Center for the Study of Women

Noura Erakat on Revisiting Zionism as a Form of Racism and Racial Discrimination
2025-11-13 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
When: Thursday, November 13 at 5:30 pm
Where: On the UCLA campus
RSVP for the address.
On November 10, 1975, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 3379 declaring Zionism as a Form of Racism and Racial Discrimination. A coalition of states introduced the resolution at the start of the 30th session of the General Assembly as an amendment to the Decade Against Racism in the context of Third World Revolt against imperialism; Palestinian liberation was central to this agenda. This lecture will explore the historical context that led to the introduction of this resolution, its drafting history, including racial theories of Zionism that were introduced during the deliberations as well as the intense procedural maneuvers that aimed to subvert it all together. Though a hard won victory, the PLO rescinded the resolution in 1991 as a precondition for entering the Oslo Accords. This discussion will both mark the 50th year anniversary of the resolution as well as its contemporary relevance.
Professor Erakat’s talk will be followed by a panel discussion with Professor Nour Joudah (Asian American Studies) and Professor Robin D.G. Kelley (History).
Bio:
Noura Erakat is Professor of Africana Studies and Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She is the author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Stanford University Press, 2019), which received the Palestine Book Award and the Bronze Medal for the Independent Publishers Book Award in Current Events/Foreign Affairs. In 2023, Noura co-chaired an Independent Task Force on the Application of National Security Memorandum-20 to Israel, a report documenting how U.S. arms to Israel have been used in violation of U.S. and international law and which was submitted to the White House. She is co-founding editor of Jadaliyya and an editorial board member of the Journal of Palestine Studies as well as Human Geography. She is a co-founding board member of the DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival. She has served as Legal Counsel for a Congressional Subcommittee in the US House of Representatives, as Legal Advocate for the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Refugee and Residency Rights, and as National Organizer and Legal Advocate of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Noura has also produced video documentaries, including “Gaza In Context” and “Black Palestinian Solidarity.” Noura completed a non-resident fellowship of the Religious Literacy Project at Harvard Divinity School as well as a Mahmoud Darwish Visiting Professorship at Brown University. In 2022, she was selected as a Freedom Fellow by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. In 2025, the University of Ghent awarded the Amnesty International Chair in recognition of her contribution to human rights and scholarship.

Faculty Writing Retreat - November 2025
2025-11-14 10:00 - 16:00 | Hershey Salon
RSVP Here

Join CSW|Streisand Center for a day-long retreat where you can concentrate on your own work alongside like-minded colleagues.

Friday, November 14
10 am – 4 pm Hershey Hall Salon (Room 158)
Do you want to block out a day for writing and contemplation? The Faculty Writing Retreat is your solution. Join us for a day-long retreat where you can concentrate on your own work alongside like-minded colleagues—we will hold the world at bay for you. Breakfast and lunch will be provided in the beautiful setting of Hershey Hall Salon.
The writing retreat provides a peaceful place to write as well as meals; please bring your computer and any other materials you may need to work. If you have an extension cord, please bring it, as power outlets are limited. Also bring some extra clothes for layers, as the space sometimes tends to be cool.
We also offer a parallel virtual retreat with brief introductions and check-ins.
During lunch, there will be an optional conversation about the writing process..
If you register to attend in person and your plans change, please let us know immediately so that we may offer your spot to the long waitlist. No-shows will not be granted an in-person spot at future writing retreats.
If you are no longer able to attend in person, please e-mail csw@csw.ucla.edu to let us know.
Cosponsored by: CSW|Streisand Center, the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities (ORCA), UCLA Humanities, UCLA Social Sciences, UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television
Save the date for future Faculty Writing Retreats:
Registration will be available the week following the most recent retreat.
Friday December 5
Friday February 20
Friday March 6
Friday May 15

Beyond Sanctuary: UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy
2025-11-14 10:00 - 16:30
When: Friday, November 14th from 10am to 4:30pm
Where: 2355 Public Affairs Building, UCLA
RSVP Here
UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy presents “Beyond Sanctuary”, a series of dialogues intended to restituate the imperial vest in the global histories — and posssibilites — of decolonization and abolition.

Highlighting Resources for Trans Awareness Month
2025-11-17 08:00 - 17:00
A reimagination of the light blue and light pink striped Trans flag highlighting and celebrating Trans identities.
By Ria Rao, Cognitive Science, CSW|Streisand Center Student Worker
Trans Awareness Month is celebrated in November to honor the transgender and gender-nonconforming community through education, celebration, and advocacy. Some highlights for this month is Transgender Awareness Week from November 13th-19th and Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th which honors those lost to anti-transgender violence. This was founded in 1999 by trans woman Gwendolyn Ann Smith after Rita Hester lost her life to anti-transgender violence on November 28th, 1998.

UCLA Resources
Below are some UCLA-specific resources for students and faculty to use!
UCLA LBGTQ Campus Resource Center
The UCLA LGBTQ Campus Resource Center has been serving the UCLA community for 30 years, offering a comprehensive range of services! This includes community building, outreach, training, consultation, resource sharing, counseling, referrals, and collective empowerment for on campus.
In addition to services like name and gender marker changes, scholarships, on-campus case management, and weekly safe space workshops, the center also hosts events! On November 20th, the UCLA LGBTQ CRC is inviting the UCLA community to the Los Angeles LGBT Center for their annual Trans Day of Remembrance vigil to remember those who have died from anti-transgender violence. This event includes free transportation from campus for those who RSVP, which is also available on their website!
UCLA Health Presents Trans Affirming Care
UCLA Health presents the LGBTQ+ Health Initiative, which is designed to create a compassionate and supportive environment for all patients. Their services include primary care with LGBTQ+ Champion doctors trained to deliver inclusive care, (including the Gender Health and EMPWR programs and HIV care provided at the CARE Center), and coordinated access to UCLA Health’s specialists for comprehensive care. The LGBTQ+ Champion doctors are ensured to create a safe, welcoming environment to discuss Trans people’s health and wellness, equitable access to healthcare with understanding for Trans identities, and expert preventive care.

Community Building
During an era of rampant and ongoing anti-trans legislation, harmful rhetoric, and transphobic political propaganda, redirecting our attention and prioritizing our energy in the Trans community is valuable. This includes attending events organized and led by Trans community members, platforming Trans stories, and advocating for the community.
Below are some inspiring stories to uplift:
Trans Stories are Everyone’s Stories Short Film
This short film is from “Human Rights Campaign”, which is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights foundation. They have spent more than 40 years building a movement to make equality and liberation a reality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. This short film tells the story of Daniel, whose “ story is typical of any teenager with the same quiet milestones of youth that we all experience. He’s also one of more than two million people who are transgender or non-binary in the United States.” human In the short and heartwarming film, Daniel says, “We are not some hypothetical political debate. We’re whole human beings with communities around us and people who love us and value us.” His story is not unlike other Trans youth today, who simply want to be heard.
Four Trans Teen Organizers of Trans Prom Are Fighting for the Future of Their Community
This story features four transgender teenagers (Daniel Trujillo, Hobbes Chukumba, Libby Gonzalez, and Grayson McFerrin) who organized Trans Prom in May 2023. It was a a joyful and defiant celebration for trans and non-binary youth held in front of the U.S. Capitol. The event brought together over 50 teens from across the country during a time of intense anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, offering a powerful statement of resilience and community. The organizers aimed to show that, despite political attacks, trans joy and identity cannot be erased. Their efforts were later recognized with the Trailblazer Award at the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner. Each teen expressed pride in the impact they made and hope for a future of continued activism, creativity, and self-expression.
Trans Lives in Scotland: A Story of Identity, Struggle, and Hope Documentary
A documentary by Bingeworthy Documentaries, this doc features five trans women at various stages of transition, from hormone therapy to a sex change operation and was filmed over the course of a year. Follow five extraordinary trans women from the small towns in Scotland on their personal journeys to live as their true selves. From bus drivers and makeup artists to activists and mothers, their lives are a moving portrait of courage, loss, healing, and transformation. With raw honesty and emotional depth, this documentary explores what it means to be transgender in modern society by highlighting the battles for acceptance, the beauty of community, and the resilience found in identity. From hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery to moments of joy, pain, and laughter, this is a celebration of human spirit. Whether you’re here to understand or to support, this story will stay with you.

CSW|Streisand Center
The UCLA Center for the Study of Women (CSW) works towards a world in which education and scholarship are tools for social justice feminism, improving the lives of people of all genders! Aside from platforming feminist research, our space also offers co-sponshorship for events and bookings for meetings! Feel free to check out books from trans and feminist authors from our mini library at Pub Aff 1500! Stay updates with future events such as Just Research research stream and our annual Thinking Gender Conference by joining our mailing list here.
Ria Rao is a junior at UCLA studying Cognitive Science and Statistics & Data Science. She has been involved with UCLA student media organizations UCLA Radio and FEM News Magazine, and now serves the CSW|Streisand Center as a Student Worker.

Women's Daily Life in Exile Lecture
2025-11-17 18:00 - 20:00
Where: UCLA Bunche Hall, Rm 10383
When: Monday, November 17, 2025 / 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Pacific Time)
After being deported from their homes, Armenian women experienced vastly different fates depending on where they were sent within the Arab-speaking provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Those on the eastern deportation route faced famine and disease but largely avoided mass killings, while those sent north were confined in desert tent camps and many were massacred in 1916. This lecture, led by Dr. Anna Aleksanyan and Dr. Taner Akçam of UCLA’s Promise Armenian Institute, will explore the varied experiences of these women and the gendered dimensions of the Armenian Genocide. This event is organized by The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA.
Join the Zoom Webinar here.

Fiebre de carnaval: una conversación con Yuliana Ortiz Ruano
2025-11-18 16:00 - 17:00
The Spanish & Portuguese Department would like to invite you to a conversation with Ecuadorian novelist and poet Yuliana Ortiz Ruano. In this conversation, Ortiz Ruano will discuss her recently translated novel Carnival Fever (Fiebre de Carnaval), her practice as a writer, and the intersections of decolonial thought and Black and Caribbean intellectual traditions in Latin America.
When: November 18, 2025, 4:00 PM
Where: Lydeen Library, Rolfe Hall 4302
This event will be in Spanish. Light refreshments will be served.
Yuliana Ortiz Ruano is an Afro-Ecuadorian writer, poet, and teacher, as well as a DJ of Afro-Caribbean music. She has published several books of poetry and prose, including the multi award-winning Fiebre de carnaval (Carnaval Fever), which was chosen as one of the 50 best books of 2022 by El País. She is also the author of the poetry books Sovoz, Canciones del fin del mundo, y Cuaderno del imposible retorno a Pangea, and the book of short stories Litorales. She was selected by the International Writers in Residence program in Granada, Spain in 2023, and was chosen for the Translator Choice II award at the LATINALE Latin America Literature Festival in Berlin. Her first novel, Carnaval Fever, won the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Award (Ecuador), the Primo Romanzo Latinoamericano Award (Italy), and the PEN Translation Award (UK).

Lynn Hershman Leeson: Private I
2025-11-18 19:30 - 21:30
When: Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 7:30 PM
Where: Hammer Museum
Pioneering conceptual artist Lynn Hershman Leeson, known for her six-decade exploration of technology, identity, and surveillance, joins Margot Norton, Chief Curator at BAMPFA, for an evening of video screenings and discussion. Leeson will reflect on her visionary works including the Roberta Breitmore series to her innovative interactive installations and her new book Private I, which examines the intersections of art, technology, and selfhood in today’s hyper-connected world.
No registration required. Seat is first come.

Faculty Writing Retreat - December 2025
2025-12-05 10:00 - 16:00
Join CSW|Streisand Center for a day-long retreat where you can concentrate on your own work alongside like-minded colleagues!

Friday, December 5th
10 am – 4 pm Hershey Hall Salon (Room 158)
Do you want to block out a day for writing and contemplation? The Faculty Writing Retreat is your solution. Join us for a day-long retreat where you can concentrate on your own work alongside like-minded colleagues—we will hold the world at bay for you. Breakfast and lunch will be provided in the beautiful setting of Hershey Hall Salon.
The writing retreat provides a peaceful place to write as well as meals; please bring your computer and any other materials you may need to work. If you have an extension cord, please bring it, as power outlets are limited. Also bring some extra clothes for layers, as the space sometimes tends to be cool.
We also offer a parallel virtual retreat with brief introductions and check-ins.
During lunch, there will be an optional conversation about the writing process.
If you register to attend in person and your plans change, please let us know immediately so that we may offer your spot to the long waitlist. No-shows will not be granted an in-person spot at future writing retreats.
If you are no longer able to attend in person, please e-mail csw@csw.ucla.edu to let us know.
Cosponsored by: CSW|Streisand Center, the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities (ORCA), UCLA Humanities, UCLA Social Sciences, UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television
Save the date for future Faculty Writing Retreats:
Registration will be available the week following the most recent retreat.
Friday February 20
Friday March 6
Friday May 15

Surrealism & Antifascism: A Symposium
2025-12-06 14:00 - 18:00
Where: 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard
When: Dec 6th, 2pm-6pm PST
This unique gathering brings together artists, scholars, UCLA students and the public to explore the power of surrealist methods—past and present—as tools for resisting systems of domination and imagining new possibilities for being. From spiritual resistance to cultural subversion, surrealism has long offered a way to sidestep the normative, the colonial, and the fascistic in pursuit of radical freedom. Together, we will examine the contradictions and complexities within the Surrealist tradition and its entanglements with institutional power, gender, and race. This symposium is a call to those who believe that art, performance, spirituality, and speculation can resist the flattening forces of fascism and imagine other worlds.
Get tickets here! Tickets are free to UCLA students & PRS members with code UCLAstudent11 / $10 general admission

Cozy Book Swap + Books to Jails Drive
2025-12-08 - 2025-12-11
Join us for the CSW|Streisand Center Cozy Book Swap! Bring a wrapped book, add a hint note, and swap with others!
Additionally, donate a popular book to LA County Jails in partnership with LA County Library as a part of our Books to Jails Drive.

What kinds of books to donate to the Books to Jails Drive (per LA County Library Guidelines)

Fantasy novels
Adventure novels
Mystery novels
Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels
Spiritual books
Poetry
Self-help books
Books in Spanish

Donation guidelines

NO hardcovers – ONLY paperback books
NO textbooks or academic books
NO depictions or descriptions on how to commit crimes
MUST be in good condition / shape

Learn more about our mini library and the books to jails partnership.
When: Monday, December 8th – Thursday, December 11th, 10 am- 2 pm
Where: CSW|Streisand Center Office, 1500 Public Affairs (Located across from Jimmy’s Coffee House)
