Dr. Janet Dewart Bell’s Juneteenth Day lecture on Black women in history and their quest for freedom, justice and democracy is part of a Women’s Media Center Series. It can be viewed at womensmediacenter.com from midday (ET) June 19th (link at the end of this post). It is a free, educational event.
What to expect at the Juneteenth Day lecture
Inspired by her latest books, Blackbirds Singing: Inspiring Black Women’s Speeches From the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century and Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement, Dewart Bell’s speech connects the words of Black women from the Civil War, the civil rights movement, and more recently. Dr. Dewart Bell is a social justice activist who holds a doctorate in leadership and change.
“During the Civil Rights movement, African-Americans led the fight to free this country from the vestiges of slavery and Jim Crow, though they were all too often and remain invisible to the public,” said Dewart Bell, president and founder of LEAD InterGenerational Solutions and Chair of the Women’s Media Center.
“African-American women played significant roles at all levels of the movement. These women did not stand on ceremony. They simply did the work that needed to be done without expectation of personal gain.” — Dr. Janet Dewart Bell, Chair of the Women’s Media Center
Following her lecture, Dewart Bell will explore the historical impact of Black women leaders on society with Dr. Koritha Mitchell, a professor of English at Boston University, literary historian, award-winning author, and cultural critic.
Why this event is so important
“We chose Juneteenth as the day to premiere Dr. Janet Dewart Bell’s lecture honoring the historical impact of narratives by Black women leaders to highlight the national celebration of African American resilience, achievement, and racial advancement.” — Julie Burton, President and CEO of the Women’s Media Center
The lecture is the second in a series named for Beverly Wettenstein, who bequeathed the funding to the Women’s Media Center. Wettenstein, who passed away in 2019, was a renowned journalist, speaker, media critic and historian. She chronicled the representation of women in national media outlets and was the founder of the “Women in History and Making History Today – 365-Days-A-Year – Database” and wrote the “HerStory” column in the Dallas Morning News. Dr. Cristina Azocar, author and journalism professor at San Francisco State University, was the inaugural speaker.
Erica González Martínez, vice chair of the Women’s Media Center Board and founding editor of IDAR/E channel at WMC, will introduce Dewart Bell and Mitchell.
More about Dr. Janet Dewart Bell
Dewart Bell has extensive experience as a communications strategist, television and radio producer, and management consultant. She is co-editor of Carving Out a Humanity: Race, Rights, and Redemption and founder of The Derrick Bell Lectures on Race in American Society at New York University School of Law. She has been a key strategist and senior executive at a number of national organizations including PolicyLink, The Opportunity Agenda, National Urban League, and National Public Radio (NPR).
How to register for the free Women’s Media Center event
The Women’s Media Center was co-founded by Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, and Robin Morgan. It is an inclusive and feminist organization that works to raise the visibility, viability, and decision-making power of women and girls in media by ensuring that their stories get told and their voices are heard.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Feel free to click this link to register.
Special thanks to Kate McCarthy of Women’s Media Center for providing me with the quotes and details about this event. Wishing you a memorable, informative Juneteenth.