The Home for Little Wanderers presents 
Women of Color Conference

Empowerment through "Herstory": Charting the Path to Greatness

Join us for a full day of leadership development and inspiration, at The Home’s first Women of Color Conference (WOC). WOC is designed to engage Boston’s most influential women working with children and families living in at risk circumstances. The conference will begin with a morning session dedicated to women of color only, which will include a keynote speaker, wellness sessions and inspiration and renewal.

In the afternoon, we invite our allies who are not women of color to join the conference and participate in two workshops of their choice.

 

Emcee

Joan Wallace-Benjamin worked in the field serving children and their families for 35 years - 27 of them as a CEO. She retired from The Home for Little Wanderers in January 2018 after serving 15 years as President & CEO. Her previous positions include, among others: President & CEO of The Urban League of Massachusetts; Director of Operations for Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston; and Deputy Director of ABCD Head Start. In 2007, she served as Chief of Staff to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on his transition team and in his first months in office. Dr. Wallace- Benjamin graduated from Wellesley College in l975 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She received her Ph.D. from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University in 1980. She holds Honorary Doctorates from several leading colleges and universities. She has served as a Trustee for Bridgewater State University, Wellesley College, Pine Manor College, Overseer for The Heller School for Social Policy & Management, Corporation Member of Northeastern University, and on the board of Cityfresh Foods, Inc.

 

Keynote Speaker

Liz Walker is a minister, women’s advocate and activist for community healing and cross cultural and interfaith dialogue. She is Pastor of Roxbury Presbyterian Church, a dynamic faith community with a 130 plus year history of making a difference in one of Boston’s most challenging neighborhoods. RPC under Reverend Walker’s leadership is home to the Cory Johnson Program for Post Traumatic Healing, an innovative program that addresses the epidemic of post traumatic stress in a low income African American community too often overrun by violence. The Cory Johnson Program works to increase community awareness of PTSD as well as improving access to mental health services, and empowering community members with the skills to cope with and respond to PTSD.

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Workshop Speakers

Workshop I: The Politics of Respectability: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Female Bodies and Behaviors

LaShawnda Lindsay-Dennis, Ph.D., NCC

The politics of respectability refers to the ways in which marginalized groups are subjugated to mainstream cultural values by members of their own groups. In this workshop, participants will examine how respectability politics influence the lived experiences of girls from diverse cultural backgrounds. Participants will engage in a critical discussion about how societal beliefs about notions of femininity, respect, and dignity often polices the bodies and behaviors of girls from marginalized groups.

Research Scientist
WELLESLEY CENTERS FOR WOMEN
Wellesley College

Workshop II: Equity & Equality in the classroom and beyond

 Kamilah Drummond-Forrester, MRC, CAGS 

In this workshop participants will examine the impact of implicit bias on school disciplinary practices. Our discussion will include personal reflection, group work and experiential activities. We will identify some of our own biases, analyze how these biases may impact the way we engage our work, discuss the correlation of the school-to-prison pipeline and end our time with practical strategies for interrupting and mitigating the harmful effects of implicit bias within the classroom. Participants should come prepared to actively engage in challenging work.

Director - Open Circle
SEED Leader-National SEED Project
WELLESLEY CENTERS FOR WOMEN
Wellesley College
Tel 781-283-2863 

Workshop III: Finding Courage, Self-Confidence, and Role Modeling

Mia Roberts 

What is the secret sauce that all leaders use to help girls act on the belief that they can develop and succeed at the highest levels in any area they choose? Research and practical experience reveals that there is a secret sauce that is an ingredient in every strategy that works - in the home, in the classroom, in the community center, and in workplaces. In this content rich, interactive workshop, we will explore the link between the research and practice that results in acting with courage, building self-confidence and modeling for girls how they can achieve. If you are energized and inspired to change the trajectory of girls outcomes so that we see them in the science labs, boardrooms and every desirable space where we don't see them now, then this workshop

VP Of Strategic Patnerships, Big Sister Association of Greater Boston

Workshop IV: Impact of Social Media and Television

Linda Charmaraman, PhD

Protesting the lack of diversity on mainstream television and the exponential rise of social media channels for public dialogue can have transformative impacts for girls and girls of color. In this workshop, we will review the research about the harmful effects of media on today's youth, as well as consider how we can shift from being passive receivers to active users in charge of what we consume and create. Dr. Charmaraman will provide an overview of her research findings from two of her book chapters, one about the impact of stereotypical television images on girls, and the other about how women of color use social media to increase their social capital. In this workshop, participants will explore how they can be agents of change to reduce the harmful effects of invisibility and negative media imagery in their social contexts, from within families, schools, and communities. By understanding how women of color in our studies have intentionally created their social media networks into communities that support each other, participants will begin developing an action plan of how they can use social media to form bridges into networks that will help them thrive in such domains as their professional, personal, and sociopolitical worlds

Principal Investigator of Media & Identity Project
WELLESLEY CENTERS FOR WOMEN
Wellesley College
lcharmar@wellesley.edu