From Persistence to Power: Facts, Truth & Equity for Women
A research forum for change makers
On June 7, 2017, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Women’s Research & Resource Center at Spelman College, and the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College joined together to host a research forum for change makers in Washington, D.C., at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Leading researchers, advocates, practitioners, and policymakers convened at this day-long program and left with a better understanding of the complex issues underlying the current social and political climate, empowered with research and resources to strengthen their fight for equity and influence.
Panels considered gender while focusing on: the intersectionality of race, religion, and immigration; child care and leave polices; income equality and labor markets; and health, wellbeing, violence, and safety.
Watch video from the program above or on Youtube. Footage is broken up into the following sections:
- Trailer -- A two-minute video of highlights from the event
- Part 1 -- Welcome lead by Loretta Johnson of the American Federation of Teachers; morning keynote address by Senator Maggie Hassan; Panel One: How Did We Get Here?
- Part 2 -- Panel Two: The Intersectionality of Race, Religion, & Immigration
- Part 3 -- Panel Three: Gender Violence and Title IX; midday keynote address by Commissioner Charlotte A. Burrows of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Part 4 -- Panel Four: Achieving Paid Leave Through Public Policy
- Part 5 -- Panel Five: The Status of Black Women in the United States
Connect with the conference on social media with #persisttopower.
Agenda
8:15-9:00 a.m.
Registration and continental breakfast
9:00-9:40 a.m.
Welcome & Morning Speakers
Lorretta Johnson, Secretary-Treasurer, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, Chair of the Board, Institute for Women's Policy Research
Morning Keynote:
Maggie Hassan, J.D., United States Senator from New Hampshire
Panel One: How Did We Get Here?
- Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Ph.D., Director, Women's Research & Resource Center, Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women's Studies, Spelman College
- Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D., President, Institute for Women's Policy Research
- Layli Maparyan, Ph.D., Katherine Stone Kaufmann '67 Executive Director, Wellesley Centers for Women and Professor of Africana Studies, Wellesley College
9:45-10:55 a.m.
Panel Two: The Intersectionality of Race, Religion, & Immigration in Civic Engagement
- Layli Maparyan, Ph.D., Katherine Stone Kaufmann '67 Executive Director, Wellesley Centers for Women and Professor of Africana Studies, Wellesley College (Moderator)
- Linda Goler Blount, M.P.H., President and CEO, Black Women's Health Imperative
- Katherine Culliton-González, J.D., Senior Counsel, Demos
- Deborah Holmes, B.A., Chief Communications and Engagement Officer, Women's Funding Network
11:00-12:10 p.m.
Panel Three: Gender Violence and Title IX
- Sarah Gonzalez Bocinski, M.A., Director, Economic Security for Survivors Project, Institute for Women's Policy Research (Moderator)
- Susannah Baruch, J.D., Consultant, Women's Health and Genetics Policy
- Jessica Davidson, B.A., Assistant Managing Director, End Rape on Campus
- Nan Stein, Ed.D., Senior Research Scientist, Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College
12:15 p.m.
Midday Keynote Address
- Charlotte A. Burrows, J.D., Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Introduction by Barbara Gault, Ph.D., Vice President and Executive Director, Institute for Women's Policy Research
12:30-1:15 p.m.
Break and Lunch (boxed lunches available)
1:15-2:25 p.m.
Panel Four: Achieving Paid Leave through Public Policy
- Jared Make, J.D., Senior Staff Attorney, Director, LGBTQ Rights and Defending Local Democracy Projects, A Better Balance, (Moderator/Speaker)
- Sari Pekkala Kerr, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist/Economist, Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College
- Jessica Milli, Ph.D., Study Director, Institute for Women's Policy Research
- Marci Ybarra, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, The University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration
2:30-3:40 p.m.
Panel Five: The Status of Black Women in the United States (Release of Special Report)
- Alicia Garza, Special Projects Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Co-creator of Black Lives Matter (Moderator/Speaker)
- Chakilah Abdullah Ali, Member, National Domestic Workers Alliance
- Monifa Bandele, Vice President & Chief Partnership & Diversity Officer, MomsRising.org
- Nana Afua Y. Brantuo, Policy Manager, Black Alliance for Just Immigration
- LaTosha Brown, Project Director, Grantmakers for Southern Progress, Neighborhood Funders Group
- Jessica Byrd, Founder and Principal Strategist, Three Point Strategies
- Tracy Sturdivant, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Make It Work
- Tanya Wallace-Gobern, Executive Director, National Black Worker Center Project
3:45-4:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
- Barbara Gault, Ph.D., Vice President and Executive Director, Institute for Women's Policy Research
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Networking Reception
This event receives support from the Cowles/Sulzberger Fund at the Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College.
2009 Conference
Following the 2008 presidential election, IWPR and WCW convened a policy-research conference; view the program and proceedings from the 2009 Achieving Equity for Women: Policy Recommendations for the New Administration >>
Advancing the Status of Women & Girls, Families & Communities: Policy Approaches in America
At the Wellesley Centers for Women, we believe that leadership can drive social change when it is informed by high-quality data. WCW scholars provide that data – and will continue to do so – to policymakers across party lines at the local, state, and national level. Over the past year, WCW scholars offered their insights and expertise on U.S. policy issues that affect the lives of women and girls, families and communities. Read more (and listen to podcast recordings) about these policy approaches>>