Join us for: “Our Seat, Our Power: Black Women Driving DEI,”
A panel discussion and happy hour event hosted by American Pride Rises (APR) Network, Freedom Economy, and Black Women's Roundtable
📅 Thursday, Jul 3, 2025
🕓 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
This gathering bridges the courageous legacy of Black women desegregating schools in the Jim Crow South with today’s urgent fight to protect and expand Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). From the historic bravery of the New Orleans Four to modern day frontline DEI leaders, this event is both a tribute and a call to action.
Panel Moderator:
Keturah Butler-Reed, Campaigns and Training Director, NAACP Youth & College Division
Featured Panelists:
Andrea Abrams, Executive Director, APR Network
An anthropologist and DEI strategist, Andrea brings sharp political analysis and institutional experience to the fight for DEI.
Tawanna Black, Executive Director, Freedom Economy
An economic justice pioneer, Tawanna centers the power of Black communities to build systems rooted in equity and access.
Gail Etienne, Civil Rights Icon, Member of the New Orleans Four
At just six years old, Gail helped desegregate New Orleans Public Schools in 1960. Today she leads the effort to preserve and advance the legacy of the New Orleans Four.
Mrs. Dorothy Prevost, Last surviving parent of the New Orleans Four
At 93, Mrs. Prevost brings a living record of the strength and resolve it takes to bend history towards justice.
This panel is a homecoming of resistance, resilience and remembrance. Together we will illuminate how the fight for DEI is a relay across generations. Explore how the courage of the Civil Rights Era informs today’s strategies. What lessons from DEI can guide us in this new political landscape. And discuss how the lived experience of Black women - from desegregated classrooms to executive leadership - fuels the fight for justice.
Space is limited - RSVP now to claim your seat at the table!
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