Black Women Lead 2023
June 15, 2023 @ 2:00PM — 6:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada) Add to Calendar
The Howard Theatre: 620 T St. NW Washington, DC 20001 Get Directions

All In Together's Fourth Annual Black Women Lead
At a time of extraordinary challenges for America, Black women across every field and discipline have been leading us forward. To celebrate their progress and learn from their example, we will explore the importance of Black women’s power and impact in the march towards a more equitable future. The event will be led and chaired by a select group of luminary black women with support from AIT.
Planned Black Women Lead Panels
- Black Women in National Security: A conversation highlighting the invaluable role of Black women in America's national security and armed forces.
- Breaking Through: Black Women in Journalism: Black female journalists make up less than 5 percent of print and online newsrooms. This panel examines the hurdles to expanding representation and the importance of Black voices in journalism and media.
- Building Generational Wealth and Closing the Wealth Gap: Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the U.S. but they face an extreme funding gap, when it comes to venture capital. This discussion seeks to understand the challenges around closing the wealth gap for Black women, celebrate their progress and underscore the impact of Black women's economic success on the U.S. economy and beyond.
- Queen Collective One-on-One: An Innovative incubator of black film makers, we'll highlight the ways Black female directors are making social change through art and activism.
- Breaking the Cycle: Black Maternal Health & Health Equity: A recent report showed a 40% increase of Black maternal mortality from 2020 to 2021 - this unacceptable and avoidable challenge needs to urgently be addressed for all Black women. In this solution focused discussion with leading policy makers and health experts we delve into the answers that are urgently needed.
- Music Making Movements One-on-One: On the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop we'll look at the influence of Black women on the music industry and culture writ large.
- Win with Black Women: Though Black women are still underrepresented in American politics, a record number of Black women ran for and won elected offices. This panel with Black women elected leaders and the advocates helping advance them will discuss the work happening to increase representation and the challenges still ahead.
Event speakers
- Laphonza Butler, President, Emily's List
- Lieutenant Colonel Marisol A. Chalas, Garrison Commander, Parks Reserve Forces Training Area
- Lisa Cunningham, Director, Film-maker and Story Producer
- Kameron Dawson, Senior Staff Attorney, A Better Balance
- Simone Eccleston, Director of Hip Hop Culture and Contemporary Music, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, MD, MBA-AVP, Health Equity Merck
- Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director, Moms Demand Action
- Karen Finney, American political consultant
- Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations
- Errin Haines, Founder and Editor-at-Large, The 19th
- Shelley Halstead, Founder, Black Women Build
- Jordyn Holman, Business Reporter, New York Times
- Alethia Jackson, SVP, ESG & Chief DEI Officer, Walgreens
- MC Lyte, Actress, Iconic Rapper, DJ, and Philanthropist
- Brittany Masalosalo, Chief Public Policy Officer, HP
- Alexi McCammond, Reporter, Axios
- Carolette Norwood, Professor and Department Head of Sociology and Criminology, Howard University
- Desiree Rogers, Chief Executive Officer, Black Opal LLC
- April Ryan, Reporter, author and White House Correspondent, The Grio
- Rachel Scott, Correspondent, ABC News
- Darlene Superville, White House Reporter, Associated Press
- Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield,
- Congresswoman Nikema Williams, (D-GA)
- Maya Wiley, President and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights