2008 Summit on Economic Justice for Women

National NOW Foundation Times >> Fall 2007 >> 2008 Summit on Economic Justice for Women

"From Local to Global: Bringing Together Research & Advocacy for the Economic Empowerment of Women"

By Melody Drnach, Action Vice President

NOW Foundation, the Institute for Women's Policy Research and the National Council of Negro Women, are jointly calling an Economic Justice Summit in Atlanta, Ga., to address economic empowerment for women.

The Summit will integrate the perspectives of feminist grassroots activists, academics and educators, women's policy researchers, non-governmental organizations, social justice organizations, and labor, business, and government leaders, with the goal of strengthening the economic and political power of women as workers, business owners, caregivers, family providers, voters and leaders.

The Summit is designed to provide diverse viewpoints by combining academic findings on the economic status of women with on-the-ground action strategies for promoting access and equality.

Participants will identify trends, challenges, and solutions from local to global, while considering class, race, cultural, religious and gender realities faced by women. Information and research will be presented through interactive workshops, panels, skill-building sessions, featured speakers, a poster session, and academic presentations.

The integration of information presentations with ideas for grassroots action to improve the economic well-being of women is designed to lead Summit participants to develop recommendations that can be advocated in communities, at institutions, and by women's rights supporters in organizations in the U.S. and abroad.

The goals of the Summit include personal empowerment of participants, building and strengthening alliances in the economic justice movement; expanding the body of knowledge on critical economic issues; increasing our global understanding of the economic challenges women face; developing strategies for enhancing women's economic empowerment; and informing policy debates globally and locally, including the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

There is still time to register for the Summit or submit a research paper, workshop panel, or poster in one of the following categories: 1) Labor, Business, Global Trade; 2) Community and Population Health; 3) Human Security and Women's Rights; 4) Well-Being and Economic Security; 5) Leadership and Social Change; or 6) Voter Mobilization and Civic Engagement. Apply online at the Foundation website. Proposals are due no later than Jan. 20, 2008.