America Healing Conference

All Children
Must Thrive
America Healing Conference
MAY 3-7, 2015 | ASHEVILLE, N.C.
America Healing: All Children Must Thrive
W.K. Kellogg Foundation America Healing Conference
Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville, N.C.
May 4-7, 2015
MEETING PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES
Support the America Healing community of practice in racial equity and healing to ensure all children
ultimately thrive, by:
• Exploring new strategies for changing racial narratives
• Developing collaborative approaches to changing systems and structures
• Strengthening community-level readiness, resources and tools
AGENDA
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015
1 to 7 p.m.
Registration
1 to 3:30 p.m. Hotel Lobby
5 to 7 p.m. Grand Ballroom Pre-Function
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Native Blessing and Opening Remarks
Grand Ballroom
• Cherokee Elementary School dancers and singers
• Gail C. Christopher, vice president for policy and senior advisor, W.K.
Kellogg Foundation
• Marc Hunt, vice mayor, City of Asheville
• La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO, W.K. Kellogg
Foundation
• Bobby Moser, board chair, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Opening Reception
Grand Ballroom and Pre-Function
Enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres and connect with colleagues.
1
6:45 to 8:15 p.m.
Opening Plenary: How We Got to Now
Grand Ballroom
During the Great Migration, six million African Americans moved from the
South to the North and West between 1915 and 1970. This migration
required great courage, determination and resilience. Yet, their story is
largely ignored in America’s dominant narrative on immigration or
migration. Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson brought this story to life in
her acclaimed book, The Warmth of Other Suns. Hear about this amazing
journey that dramatically changed America. It is a story about the brave and
spirited souls who dared to leave everything they knew for the hope of
something better. Based on interviews with 1,200 people who participated
in the Great Migration and extensive research, Wilkerson reveals one of the
greatest underreported stories in U.S. history. It brought us jazz, Motown,
rhythm and blues and hip-hop. It brought us John Coltrane, Thelonious
Monk, Jimi Hendrix, Toni Morrison, August Wilson, Romare Bearden,
Malcolm X, Jesse Owens, Bill Russell, Denzel Washington, Michelle Obama
— all children or grandchildren of the Great Migration. It changed the
cultural and political landscape, exerting pressure on the South to change
and paving the way toward equal rights for blacks.
Speaker: Isabel Wilkerson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of
The Warmth of Other Suns
8:15 to 9 p.m.
Book Signing and Dessert
Grand Ballroom Pre-Function
TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015
7 to 7:30 a.m.
Morning Movement: Qigong – Poetry in Stillness
Mountain View Terrace
Soothe away stress through the fusion of love and power in this still yet
dynamic and alluring ancient Chinese Qigong practice. Enhance endurance,
energy and relaxation in an interactive exercise fusing breath, movement,
meditation and music. Appropriate for all levels. Please wear comfortable
shoes with good support.
Facilitator: Phyllis Hubbard, owner, Radiant Health Strategies
7 to 8 a.m.
Regional Networking Breakfast
Grand Ballroom and Pre-Function
2
8 to 8:15 a.m.
Invocation
Grand Ballroom
Rev. Alvin Herring, deputy director of faith and formation, PICO National
Network
8:15 to 9:15 a.m.
Plenary: Healing Relationships between Law Enforcement and
Communities of Color
Grand Ballroom
In light of recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, and cities around the
country, there is an elevated level of distrust between many communities
and police departments. Trust between law enforcement and the people
they serve is integral to creating safe places where children and families
can thrive. Hear from civil rights and social justice leaders about racial
healing after Ferguson, how to move forward to prevent future crises and
specifically ideas for rebuilding relationships between law enforcement and
communities of color.
Panelists:
• Jeffrey Blackwell, chief of police, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Melanca Clark, chief of staff, Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services (COPS) , U.S. Department of Justice
• Rachel Godsil, director of research, Perception Institute
• Sherrilyn Ifill, president and direct-counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and
Education Fund, Inc.
• Joseph Scantlebury, vice president for program strategy, W.K. Kellogg
Foundation
Moderator: Joy Reid, national correspondent, MSNBC
9:15 to 9:30 a.m.
In Memoriam and Setting the Stage
Gail C. Christopher, vice president for policy and senior advisor, W.K.
Kellogg Foundation
9:30 to 9:45 a.m.
Break
3
9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Healing Sessions
Too often, the dominant narratives about communities, families and
children of color are expressed in deficit frames. In truth, the stories of
communities of color are of amazing resilience that can inspire respect,
appreciation and even awe. This healing day experience will support deep
sharing and active listening around such stories. Participants will have
opportunities to tap into the strength, power and promise of shared
narratives.
Look for your group number and healing partner name on the back of your
name badge.
Vanderbilt Wing:
Group 1 – Eisenhower F
Group 2 – Eisenhower G
Group 3 – Hoover H
Group 4 – Hoover J
Group 5 – Roosevelt K
Group 6 – Roosevelt L
Group 7 – Taft M
Group 8 – Taft N
Group 9 – Wilson O
Group 10 – Wilson P
Group 11 – Blue Ridge Dining Room
Sammons Wing:
Group 12 – Heritage A
Group 13 – Heritage B
Group 14 – Heritage C
Group 15 – Dogwood DE
Group 16 – Laurel FG
Group 17 – Laurel HJ
Group 18 – Rhododendron KL
Group 19 – Rhododendron MN
Group 20 – Skyline Room
12:15 to 12:30 p.m.
Break
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
Grand Ballroom and Pre-Function
4
1:30 to 1:45 p.m.
Break
1:45 to 4:30 p.m.
Healing Sessions Continued
See room assignments from morning sessions.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Break
5 to 7 p.m.
Dinner and Performance: Roundhouse – Healing Voices of the
Mountain
Grand Ballroom and Pre-Function
Performers:
• Mike Berlin – drum
• River Guerguerian – percussion
• Shannon Hoover – bass
• David LaMotte – singer, songwriter, activist and guitarist
• Leeda “Lyric” Jones – singer
• Dave Matthews, bassist
• Tamiko Ambrose Murray – writer, teacher, activist and poet
• Chris Rosser – singer, songwriter and guitarist
• Rhoda Weaver – singer
• Lizz Wright – singer and composer
7 to 7:15 p.m.
Break
7:15 to 8:45 p.m.
Plenary: Sankofa – Intergenerational Transformation
Grand Ballroom
Young people have played powerful roles in leading movements for racial
justice. What did youth leadership look like 50 years ago? What does it look
like today? This intergenerational dialogue features young leaders of today
and elders who were young leaders during movements in the 1950s, 1960s
and 1970s. Each generation will explore what they can learn from the
others’ experiences in order to strengthen the present-day movement for
racial equity.
Panelists:
• Luis Garden Acosta, founder and president, El Puente
• Patrisse Cullors, co-founder, Black Lives Matter
• Brian Howard, legislative associate, National Congress of American
Indians
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• Prerna Lal, immigration staff attorney, Asian Americans Advancing
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Justice
Chief Oren Lyons, faith keeper turtle clan, Onondaga Council of Chiefs,
Onondaga Nation
Bob Moses, president and founder, The Algebra Project
Rubén E. Canedo, research and mobilization coordinator, Center for
Educational Equity and Excellence, UC-Berkeley
Linda Sarsour, executive director, Arab American Association of New
York
Moderator: Damon Hewitt, senior advisor for U.S. programs, Open Society
Foundations
9 to 10 p.m.
Healing Circle
Mountain View Terrace (weather permitting) or Skyline Room (backup)
Facilitators: Jerry Tello, director, National Compadres Network, and Yvette
Joseph, project manager, Kaufman & Associates, Inc.
Open Space Sessions
 Data, Research and Action Strategies
Taft
What tools and data are we using to support action for racial healing
and racial equity?
Facilitator: Brian Smedley, co-founder and executive director, National
Collaborative for Health Equity
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Within Our Lifetime
Wilson
As a network of racial healing practitioners and racial equity advocates,
we are committed to ending racism within our lifetime. What has been
our work to date? What is our plan for the future?
Facilitator: Dushaw Hockett, executive director, SPACES and Maggie
Potapchuk, founder, MP Associates
•
The Committee on the Elimination of Racism (CERD) Report
Laurel
What can we learn from the report? How can we use it to support racial
healing and equity?
Facilitator: Ejim Dike, executive director, US Human Rights Network
6
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WKKF Community Leadership Network (CLN) Fellows
Roosevelt
All WKKF CLN fellows and coach-mentors are asked to gather for a
check-in and discuss ways to “take back” highlights and learnings from
the conference to other fellows.
Facilitators: Esther Nieves, director of community engagement &
leadership, and Reggie LaGrand, program officer, W.K. Kellogg
Foundation
Additional sessions and locations will be posted at registration.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015
7 to 7:30 a.m.
Morning Movement: Qigong – Wuji Poetry in Motion
Mountain View Terrace
Discover your own poetry in motion through this unique walking version of
Qigong (pronounced "chee - gong"). Qigong is the mother of Tai Chi and the
martial arts and the Wuji form strengthens the mind body connection and
unleashes your creative energy. Move like a swan while enhancing your
balance, endurance, focus, acuity and concentration. Appropriate for all
levels. Please wear closed toe shoes with good support.
Facilitator: Phyllis Hubbard, owner, Radiant Health Strategies
7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Networking Breakfast
Grand Ballroom and Pre-Function
Join table conversations on narrative change, legal strategies, the economy,
workforce, early childhood, health equity, data and research,
policing/criminal justice, faith and healing, unconscious bias, immigration
and more.
8:30 to 10 a.m.
Plenary: Resilience – Changing Narratives and Reality
Grand Ballroom
Narratives of resilience in the face of injustice, creativity in confronting
obstacles and thriving in the midst of struggle are essential to build intraand inter-community commitment to racial healing and racial equity.
Explore what cutting-edge research on implicit bias, racial anxiety and
stereotype threat is teaching us about the power of narrative to create
bridges between racial healing and structural change. Discover the power
of creating spaces for people of color to tell their own stories, and the
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importance of creating opportunities in the media and beyond in which
they can be heard in an authentic, healthier and holistic light. And,
consider evidence-based strategies and tools for identifying biases and
mitigating the risks of dangerous and lethal consequences of bias for
children and families.
Panelists:
• Brian Howard, legislative associate, National Congress of American
Indians
• Alexis McGill Johnson, executive director, Perception Institute
• Greisa Martinez, field organizer, United We Dream
• Rashad Robinson, executive director, Color of Change
• Trabian Shorters, founder and CEO, BMe
• Mini Timmaraju, national director, National Council of Asian Pacific
Americans
• Kristen Weber, senior associate, Center for the Study of Social Policy
Moderator: Mee Moua, president and executive director, Asian Americans
Advancing Justice
10 to 10:30 a.m.
Break
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
A School-to-Prosperity Pipeline: A Learnable Climate
Heritage A
Gain an understanding of how harsh disciplinary practices
disproportionately put children of color on a path to prison. Get concrete
examples of how effective teaching practices and parental engagement can
interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and put students on a pathway to
prosperity.
Panelists:
• Judith Browne Dianis, co-director, Advancement Project
• Andrea Lawful-Trainer, principal and CEO, Children and Parent
Enrichment Services (CAPES)
• Daniel Losen, director, Center for Civil Rights Remedies, UCLA
• Susan Stevenson, executive director, Flamboyan Foundation
Moderator: Frank Gettridge, program officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
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Navigating Barriers to Employment and Quality Early Education: An
Interactive Community Theatre Experience
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Skyline Room
Join the Theater for Social Change Ensemble and experience the journey
that so many parents of color go through as they navigate the complex
maze to employment and retention, all while working to secure quality
education for their children.
Panelists:
• Tameka Henry, director, Acelero Learning Clark County
• Vivian Nixon, executive director, College and Community Fellowship
• Lisette Orellana, BOLD national advocate, The National Crittendon
Foundation
Actors:
• Leslie Campbell, coordinator, Going Places Network at Dress for
Success and senior case manager, FACES NY
• Selina Fulford, adjunct professor, College of New Rochelle
• Katherine Jennings, mentor, Riverside Church Coming Home Program
• Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin, re-entry coordinator, New York City Housing
Authority
• Denise McFarlan, housing counselor, The Osborne Association
• Edna Sams, program director, Post Graduate Center for Mental Health,
Grand Concourse Residence
Moderator: Paula Sammons, program officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Achieving Food Equity: A Life Course Perspective
Laurel
Explore the power of food as a strategy for racial equity and food
sovereignty throughout the life course. Learn about successes in improving
access to high quality, culturally appropriate food along the continuum
from first food (breastfeeding), to school food to community food. How are
these efforts creating conditions for equity and food sovereignty? How are
communities creatively overcoming barriers?
Panelists:
• Linda Jo Doctor, program officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
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Anupama Joshi, executive director and co-founder, National Farm to
School Network
Aletha Maybank, associate commissioner, New York City Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene
Paola Sánchez, assistant farm share manager, Corbin Hill Food Project
Patrick Simpson, program officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Moderator: Livia Marqués, program officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Lessons from the Field: Building Spirit for Participation
Taft
How do you develop a spirit of participation in a community, especially
among youth, residents of color and those with lower incomes? Learn
creative ways to develop leaders and ultimately support residents in
becoming catalysts for social change for the long haul.
Panelists:
• Eric Braxton, executive director, Funders’ Collaborative on Youth
Organizing
• Tuyet Le, executive director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago
• Sharoni Little, associate professor of clinical management
communication, University of Southern California Marshall School of
Business, and coordinator, Empowerment Congress
• Ken Rolling, executive director, Community Learning Partnership
Moderator: Martha Lee, executive director, Kellogg Fellows Leadership
Alliance
Narrative Change: What’s Working?
Eisenhower
Building on the morning plenary, hear about efforts to change perceptions
of government officials, community residents, media leaders and others in
building support for policy and practice changes. Explore the importance of
supporting young people from multiple backgrounds in communities across
the U.S. and in Indian Country in telling their own stories as part of the
effort to reduce bias. Discover ways to tell your community’s stories without
inadvertently reinforcing stereotypes.
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Panelists:
• Kiran Ahuja, executive director, White House Initiative on Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders
• Terry Cross, founder and senior advisor, National Indian Child Welfare
Association
• Hugo Morales, executive director and co-founder, Radio Bilingüe, Inc.
• Michael Skolnik, president, GlobalGrind.com
• Rebekah Spicuglia, senior communications manager, Race Forward
Moderator: Luz E. Benitez Delgado, program officer, W.K. Kellogg
Foundation
The Importance of Allies
Hoover
Finding and engaging allies – both progressive and conservative – is
essential in creating opportunities for healing, solidarity and racial justice.
Learn about successful efforts to connect the structural concerns of
different communities – business, immigrants, labor, young people,
multiple communities of color and more – and ultimately create a collective
movement to benefit children and families.
Panelists:
• DeAngelo Bester, co-executive director and senior strategist, Workers
Center for Racial Justice
• Gregory Cendana, executive director, Asian Pacific American Labor
Alliance, AFL-CIO
• David Kass, president, Council for a Strong America
• Ali Noorani, executive director, National Immigration Forum
• George Sifakis, founder and CEO, IdeaGen
Moderator: LaShawn Routé Chatmon, executive director, National Equity
Project
Self-Care: An Imperative to Restore and Recharge
Wilson
Taking care of yourself as you take care of others and work to change the
world can be very challenging. Learn about practices, tools, resources and
tangible steps for effective self-care as you seek to stay whole and centered
for the long haul.
11
Panelists:
• Carol Bebelle, co-founder and executive director, Ashé Cultural Arts
Center
• Phyllis Hubbard, owner, Radiant Health Strategies
• Jerry Tello, director, National Compadres Network
• Ramon Vasquez, executive director, American Indians in Texas
Moderator: Dianna Langenburg, vice president for talent and human
resources, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Community Integration Strategies for Racial Equity and Healing
Roosevelt
Join a provocative dialogue that challenges the false binary between placebased and mobility-based strategies for improving housing and economic
conditions for low-income people and people of color. Wrestle with the
dilemma of opening opportunities for truly multi-racial communities while also
supporting communities that want to deepen cultural continuity. Explore the
empathy gap and its implications for building public support for moving from
segregation to integration.
Panelists:
• Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, Samuel F. and Rose B. Gingold professor of
human development and social policy and director, Institute for Child
Youth and Family Policy, Brandeis University
• Gina Chirichigno, co-creator and co-director, One Nation Indivisible
• Jason Reece, director of research, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race
and Ethnicity, The Ohio State University
• Phil Tegeler, president and executive director, Poverty & Race Research
Action Council
• David Williams, Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman
professor of public health, Harvard University School of Public Health
Moderator: Brian Smedley, co-founder and executive director, National
Collaborative for Health Equity
12
Mind Sciences and Racial Equity: The Nexus
Heritage B
What do we know about how our minds work? What are the implications for
racial equity and racial healing throughout our lives? Take a look at compelling,
action-oriented research about connections between implicit bias, racial
anxiety, empathy and belonging; organizational policies and practices; and a
range of outcomes including physical and mental health, education, nutrition,
food and community development. Learn how you can begin to bring these
insights from research into your day-to-day work.
Panelists:
• Sharon Davies, executive director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race
and Ethnicity, The Ohio State University
• Jeff Duncan-Andrade, associate professor of Raza studies and education
administration and interdisciplinary studies, San Francisco State University
• Rachel Godsil, director of research, Perception Institute
• john a. powell, professor of law; professor of African American studies and
ethnic studies; Robert D. Haas chancellor's chair in equity and inclusion;
and director, Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, Berkeley Law
Moderator: Lynn Todman, research affiliate, MIT CoLab
Movement Building within Communities and Systems
Heritage C
What makes a movement a movement? Hear perspectives on the essential
elements for creating a movement. Offer your insights on what is necessary for
making positive change in organizational systems, in practices, in hearts and
minds and within the broader community.
Panelists:
• Randy Grounds, former warden, Salinas Valley State Prison
• Brenda Palms-Barber, executive director, North Lawndale Employment
Network
• Rubén E. Canedo, research and mobilization coordinator, Center for
Educational Equity and Excellence, UC-Berkeley
• Nadia El-Zein Tonova, director, National Network for Arab American
Communities, ACCESS
Moderator: Jyarland Daniels, marketing communications director, Race Forward
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12 to 12:15 p.m.
Break
12:15 to 1 p.m.
Lunch
Grand Ballroom and Pre-Function
1 to 3 p.m.
Plenary: Leveraging Solidarity to Heal America – The Urgency of Now
Grand Ballroom
Established and next-generation leaders from WKKF’s racial equity anchor
institutions will explore the fierce urgency of capturing this historical moment
to ensure that all children thrive. What are the high-stakes issues and
opportunities today? How are young leaders engaging with them? How can
policy work, advocacy, organizing, programming and narrative change efforts
create synergies that lead to change for children and communities? What are
the challenges and opportunities to connect long-standing civil rights
organizations and youth-led network-oriented movements? How can we
cultivate multi-generational networks that build the power necessary to make
change together?
Panelists:
 Judith Browne Dianis, co-director, Advancement Project
 Thena Robinson Mock, director of the Ending the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse
Track Campaign, Advancement Project
 Kathy Ko Chin, president and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health
Forum
 Minh Nguyen, founder and executive director, VAYLA New Orleans
 Janet Murguía, president and CEO, National Council of La Raza
 Luis Avila, board member, National Council of La Raza; vice president, 270
Strategies
 Jacqueline Johnson Pata, executive director, National Congress of American
Indians
 Brian Howard, legislative associate, National Congress of American Indians
 Cornell William Brooks, president and CEO, National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
 Getachew Kassa, voting rights manager, National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
 Marc Morial, president and CEO, National Urban League
 Brandi Richard, president, National Urban League Young Professionals
 Rev. Alvin Herring, deputy director of faith and formation, PICO National
Network
 Anthony White (T-Dubb-O), hip-hop artist
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Heather McGhee, president, Demos
Brenda Wright, vice president of legal strategies, Demos
Phil Tegeler, president and executive director, Poverty & Race Research
Action Council
Gina Chirichigno, co-creator and co-director, One Nation Indivisible
Brian Smedley, co-founder and executive director, National Collaborative
for Health Equity
Candace Jackson, equity and partnerships workgroup co-chair, Public
Health – Seattle & King County
Rinku Sen, president and executive director, Race Forward
Leslie Grant-Spann, senior program associate for convenings, Race Forward
Moderator: Arantxa Loizaga, news anchor and reporter, Noticiero Univision Fin
de Semana
3 to 3:30 p.m.
Break
3:30 to 5 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions Repeat
See descriptions above.
5 to 5:30 p.m.
Break
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Dinner and Performance by Ledisi
Grand Ballroom and Pre-Function
7:30 to 8 p.m.
Break
8 to 10 p.m.
Movie Night
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The Raising of America: Early Childhood and the Future of Our Nation
Roosevelt
Why is children’s well-being in the U.S. so poor? How might we do better? Get a
sneak preview of the opening hour from the new documentary series by
California Newsreel, creators of “RACE - The Power of an Illusion” and
“Unnatural Causes,” which aims to help reframe the national conversation
about what all our youngest children need to thrive. More information:
www.raisingofamerica.org.
Moderator: Larry Adelman, co-director, California Newsreel
Note: Limited to 50 participants.
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Selma
Taft
Director Ava DuVernay tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his brothers and sisters in the movement
prompted change that forever altered history. This unforgettable true story
chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when King led a
dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent
opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President
Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant
victories for the civil rights movement.
Note: Limited to 50 participants.
Open Space Sessions
• Within Our Lifetime
Wilson
As a network of racial healing practitioners and racial equity advocates, we
are committed to ending racism within our lifetime. What has been our work
to date? What is our plan for the future?
Facilitators: Maggie Potapchuk, founder, MP Associates, and Dushaw
Hockett, executive director, Safe Places for the Advancement of Community
and Equity (SPACES)
•
The Committee on the Elimination of Racism (CERD) Report
Laurel
What can we learn from the report? How can we use it to support racial
healing and equity?
Facilitator: Rebecca Landy, human rights outreach coordinator, US Human
Rights Network
•
Policing, Youth and Criminalization
Heritage A
Join an important and timely conversation on policy, youth and
criminalization led by two WKKF racial equity anchor organizations active in
this work.
Facilitator: Judith Browne Dianis, co-director, Advancement Project
•
Philanthropy and Implicit Bias
Heritage B
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) released a
recent special issue of its quarterly journal, Responsive Philanthropy,
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focusing on how implicit bias influences philanthropic practices. Learn
about unique ways that implicit bias can show up in philanthropy, discuss
how organizations might address the impact of that bias and hear about
NCRP’s work to increase the impact of philanthropy.
Facilitator: Jeanné Isler, field director, National Committee for Responsive
Philanthropy
Additional sessions and locations will be posted at registration.
9 to 10 p.m.
Healing Circle
Mountain View Terrace (weather permitting) or Skyline Room (backup)
Facilitators: Jerry Tello, director, National Compadres Network, and Yvette
Joseph, project manager, Kaufman & Associates, Inc.
THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015
7 to 8 a.m.
Hotel Checkout and Breakfast with Healing Groups
Grand Ballroom and Pre-Function
8 to 8:30 a.m.
Welcome and Announcements
8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Plenary: Courageous Filmmaking – Opportunities for Racial Healing
Grand Ballroom
America’s demographics are changing. Yet, Hollywood’s most powerful
industry leaders have been slow to respond to demands for movies that
reflect the nation’s cultural and racial shifts. Join award-winning writer,
producer and director Ava DuVernay to examine how film and popular
culture can be used effectively to influence our understanding of the
nation’s full and collective history, combat stereotypes and create
opportunities for racial healing. Hear about the obstacles and challenges
artists face in introducing different narratives to audiences and the
opportunities that can emerge as a result.
Speaker: Ava DuVernay, award-winning writer, producer, director of Selma
and distributor of independent film
Moderator: Michele Norris, award-winning journalist and author
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9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Plenary: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Will Break
My Heart
Grand Ballroom
Explore the historical roots that create the context for today’s work toward
racial healing and racial equity. Gain an understanding of how knowing
where we have come from can help us to appreciate where we are and find
the courage and hope for where we need to go.
Panelists:
• Doug Blackmon, journalist and Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Slavery
by Another Name
• John McCoy, senator, Washington State Senate
• Virginia Sánchez-Korrol, historian and professor emerita, Department of
Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, Brooklyn College, City University of
New York
Moderator: Kathy Ko Chin, president and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander
American Health Forum
10:30 to 11 a.m.
Closing and Boxed Lunches
Grand Ballroom and Pre-Function
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