As Advancement Project National Office celebrates our 20th anniversary, we will shine a light on dynamic women, past present, and future. This evening of celebration will highlight the vast ranging experiences of women and girls around the country. We will create a space for friends of Advancement Project National Office to join us as we lift up the dynamic voices of women who inspire us through their advocacy, artistry, and dedication to making the world for just for woman and girls of color.

Join us at the True Reformer Building in Washington, DC, for an evening of moving performances, stimulating conversations and spirited community building. The evening will feature a talk led by Executive Director of SisterSong, Monica Simpson. A panel discussion will follow, featuring organizer, speaker, strategist, and writer, Elle Hearns; Operations Manager at Operation Restoration, Dolfinette Martin; and youth organizer from Girls for Gender Equity's Young Women's Advisory Council, Oumou Kaba. There will also be a live DJ set by award-winning political strategist, entrepreneur, radio host and DJ, CarmenSpindiego, and a dance performance by the students of Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Speakers

Elle Hearns—Organizer, Speaker, Strategist, and Writer

Elle Hearns is an organizer, speaker, strategist, and writer. She is a co-founding member of the Black Lives Matter network, an organization formed with multiple local chapters as a political project in wake of the murder of Trayvon Martin to explicitly combat implicit bias and anti-black racism, and to protect and affirm the beauty and dignity of all Black lives.

Elle currently is the Executive Director of The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, an organization founded in 2015 that works to create a crucial entry point for Black transgender women to advocate for an end to violence against all trans people through advocacy, transformative organizing, restoration, civil disobedience and direct action. Elle has been honored with the Young Women’s Achievement Award for Advocacy and Organizing by the Women’s Information Network, the Black Feminist Human Rights Defender Award by Black Women’s Blueprint, and as a Woke 100 honoree by Essence.

Dolfinette Martin—Operations Manager at Operation Restoration

Dolfinette Martin, the Operation Manager at Operation Restoration is a strong community leader who serves on the Formerly Incarcerated Transitional Clinic Advisory Board, a clinic created for formerly incarcerated people, and the Criminal Background Check Review Panel for the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO). Dolfinette was appointed to New Orleans first female Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s transition team and Essence’s first ever all female criminal justice reform panel. She was a founding member and former president of the NOLA chapter of National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.

As a formerly incarcerated person, Dolfinette earned a college degree in 2015 after her release from prison in 2012. A recipient of the John Thompson Leadership for Change Award and a Freedom Fighter Award, she created the Formerly and Currently Incarcerated Women and Girls Reentry Project within the Voice of the Experience organization. Governor John Bell Edwards recently appointed her to sit on the Louisiana Women’s Incarceration Task Force based on her legislative advocacy.

Monica Simpson—Executive Director at SisterSong

Monica Simpson is the Executive Director of SisterSong, a national membership organization whose purpose is to build an effective network of individuals and organizations to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities. She is a nationally sought-after facilitator, speaker, and organizer, constantly called upon to travel the country for appearances.

Monica is the only woman among the four founders of Charlotte, North Carolina's Black Gay Pride Celebration, which received awards from the National Black Justice Coalition and the Human Rights Coalition for its incredible launch with 7,000 participants. She has been featured in many publications for her activism and has written many articles on LGBTQ issues, restorative justice, over-policing of Black/Brown communities, philanthropy, and Southern activism. In 2014 she was named a New Civil Rights Leader by Essence and in 2015 she was chosen as a panelist for the Women of the World Summit. Monica also serves on the boards of the Fund for Southern Communities and the legendary Highlander Center.

DJ CarmenSpindiego

Carmen Berkley is an award-winning political strategist, entrepreneur, radio host and DJ striving to change the world through politics, social impact, creative expression and culture.

Carmen has focused her career on intersecting the issues of communities of color and women into initiatives and programs that have improved the lives of millions of people. She currently serves as a Senior Associate at Civitas Public Affairs, which delivers winning advocacy and public affairs campaigns for the clients and the people they serve. Carmen is a co-host and producer for one of the nation’s longest running women's radio shows, Sophie's Parlor on WPFW 89.3 FM, where she works with a team of incredible women to deliver music and politics to their listeners. She also co-hosts Melody Divas for WOWD-LP on Takoma Park Radio on Sundays. On the weekends, you can also find her spinning on the ones and twos at clubs, progressive organizations and family events as DJ CarmenSpindiego.