Women of Influence (U)

<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>

<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, <i>Orange is the New Black</i>. </p><p>She also appears as “Lori,” a recurring character in the FX series <i>American Crime Story: Versace</i>. Polanco co-starred in the Golden Globe-nominated 20th Century Fox film, <i>Joy</i>, and she appeared in <i>The Perfect Match </i>(2016).

<p>Franchesca “Chescaleigh” Ramsey is the host of MTV’s popular web series <i>Decoded With Franchesca Ramsey</i>.</p><p>Franchesca also co-hosts her podcast, <i>Last Name Basis</i>, with her husband Patrick Kondas.

<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'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.

<p>Susan D. Bro honors the legacy of her daughter and civil rights activist Heather Heyer by empowering others to make a difference in the world by fighting for equal rights for all.</p><p>Susan is the mother of Heather Heyer and the co-founder of the Heather Heyer Foundation (HHF). Susan launched the foundation to carry on the legacy of her daughter, Heather, a young a paralegal for the Miller Law Group who had a love for all individuals regardless of race, religion or creed.

<p>One of the most highly accomplished public figures in America today, Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has been a leading progressive voice during her 30+ year highly distinguished career.</p><p>She is the first female African American Attorney General of the United States, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2015. She also served as the head of the U.S.