Her Dream Deferred: On the Status of Black Women

Copresented with the African American Policy Forum

Black women and girls have continually been on the front lines of progressive change movements, using their voices and stories to mobilize intersectional coalitions to dismantle oppressive systems. To celebrate these women, the African American Policy Forum, in partnership with the Hammer Museum, presents the third annual Her Dream Deferred, a series offering substantive analysis on the status of black women and girls in the United States and exploring multifaceted solutions to social injustice. Organized by Kimberlé Crenshaw, Columbia University and UCLA law professor.

For more information and additional events visit aapf.org and follow #HerDreamDeferred.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
The #SayHerName movement honors the lives of black women and girls killed by police. Each act of this powerful performance lifts up the voices and stories of women and girls of color through spoken word, song, and dance. Featuring family members of the victims of police violence, the program pays respect to the lives of their loved ones by encouraging us to say their names out loud. Curated by Abby Dobson, artist-in-residence at the African American Policy Forum.

Learn more and attend this program.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
In 1991, Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old African American girl, was shot in the head and killed at her local L.A. grocery store. Her death, which happened just 13 days after the Rodney King beating, garnered little attention. Black girls continue to be the targets of widespread violence with minimal accountability systems in place. Historian Brenda Stevenson and legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, both UCLA professors, discuss how this case illuminates the vulnerability of black girls and how communities can serve and protect them.

Learn more and attend this program.

Thursday, March 30, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
The widespread coverage of race and gender inequality in Hollywood often excludes black women. The wage gap for black women in the entertainment industry is a symptom of a larger issue: the invisibility and devaluing of black women in media culture as performers, producers, and directors.

Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw moderates a panel that explores this narrative alongside solutions to promote black women as creators. Panelists: legendary actress Diahann Carroll; stage and soap actress Tonya Pinkins; film, television, and theater actress and director LisaGay Hamilton; veteran Hollywood casting director Tracy "Twinkie" Byrd; April Reign, #OscarsSoWhite creator and the founder and editor of BroadwayBlack.com; and University of Alabama professor Kristen Warner, who studies race, representation, and the media. 

Learn more and attend this program.

Photo: Jama Abdirahman