Optimistic rebels from all walks of life are invited to the national Radical Women conference, “The Persistent Power of Socialist Feminism,” to be held at the San Francisco Women’s Building, 3543 18th St. in the Mission District, from Friday to Monday, Oct. 3-6.

The major goal of the four-day public event is to produce an education and action plan to focus and strengthen the feminist movement. Speakers include numerous Asian and Asian American activists and scholars.

The conference kicks off at 9 a.m. on Friday with a welcome address by Bay Area Radical Women organizer Nancy Reiko Kato, followed by a 9:30 a.m. keynote speech by acclaimed Chinese American poet Nellie Wong.

Wong’s theme will be “Women and Revolution: Alive and Inseparable.” Wong’s works include “Stolen Moments,” “The Death of Long Steam Lady,” and “Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park.” She is also a long-time delegate to the San Francisco Labor Council, representing her union, University Professional and Technical Employees.

A highlight on Saturday is a 9 a.m. panel presentation titled “Magnificent Warriors: Female Leadership in the Global Freedom Struggle.” Speakers will include Professor Wang Zheng, who teaches women’s studies in Michigan, Beijing and Shanghai; and Patricia Ramos Con, a Costa Rican-Chinese labor lawyer and leading organizer against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

Interactive workshops in the afternoon include a discussion by Professor Wang on “Women in the Chinese Revolution.” Other subjects will cover the ABCs of Marxist feminism; women’s stake in the anti-war movement; campus organizing; the need for child care and reproductive justice; and issues confronting young queer people.

Sunday begins at 9 a.m. with a panel on “The Galvanizing Impact of Multiracial Organizing in a Society Divided by Racism.” Sharing first-hand experiences will be campus organizer Emily Woo Yamasaki of New York City; Norma Abdulah, a civil rights veteran from Harlem; Yuisa Gimeno, a Chicana-Puerto Rican feminist from Los Angeles; and reproductive rights activist Toni Mendicino of San Francisco. The panel will be chaired by Kato.

The remainder of Sunday will be devoted to issues and skills workshops. Wong will conduct a 1 p.m. session on “Poetry and Rebellion.” At 2:30 p.m., Merle Woo, a ground-breaking Bay Area lesbian educator, will dialogue with a young Chicana feminist, Norma Gallegos, on “Radical Youth and Rebel Elders: Connecting the Generations.”

Registration is $15 general, $7.50 for students and low income. Register at www.RadicalWomen.org. For more information, phone (206) 722-6057.