‘Her Dream Deferred’: Status Of Black Women And Girls’ Series Concludes With Youth Leadership Summit

The week-long series explores how Black women and girls have been targeted, silenced and displaced in education, health, Hollywood, and more.

As Women’s History Month approaches its closing, the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) hosted the 10th annual series of “Her Dream Deferred: A Week on the Status of Black Women and Girls.”

The weeklong series explored topics surrounding Black women and girls and racial and gender crisis they face in areas like education, maternal healthcare, and Hollywood. As the series concludes, attendees will gather on March 29 at 10:30 A.M. EDT for the Youth Leadership Summit: Girls & Women Reading and Leading Through Resistance. The program will inspire the next generation of activists and leaders through research, “artivism,’ and fellowship.

Additionally, guests will be invited to a private screening and talk-back of the 2024 Sundance Award-winning film “Daughters.” The session, moderated by AAPF’s Glenda Smiley and Angela Patton, will feature an opening address from the organization’s Black Girls Initiatives Research Coordinator, Venus Evans-Winters. Other workshop leaders and speakers include resident artists Abby Dobson, Gina Loring, and Dina Wright Joseph, author of “American Street” and “Black Enough,” Ibi Zoboi, and youth researchers.

Since its inception in 2015, “Her Dream Deferred” has amplified the voices and narratives of Black women and girls through a weeklong series of activities revolving around art and activism. In 2021, AAPF launched the “Status of Black Women” series to acknowledge the consequential political power of Black women voters in the 2020 election.

“The disregard of Black women and girls’ isn’t just the outcome of racism or sexism — it’s a part of a larger, coordinated assault on civil rights and democracy,” said AAPF Co-Founder and Executive Director Kimberlé Crenshaw. “Black women have become the most visible targets of the war on ‘woke’ that has unleashed a fury of attacks against anti-racism in various industries. From the questioning of Black women’s knowledge and leadership in academia to the dismantling of DEI positions held by Black women at corporations — Black women have been targeted, silenced, and displaced.”

From March 25-29, this year’s series called attention to these injustices. The week of events centered on Black women’s stories and and acknowledged the advocacy efforts that Crenshaw said “have been weaponized to curtail” their rights. This year’s programming included five events:

Ida B. Wells Symposium: VISION: America’s Tug of War for Racial Equality Broadcast
#SayHerName: An Artivism & Advocacy Book Club
“In the Bullseye of the Backlash” Panel
“You Carry the Dream: Reclaiming Rest & Resilience” Self-care Event
Youth Leadership Summit

This year’s series offered ticket-holders in-person and virtual options.

AAPF prepared the release of a new fact sheet titled “Status of Black Women in 2024.” The report focuses on political representation, state and private violence, education, reproductive justice, and issues facing youth.