Taking Up Space: The Roots and Implications of Sizeism
Event Details
This event is offered in partnership with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN).
In a culture trained by centuries of sexism and racism to objectify women’s bodies, to privilege thinness, and to condemn fatness, the importance of celebrating and respecting fat bodies can be difficult for some to grasp. Social systems of sizeism and ableism deny fat bodies equal worth, access, and value. Outdated practices in the healthcare industry invalidate personal autonomy, pathologize, and endanger big bodies. Anti-fat bias in hiring and recruiting can mean missing out on talented candidates who we assume to lack individual willpower or discipline simply because of their size. In this workshop, we explore sizeism and ableism through the intersectional lens of sexism, racism, and classism. We discuss the implications of anti-fat bias in the workplace and learn to create inclusive spaces for bodies of all sizes.
For More Information:
Cost + Registration
- MANP members save $20!
- MANP members $50 / Nonmembers $70
- Enter code NCN when registering to receive the member discount. Please note that a separate user account is required on MCN's website to register.
- This virtual event will take place on the Zoom platform. Your access link will be emailed to you the day before the event after 1 p.m.
- This session will be recorded. The recording will be made available to registrants after the live event.
- Captioning is provided automatically through Zoom. For information on requesting CART, ASL, or another accommodation, please visit MCN's Registration Policies page.
- To learn more about events, registration, and payment, visit MCN's Event & Registration FAQ page.
About the Presenter
Stephanie Chrismon is a Black/biracial (Black/German), Fat, Queer, Afrofuturist, writer, and educator who identifies as masculine of center. She presents and writes on various topics related to race, sexuality, family karma, social justice, and generational theory. She uses pop culture, literature, and art as critical tools in exploring social justice and dismantling oppression. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Hamline University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Minnesota, Morris.
Stephanie participated in the 2016-2017 Loft Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose. She was a fellow in the 2015 Emerging Writers’ Mentor Program sponsored by the Givens Foundation for African American Literature. Her writing has appeared in Water~Stone Review, MN Artists, The Root, Black Girl Nerds, and Medium and is included in the anthology Queer Voices: Poetry, Prose, and Pride. Her debut novel (under her pen name dc edwards), Bright City, was published in 2017.
She is also an independent DEI consultant with Avant Consulting Group, Strategic Diversity Initiatives, and C.A. Ellis and Associates, LLC, working with health systems, city/public works institutions, and higher education. In 2022, she completed work as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant for the UW MESA state office via AmeriCorps.
She is also a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, a Black Greek Letter Organization (BGLO) formed in 1920 on the Howard University campus. She has been a Sigma Beta Zeta chapter member in Roseville, MN, since December 2018. She currently lives in Saint Paul, MN, where she has lived for 20 years.