The Full Experience
Conference Sessions
Learn more about the featured speakers for the 18th Annual Black Policy Conference where we build onto the Black toolkit, emphasizing that you do not have to pull someone up but can bring people along with you.
GLORIA J. BROWNE-MARSHALL
Social Justice Advocate, Writer, Professor in Law
Weekend Warrior
Not everyone that will make an impact in the march to liberation will make it their singular calling. This workshop will provide examples of figures that have used their time away from work to make a difference and provide participants with tools to create their own impact.
Getting What We’re Owed
Strategies for Pursuing Reparations through Policy, Collective Memory, and Advocacy
The 117th Congress saw significant progress for H.R. 40, a bill that would create a study on the potential impact of reparations. Meanwhile, various state and local actors have already implemented successful reparatory agendas in places like California and Evanston, Illinois. This suggests that smaller-scale policy proposals can be effective pathways towards reparations. But how can we build on this momentum and learn from reparatory leaders to achieve progress in other regional contexts?
PANEL MANAGER
TAYLOR JONES
CORNELL W. BROOKS
Moderator
ROBIN RUE SIMMONS
Politician, Reparations Leader
First Repair
Clinical Psychologist
Loyola Marymount University
CHERYL GRILLS
Author
Brookings Institute Fellow
ANDRE M PERRY
INDIA B WALTON
ALEXANDER WRIGHT
Founder
African Heritage Food Co-op
Political Organizer
Open Buffalo
FRANCHELLE PARKER
Political Activist
The Black Voice
Pushing forward Black progress in advocacy
and government
As the second largest city in New York State, Buffalo is hub for all of Western New York. Buffalo is also the 3rd poorest city of it's size and the 6th most segregated city of it's size. Most of the local issues in Buffalo are inextricably tied to race or poverty and as a result, local advocacy groups have played a key role in uplifting the voice of Buffalonians and drafting policy proposals to help change Buffalo for the better. During this panel, we will hear from experts in local government advoacy, with a specific focus on food policy in Buffalo in the wake of the aftermath of the Tops Supermarket Massacre that occured in May 2022.
PANEL MANAGER
DRISANA HUGHES
We Deserve to Grow Old
A conversation on how to create an abundance in health for the Black community
Our panel comprises health policy experts, including physicians, health disparities researchers, and community health workers, who will share innovative ideas on policies that promote abundant health for Black communities. With a diverse range of experiences in federal policy, city government, academia, and caregiving, our panelists will inform the discussion on pressing health issues affecting Black communities and how policies can help address them. Attendees can expect to gain a better understanding of the health policy landscape, context for their interactions with the healthcare system, and actionable steps towards creating a more equitable and healthier healthcare system.
PANEL MANAGER
MAREMA GAYE
PANEL MANAGER
HAILEY BRACE
%20-%20Darian%20Leta_edited.png)
DARIAN LETA (SHE/HER)
Community Health Worker
MassLeague of Community Health Centers
KEVIN SIMON
Health Officer
City of Boston
Clinical Psychologist
Harvard Medical School
KIMBERLYN LEARY
PhD in Philosophy
OSAREMEN OKOLO
MICHELE GILLIAM
Political Director
Action Center on Race and the Economy
TINA PETIGNY
Economic Opportunity Officer
LISC Boston
Executive Director
Ujima Project
NIA EVANS
Director of Coalitions
Ujima Project
RYAN 'REI' FIELDER
Building Our Own Dream
A look at just and abundant wealth
Conversation focused on strategies for building Black wealth, particularly wealth building approaches outside of traditional financial systems that have harmed and extracted from Black communities. Hear from economic opportunity practitioners and activists on different paths forward and approaches we can each take toward more just wealth building.
PANEL MANAGER
TAYLOR PHILLIPS
.png)
The Roots We Sew
A conversation between Black leaders working on environmental justice globally
This session will be an intergenerational conversation between Black leaders working for climate and environmental justice in the US and abroad. The key question we will dig into is: What are similarities and points of divergence that we can learn from in approaches to climate justice advocacy across the Black Diaspora?
Panel Collaboration
Black Policy Conference
Africa in Focus - Belfer Center
W3D - Women in Defense, Diplomacy, and Development
Climate Justice
Open Society Foundation
YAMIDE DAGNET
