortion rights and access, radical parenting, “100 Years of Revolutionary Wimmin,” the criminalization of women, “Queer and Trans Youth in the South,” gender bias in schools, sexism in the activist community, “Marginalization and Tokenization within the Grrrl Movement,” roles and strategies for boys in the struggle against male supremacy, and “Radical, Southern, and All Fired Up–Where Do We Go From Here?”
• Skill-sharing on radical cheerleading, community access television, gun safety and self-defense, workplace union organizing, screen printing, sexercises, Internet organizing, and how to start a consciousness-raising group.
• Organizing meetings for campaigns from Amnesty International, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and Planned Parenthood, and state-by-state caucuses for people to meet fellow organizers in their own area.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• Website: http://southerngirlsconvention.org/2006/
• E-mail: organizers@southerngirlsconvention.org

PLEASE FORWARD THIS ANNOUNCEMENT FAR AND WIDE! Send it to friends and e-mail lists, post it on your website, blog, or bulletin board… we are counting on YOU to help us spread the word. A fresh copy of the e-mail can be sent from our website at:Southern Girls Convention 2006: Spread the Word!

Thank you, and we hope to see you there!

Southern Girls Convention 2006 Organizers, Houston, Texas You can use our online “Spread the Word” form to send a copy of the announcement to your e-mail inbox, or directly to your friends.