The 16th Annual Summer Symposium
Women, Justice, Activism
Women, Justice, Activism
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Women, Justice, Activism is a powerful three-day event for high school students focusing on women’s issues and rights in the US and around the world. In the last year especially, women’s rights and equality have been on the chopping block, people’s right to choose what to do with their own bodies, women and girls education being blocked, and not being able to live their life to their fullest. Participants will learn from activists, community organizers, poets, and community leaders on how they can channel activism to make a difference. Participants will also work on a group project focused on advocating for change through letter writing campaigns and community op-eds.
Topics include:
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June 27, 28, and 29, 2023
9 am - 4 pm Erie 1 BOCES Center West Seneca, NY Tuition: $175, financial assistance is available for those in need |
Open to all incoming 9th graders through graduating seniors, the conference is held over three days at the Erie 1 BOCES Center in West Seneca, NY. Participants will learn from internationally-known human rights and social justice experts, see what change looks like in our local community, and build the skills needed to make an impact on the community, nation, and world.
Registration is closed.
Please email [email protected] with any questions.
Please email [email protected] with any questions.
Speakers
Jillian Hanesworth (she/her) was born and raised on the East side of Buffalo, NY. She began writing at the age of 7, when she would write songs for her mother to sing in church. She later took a break from writing to successfully pursue her educational goals, and worked to obtain a BA in Criminal Justice and Law, focusing on reform. In January of 2017, Jillian committed herself to social change through art, thus began her poetry career. Since then, Jillian has performed over 200 times, in Buffalo, NYC, Baltimore, Toronto, and everywhere in between. She has let her passion lead her mission to empower listeners to take part in demanding and creating sustainable systemic change. Jillian is the founder of Literary Freedom, LLC, a community activist and organizer, and the first ever Poet Laureate in the history of Buffalo after she spent 2 years advocating for the existence of the role. Jillian loves and lives for the community and exemplifies that in all that she does.
Learn more about Jillian and her work here.
Learn more about Jillian and her work here.
Allida Black (she/her) is a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Miller Center for Public Affairs. She also serves as managing director of the Allenswood Group, LLC, a collaborative she founded to preserve and document women’s political history and strengthen democracy through education and civic engagement. Black is recognized as a leading expert on Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She has written and edited 10 books as well as a variety of articles on women, politics, and human rights policy; led workshops around the world on human rights, conflict resolution, and women's and girls' empowerment; curated exhibits on human rights for presidential libraries and other renowned repositories; and received awards from three universities for her commitment to students and her teaching. Black has advised former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on archival, oral history, and other matters since 2006. In 2017, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton asked her to serve as her historian and advise her on her archive, oral history project, and other special initiatives. Black’s other projects include “In the Shadow of 9/11: The Bipartisan Legislative Effort to Rebuild and Restore Lower Manhattan,” a Hewlett Foundation-funded legislative case study for American University’s Center for Political Negotiation, and an upcoming initiative on China and the global women’s movement for the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security. She is a trustee of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and a director of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale, the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology, the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Foundation, and the University of Mary Washington. She received her PhD from the George Washington University, where she serves as editor emeritus of the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project and research professor of history and international affairs.
Lauren Hoffman (she/her) is a lawyer and gender policy expert. Hoffman is the former associate director of the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress (CAP), focusing on women’s economic security. She is the lead author of the report, State Abortion Bans Will Harm Women and Families' Economic Security. Before her time at CAP, Hoffman was an associate at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP. She has also worked at TIME’S UP, the National Women’s Law Center, the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, and with the Women and Foreign Policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations. She started her career as a legal analyst at Goldman Sachs & Co.
Hoffman received her Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in Political Science and French. She grew up in Williamsville and attended Nardin Academy.
Hoffman received her Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in Political Science and French. She grew up in Williamsville and attended Nardin Academy.
James Shultis (he/they) is a community educator, advocate, and creative writer currently based in Western Massachusetts, where they live and work on the ancestral lands of the Pocumtuc, Nipmuc, and Wabanaki peoples. With over a decade of experience working in community non-profits, and before that, as a youth advocate, James has combined his passion of education and advocacy together to create innovative trainings for K-12 schools, universities, and a wide array of agencies (from health providers to youth-serving ones). They also offer consultation, technical assistance, and support. In addition to this work, James serves a Co-Director for Translate Gender, an organization centering trans and nonbinary youth as well as their families/caregivers. James holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens College (2010) and a BA in English Literature and Gender Studies from Hunter College (2008).
Learn more about James and their services here.
Learn more about James and their services here.
Allison DeHonney (she/her) has 20 years of professional service in key areas of Executive Leadership, Project Management, and Business Development. Allison has spearheaded four business endeavors; the latest of which is Urban Fruits & Veggies LLC. and Buffalo Go Green Inc., a non-profit organization. Urban Fruits & Veggies (UFV) has been in operation for five years and is involved with several projects throughout the city of Buffalo and Erie County. UFV has an urban farm and mobile produce market that services food apartheid areas and underserved communities bringing access to healthy fruits and vegetables and nutrition education. UFV sells at local farmers markets weekly from June to October, has a corporate wellness division where they imbed their services into local companies and partner with organizations on wellness initiatives, and offer programming for elementary and high school students where they teach nutrition education and urban farming.
Shabana Basij-Rasikh (she/her) is the co-founder and president of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA). SOLA is the first and only boarding school for Afghan girls, operating in Kabul from 2016 through the summer of 2021 and the Taliban’s return to power. That August, Shabana led the evacuation of her entire school community from Afghanistan to Rwanda, where SOLA has reestablished its operations and its students have resumed their studies.
Shabana is a magna cum laude graduate of Middlebury College and earned her Master in Public Policy from Oxford University; she also holds honorary doctorates from SOAS University of London and Cedar Crest College. In 2019, Forbes named her to their 30 Under 30 Asia list as a social entrepreneur; in 2021, she joined the Washington Post’s Global Opinions page as a contributing columnist.
Shabana is a magna cum laude graduate of Middlebury College and earned her Master in Public Policy from Oxford University; she also holds honorary doctorates from SOAS University of London and Cedar Crest College. In 2019, Forbes named her to their 30 Under 30 Asia list as a social entrepreneur; in 2021, she joined the Washington Post’s Global Opinions page as a contributing columnist.
Angela Blue (she/her) is a Community Outreach Specialist at New York State AFL-CIO, Western Region where is works with various labor and community-based organizations, along with area faith leaders and churches to collaborate towards building a joint movement in the fight against social, economic, civil, and human rights injustices. Her work on local, state, and national campaigns, as well as legislative issues, has allowed the labor message to spread throughout the community. In 2017, Angela was assigned exclusively to the WNY Area Labor Federation to generate and coordinate labor and community programming along with labor's political season programming, and to support all AFL-CIO affiliate unions during collective bargaining agreement disputes, lockouts, pickets, and organizing rallies.
Angela is a native of Buffalo, NY and has been instrumental in building a diverse labor movement in Western New York. She began her career in the labor movement in 2001, when she was voted in as the recording secretary for Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency, CSEA Local 815, during her 12-year employment with the City of Buffalo. Through the years she has organized a coalition of labor, community, and religious leaders, mentored young labor unionists for leadership roles, and lead and enacted many successful labor and legislative campaigns and rallies. It is with Angela's tenacity and ability to organize that she can bring people from all walks of life to stand together in solidarity.
She, along with several labor, community, and religious organizations collaboratively commissioned the report on Working Towards Equity in Employment. This movement has sparked the conversation on how employment tactics are being reconsidered amongst Black workers. She is also responsible for the development and productivity of the area AFL-CIO Constituency Groups, along with the AFL-CIO Next Up young worker groups in Buffalo and Rochester.
Angela is a native of Buffalo, NY and has been instrumental in building a diverse labor movement in Western New York. She began her career in the labor movement in 2001, when she was voted in as the recording secretary for Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency, CSEA Local 815, during her 12-year employment with the City of Buffalo. Through the years she has organized a coalition of labor, community, and religious leaders, mentored young labor unionists for leadership roles, and lead and enacted many successful labor and legislative campaigns and rallies. It is with Angela's tenacity and ability to organize that she can bring people from all walks of life to stand together in solidarity.
She, along with several labor, community, and religious organizations collaboratively commissioned the report on Working Towards Equity in Employment. This movement has sparked the conversation on how employment tactics are being reconsidered amongst Black workers. She is also responsible for the development and productivity of the area AFL-CIO Constituency Groups, along with the AFL-CIO Next Up young worker groups in Buffalo and Rochester.
Lisa M. Chimera (she/her) is the Deputy County Executive for Erie County, NY. Lisa is a lifelong resident of the Town of Tonawanda where she resides with her husband, Matt, and her two children, Alessondra and Matthew. She holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Elementary Education and Special Education and a Master's of Science in Reading from Buffalo State College. Lisa worked for the Ken-Ton school district as an educator for over 30 years and retired in 2020.
Lisa previously served on the Town of Tonawanda board for fourteen years and was the first female Democrat elected in the town's history. She served on numerous committees during her time with the town and was instrumental in governmental reform that saved taxpayers money while preserving important services including the preservation of Brighton Place Library during the Red-Green Budget fiasco.
Chimera was appointed to Erie County's Third Legislative seat on July 11, 2019 after a decisive primary victory. She received the unanimous support of Democratic committee members and the Democratic Majority Caucus. Lisa served the communities of Tonawanda & Kenmore along with the Black Rock, Riverside, and University Heights areas of the City of Buffalo until 2022 when she was appointed Deputy County Executive by County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
During her time in the Legislature, she chaired the Health and Human Services along with the Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) Committee. She also served on the Finance & Management Committee and the Energy & Environment Committee. Lisa spearheaded initiatives like Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in the Erie County Holding Center, a mobile book outreach van for Seniors with the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, and the creation of the Erie County Emergency Childcare Task Force. Deputy County Executive Chimera brings her expertise in organizational leadership and data analysis to a portfolio that prioritizes women in the workforce, children and the elderly, along with advancing policy goals and objectives on the County Executive's behalf.
Lisa previously served on the Town of Tonawanda board for fourteen years and was the first female Democrat elected in the town's history. She served on numerous committees during her time with the town and was instrumental in governmental reform that saved taxpayers money while preserving important services including the preservation of Brighton Place Library during the Red-Green Budget fiasco.
Chimera was appointed to Erie County's Third Legislative seat on July 11, 2019 after a decisive primary victory. She received the unanimous support of Democratic committee members and the Democratic Majority Caucus. Lisa served the communities of Tonawanda & Kenmore along with the Black Rock, Riverside, and University Heights areas of the City of Buffalo until 2022 when she was appointed Deputy County Executive by County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
During her time in the Legislature, she chaired the Health and Human Services along with the Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) Committee. She also served on the Finance & Management Committee and the Energy & Environment Committee. Lisa spearheaded initiatives like Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in the Erie County Holding Center, a mobile book outreach van for Seniors with the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, and the creation of the Erie County Emergency Childcare Task Force. Deputy County Executive Chimera brings her expertise in organizational leadership and data analysis to a portfolio that prioritizes women in the workforce, children and the elderly, along with advancing policy goals and objectives on the County Executive's behalf.
Jess Schuster (she/her) is currently the Chief of Staff for Erie County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick, an elected member of the Springville-Griffith Institute Board of Education, and an occasional political analyst on Channel 2. A 2005 graduate of Springville G-I, Jess graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University at Buffalo with a dual major in Political Science and Classics. She serves on the board of the Springville-Griffith Institute Community Education Foundation and was an inaugural honoree of the Springville Chamber of Commerce's 4 Under 40 award. She has also served on the Erie County Shared Services Panel as a voting member for the school district.
She’s the local Legislative Lead for Moms Demand Action Buffalo/WNY chapter. She’s the current town chair of the Concord Democratic Committee, a member of the Erie County Democratic Committee Executive Committee, and the female member of the New York State Democratic Committee for the 8th Judicial District which includes all of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming. She’s also a member of the 2024 DNC Affirmative Action committee as a representative for New York’s rural communities. She’s a founding member and current vice president of the Erie County Democratic Federation of Women which promotes women’s rights in the area of voting rights, women’s health, anti-racism, and environmental responsibility.
Along with previously serving as the Deputy Communications Director for the Erie County Legislature’s Majority Caucus, Jess has also managed and consulted on many local, countywide, and state level political campaigns over the past four years. She is most passionate about public education, women's reproductive rights, and making the community her family has called home for 5 generations a better place to live.
She’s the local Legislative Lead for Moms Demand Action Buffalo/WNY chapter. She’s the current town chair of the Concord Democratic Committee, a member of the Erie County Democratic Committee Executive Committee, and the female member of the New York State Democratic Committee for the 8th Judicial District which includes all of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming. She’s also a member of the 2024 DNC Affirmative Action committee as a representative for New York’s rural communities. She’s a founding member and current vice president of the Erie County Democratic Federation of Women which promotes women’s rights in the area of voting rights, women’s health, anti-racism, and environmental responsibility.
Along with previously serving as the Deputy Communications Director for the Erie County Legislature’s Majority Caucus, Jess has also managed and consulted on many local, countywide, and state level political campaigns over the past four years. She is most passionate about public education, women's reproductive rights, and making the community her family has called home for 5 generations a better place to live.