Women's History Symposium in Denver address modern concerns through lens of history

The Women's History Symposium brings together scholars, researchers, and individuals to explore the issues that women have faced in the past and now. There will be 13 presenters throughout the symposium. 

This year, the speakers and panel discussions will use stories from the past to highlight the history of women's agency in attaining economic resources, navigating relationships, and how they navigate public perception. 

"Women are still making difficult choices, navigating a world where financial sustainability, reproductive rights, and political representation are still a challenge to their self-determination," said Susan Fries, Director of the Center for Colorado Women's History. 

Fries helps organize the Women's History Symposium. She's particularly excited about this year's keynote speaker, Chloé Duplessis.

"She is an amazing woman and many things. She's an historian. She is a legally blind artist and an advocate for disability rights. She won the 2023 Denver Mayor's Art Award. She'll be speaking about Kathy Williams, who was the only woman who was a Buffalo Soldier, that we know of. She is a powerhouse of a speaker," Fries explained. 

There are two solo speakers, and five panel discussions throughout the day. Lunch is included with registration, and there's a peach pie break. 

"We hope that people find new ways to do research about women's history, find new sources. And then also, examine their own lives and their own choices and come away with a way to represent and create more opportunities for the young women of this world," Fries told CBS News Colorado. 

LINK: For Tickets & Information for the Women's History Symposium

The Women's History Symposium is 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at the History Colorado Center.