Tag: women of color

Eleversity, a community impact program of Heritage Christian Services, will hold a four-session summit beginning Thursday to address diversity, equity and inclusion.

The “Women of Color Virtual Summit: An Educational Series” was created for and by women of color and is open to all supporters and champions of diversity, equity and inclusion. This year’s theme is Courageous Conversations — moving from conversation to implementation by advancing strategies for diversity, equity and inclusion.

The discussion will focus on ways in which individuals, corporate leaders and community stakeholders can address systematic barriers, inequities and health disparities that affect women of color, officials said.

More than two dozen presenters will engage participants in discussions related to COVID-19 and race relations, employment equity, education opportunities and more. The WOC Summit will honor four individuals during the sessions including Essie Calhoun-Mcdavid, a retired Eastman Kodak Co. executive; Valerie Snipe of the United Way of Greater Rochester Inc.; Brenda McDuffie, former president of the Buffalo Urban League Inc.; and Melva Visher, retired Kaleida Health executive.

The Women of Color Summit is an initiative led by Sara Taylor, community liaison and training specialist at Eleversity and Heritage Christian Services. Eleversity partners with businesses and organizations in New York State and across the country to provide professional development opportunities.

The summit will be July 23, 30, Aug. 6 and 13 and will feature the following topics:
• July 23 — Women of Color and Our Realities: What is next for us and our communities – COVID-19 and race relations. Keynote by Helen Lowery, global strategic account manager at DuPont/Chemours Co.
• July 30 — Health and Wellness: Our role in improving individual and community outcomes. Keynote by Ronnie Pollack, executive director of the Native American Cultural Center in Rochester.
• Aug. 6 — Equity: Employment and the Economy. Keynote by Brittany Read, founder of the Barcode College Resource Program.
• Aug. 13 — Education and Training: Successes, challenges and opportunities. Keynote by Melisza Campos, marketing manager at Wegmans.

All sessions will take place between 9:30 a.m. and noon via the Zoom platform. More than 150 individuals have registered for the event.

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