Women, and men, from across West Virginia University and the state will gather Sept. 29 to celebrate, honor and empower women as part of the 28th annual Women of Color Luncheon.

The luncheon, which will take place Tuesday, Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms, is hosted by the WVU Council for Women’s Concerns in an effort to connect and inspire women.

Katherine L. “Kitty” Dooley, a U.S. Army veteran and attorney, will be the keynote speaker. Dooley is the principal of The Dooley Law Firm PLLC in Charleston, West Virginia, where she practices in the areas of personal injury, social security disability, consumer rights and employment.

“When W.E.B. DuBois said that the problem of the 20th century is the color line, little did he know that the problem of the 21st century would still be the color line. The Women of Color Luncheon allows us to continue the dialogue concerning race and race relations in America,” Dooley said.

After four years as an ROTC cadet, Dooley become the first woman cadet to complete U.S. Army Airborne training at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Dooley received her commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer. She then served a tour of duty in Korea and went on to serve at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona and Ft. Ord, California, completing over four years of service.

Dooley is a 1990 graduate of the WVU College of Law and has received numerous accolades over the years for service to her profession and to the state, including awards from the West Virginia Human Rights Commission, the YWCA and the NAACP.

Miss West Virginia Chelsea Malone will give a vocal performance featuring two songs during the luncheon. Malone was crowned Miss West Virginia in July 2015, and her platform, called “Break the Silence,” focuses on mental health advocacy and fighting the stigma surrounding mental illness. Malone is an accomplished vocalist, and won the annual Mountaineer Idol competition in 2011. She holds a degree in finance from the WVU College of Business and Economics.

The Women of Color Luncheon is one of several events during WVU’s annual Diversity Week, held this year from Sept. 28-Oct. 2 and sponsored by the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Tickets for the luncheon are $17 per individual, and reservations can also be made for tables of eight or ten. Limited seating is available. To purchase tickets, visit http://cwc.wvu.edu/special-events.

The Council for Women’s Concerns’ mission promotes equality and empowers women in all areas of the University and local community by facilitating a dialogue on women’s issues and serving as a resource for women and girls. To learn more about the WVU Council for Women’s Concerns, visit http://cwc.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

dc/09/17/15

CONTACT: Danielle Conaway, WVU Council for Women’s Concerns
304.293.3869, ConawayD@wvuhealthcare.com

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.