A conference will examine diversity and empowerment issues in honor of International Women’s Day.

The event, “Spiritual Diversity as a Resource for Resilience and Empowerment: Issues of Ethics and Cultural Competence,” will be from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Friday at SpringHill Suites, 1 Riverfront Plaza.

The keynote speaker will be Edward Canda, a professor of social welfare at Kansas University and director of the Office for Research on Spiritual Diversity in Social Work. Breakout sessions will be given by Susan Mariscal and Elena Bellatin-Morales. Mariscal is a doctoral student at KU, and her research areas include children exposed to domestic violence and domestic violence in Latino culture. Bellatin-Morales is the coordinator of the victim services program at El Centro Inc.

The event will end with a performance by survivors of violence.

The cost to attend is $75, and all proceeds benefit Women’s Transitional Care Services in Lawrence. It provides safe-shelter, peer counseling, advocacy and other services to survivors of domestic violence in Douglas, Franklin and southern Jefferson counties.

For more information or to register, call 331-2034.