Women of Influence (U)

<p><span style="color: rgb(124, 131, 137);">Sohaila Abdulali was sexually assaulted as a teenager in India, promised to remain silent in return for her life, and has not stopped talking since. Her work as an activist, a counselor, and an author has taken her around the world. </span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(124, 131, 137);">Drawing from her own experiences and those of thousands of other survivors, Abdulali inspires audiences to reconsider the way we talk about sexual assault and gender roles in society.

Kenyette Tisha Barnes is a political strategist, lobbyist, public speaker, trainer, mother and CEO of Nia Vizyon, LLC, a social justice, consulting and political strategy lobbying firm; and the National Co-Founder of #MuteRKelly.  

As a political strategist, lobbyist, and National Co-Founder of #MuteRKelly, Barnes is also known as the “Legislative Empress,” best known for her work with the Georgia General Assembly. Her legislative work includes lobbying for HIV advocacy, anti-human trafficking, domestic violence, post-partum depression, special education and voter’s rights.

<p>Rachel Elizabeth Cargle is an Ohio born writer and lecturer. Her activist and academic work are rooted in providing intellectual discourse, tools, and resources that explore the intersection of race and womanhood. </p><p>Her content continues to launch meaningful conversation amongst her community of over 230k followers on IG. In addition to her talk on the TEDx stage, her public lecture Unpacking White Feminism has been featured on campuses around the country including American University, Yale, and Harvard.

<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>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.