Women of Influence (U)

<p>Rita Moreno remains one of the busiest stars in show business. Rita recently starred in the critically-acclaimed Latino remake of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom, <i>One Day at a Time</i> on Netflix. Prior to that, Rita has also appeared in guest-starring roles in primetime TV series such as <i>Getting On</i>, <i>Jane The Virgin</i>, <i>Grey’s Anatomy</i>, and<i> Grace and Frankie</i>.</p><p>In 2015 Rita received the Kennedy Center Honor for her lifetime Contributions to American culture.

<p>The Black and Latina daughter of a working-class family, Victoria Pratt learned to treat everyone with dignity, no matter their background. When she became Newark Municipal Court’s chief judge, she knew well the inequities that poor, mentally ill, Black, and brown people faced in the criminal justice system.</p><p>Judge Victoria has gained national and international acclaim for her commitment to reform the criminal justice system.

<p>Born into poverty and a culture that excluded girls from education, Dr. Tererai Trent shares her stunning journey from rural Zimbabwe to a global advocate for literacy that has helped transform education in her country and illuminated the pathway for women around the world to realize their dreams.</p>

Dascha Polanco is well-known for her groundbreaking roles in Hollywood as a leading young Latina actress. Polanco is recognized for her role as “Dayanara Diaz” on the hit Netflix original series, Orange is the New Black.

Franchesca “Chescaleigh” Ramsey is the host of MTV’s popular web series Decoded With Franchesca Ramsey.

Franchesca also co-hosts her podcast, Last Name Basis, with her husband Patrick Kondas. A writer and performer from Comedy Central's the Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, Franchesca is in the process of developing a Comedy Central TV series titled Franchesca & Show, which hopes to shed light on a wide array of issues the impact that they have on the lives of different groups and individuals.

<p>Born and raised in the Bronx, Rosa Alicia Clemente is an award-winning organizer, producer and journalist. A leading voice of her generation, Rosa is frequently sought out for her insight on Afro/Black-Latina/Latino/Latinx identity and liberation movements as well as police violence, colonialism in Puerto Rico, hip-hop feminism and more.</p><p> In 2008, Clemente made HERstory when she became the first Afro/Black-Latina to run for Vice-President of the United States on the Green Party ticket.

<p>White House Correspondent April Ryan has a unique vantage point as the only black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House – a position she has held since the Clinton era. </p><p>On behalf of the American Urban Radio Networks, and through her <i>Fabric of America</i> news blog, she delivers her readership and listeners (millions of African Americans and close to 300 radio affiliates) a “unique urban and minority perspective in news.” Her position as a White House Correspondent has afforded her unusual insight into the racial sensitivities,

<p>Mónica Ramírez, who helped ignite the #TimesUp movement, discusses strategies for fighting gender-based sexual harassment and achieving gender equity across industries.</p><p>Mónica Ramírez is a co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, or the National Farmworker Women&#39;s Alliance, and she created the first legal project in the U.S. focused on representing farmworker women in legal cases involving sexual harassment and other forms of gender discrimination.

<p>One of America’s most vocal Muslim-American advocates, Linda Sarsour inspires audiences to get off the sidelines and raise their voices in the fight for equality and justice for all.    </p><p>Linda is one of the most prominent Muslim-American, racial justice, and civil rights activists in the country. Outspoken and independent, Linda shatters stereotypes of Muslim women while also treasuring her religious and ethnic heritage as a Palestinian-Muslim American.

<p>Carmen Perez is an award-winning, internationally-known civil and human rights leader and Chicana feminist. </p><p>She is the President & CEO of The Gathering for Justice, co-founder of Justice League NYC and Justice League CA, two state-based task forces for advancing a juvenile and criminal justice reform agenda, where she spearheaded campaigns to Free Meek Mill and Take a Knee with Colin Kaepernick, among many others. She was one of the National Co-Chairs of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, which drew over 5 million people across the globe.