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Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Reimagining Possibilities for Race and Gender

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Reimagining Possibilities for Race and GenderAn online conference with interactive panel discussions racial and gender equity for youth, women, the business community, and policy makers.18jan9:00 am3:15 pm 14 Add to DreamList

Event Details

On January 18, 2021, YWCA San Antonio will host “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Re-imagining Possibilities for Race and Gender,” a one-day online conference to explore and discuss innovations for improving the lives of women and individuals of color post-pandemic and beyond. The event will begin in the morning at 8:00 am and run through the afternoon, ending at 4:00 pm. YWCA San Antonio’s mission is to eliminate racism and empower women, and the goal of the conference will be to highlight YWCA San Antonio’s programs and initiatives the create opportunities for all races, women, and those who identify as women to build a fulfilling life, live with liberty, and pursue happiness on their own terms. In highlighting these programs, we aim to connect our work with the community – aligning our mission with DreamWeek and also with the theme of Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness.

Proposed schedule for the day (All presenters TBD)
– 9:00 – 9:15 – Opening session: live and recorded reading, poetry slam, or acting of the “I Have a Dream Speech” interpreted by the children and youth at YWCA
– 9:15 – 10:00 – Opening Panel: State of the Union: Intersection of Race and Gender Amid COVID – Moderator, Francesca Rattray, CEO, YWCA San Antonio
– 10:00 – 11:00 – Breakouts
Breakout a) Not Just Babysitting: Child Care and the Life, Liberty and Happiness of Working Mothers – Moderator, Franzcesca Guidry-Jackson, Director YWCA Child Care Center  — OR
Breakout b) Beyond Remote Learning: Innovating for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness of our Youth – Pershama Dailey, Director, Youth Services
– 12:00 – 1:00 – Keynote Address or Video – TBD
– 1:00 – 2:00 – Breakouts
Breakout a) Healthy Families, Healthy Communities: Race, Gender, and Health Equity – Moderator, TBD
Breakout b) Creating Opportunities for Economic Empowerment, Financial Literacy, and Self-Employment – Moderator, Veronica Sanders, Director, YWCA Economic Empowerment
– 2:00 – 3:00 – Closing Plenary Panel
Equal Pay for Women Benefits All –  Panel Discussion with the SA Hispanic Chamber – How Expanding Women’s Economic Opportunities Contributes to Economic Growth for All – Moderator, Coda Rayo-Garza, Director, Racial Justice, and Gender Equity YWCA
-3:00 – 3:15 – Closing Performance (TBD)

Time

January 18, 2021 9:00 am - 3:15 pm

Event Entrance Fees

Donations Encouraged

Registration/More Info

YWCA San Antonio's mission is to eliminate racism and empower women, and the goal of the conference will be to highlight YWCA San Antonio's programs and initiatives the create opportunities for all races, women, and those who identify as women to build a fulfilling life, live with liberty, and pursue happiness on their own terms. In highlighting these programs, we aim to connect our work with the community – aligning our mission with Dreamweek and also with the theme of Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness. In the "I Have a Dream" speech, Dr. Martin Luther King stated: " When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned." Today, in 2020, America continues to default on this note, continuing to marginalize Black men, Black women, individuals of all colors, women, and those who identify as women. YWCA San Antonio works to remove barriers for women and individuals of color to move out of poverty and create a life, live with liberty, and pursue happiness. We do this through our programs for women and their families: 1) early childhood care and education, provided at free or low-cost, to allow working parents, primarily women, to work toward self-sufficiency; 2) youth services to create awareness about the intersection of race and gender and overcoming barriers to prepare them for the future; 3) economic empowerment workshops, primarily for women of color, to engage in self-employment activities as a means of freedom and independence; 4) community health outreach to create access to health care for women of color who are under- or uninsured, because healthy women have greater opportunities; and 5) advocacy and public education efforts about racial justice and gender equity to create awareness about system change to change lives. Our conference will highlight these programs as aligning with "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" and create awareness in the community about the availability of our programs to address equity in the community.