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We are one of the nation’s oldest Women’s Centers, founded in 1973, and we work with students, staff and faculty of all genders and identities. The Penn Women’s Center’s mission is to promote gender justice, and to empower, support, and advance personal and professional development.

The Penn Women’s Center was founded in April, 1973, after protestors occupied College Hall for four days to protest a series of rapes on campus. We moved to our current location on Locust Walk in the early 1990s, following the “Diversify Locust Walk” movement that sought to make Penn safer for minorities and female students. For over 40 years, the center has been active in promoting the rights of women on campus and beyond. We strive to include voices of gender, sexual, and racial minorities, acknowledging that feminism has historically been white and cis-centered. Come visit us to walk through a timeline of our history!

Penn Women's Center Events Calendar

We sponsor a number of events throughout the year that highlight issues of gender justice and promote women writers, activists, artists and political and professional leaders. These include conferences, trainings, and workshops, with topics ranging from restorative justice, to healthy relationships, to men and masculinities. Major sponsored events, co-produced with student groups, include the Penn Monologues, the OWN IT Summit, Penn Women’s Week and Take Back the Night.
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PWC Newsletter

The Penn Women's Center newsletter is sent electronically to over 2,500 subscribers every Monday during the academic year and highlights educational, artistic, networking, outreach and/or civic engagement programs that promote gender equity at Penn or beyond.
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Voices of Change Project

Made as part of our 40th Anniversary Voices of Change Project, these voices celebrate our past and present. We hope it will inspire you to become part of our future.

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Elisa Foster photo series of her standing in different poses outside of Locust walk

Q&A With Elisa Foster, New Director Of Penn Women’s Center

Congratulations on your promotion to Director of Penn Women’s Center. What does it mean to be the new Director of Penn Women’s Center (PWC)?  It

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Illustration of three women standing together in context of Black Girls Literacy Project information.

Penn Women’s Center Supports Black Girls Literacy Project

Sophia Parker looked at the array of photos of Black women in front of her, thinking carefully. The 16-year-old from North Philly picked up one

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Sherisse-Laud-Hammond standing inside of the women's center

Penn Women’s Center Director makes history as first Black woman to hold post

Sherisse Laud-Hammond is a modern-day pioneer at the University of Pennsylvania. She’s the first Black woman to lead the Penn Women’s Center, one of the oldest women’s centers in the country.

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