INTERRUPT RACISM Summit

October 20-21, 2020. Presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Networking tables

Have meaningful conversations face-to-face with other attendees and presenters in a smaller, more intimate setting at our networking tables. Networking tables are open for the entirety of the two-day Summit—also all within the same webpage!

Mainstage

Our special mainstage of the Summit can accommodate hundreds of attendees all at the same time. Come hear from our six outstanding keynote speakers in this arena.

Sponsor / Presenter Booths

Visit unique, individual booths between sessions, where you can meet our fabulous presenters and generous sponsors and learn more about the goods and services they offer.

Summit Schedule

All times listed are in EST. Click the title of any session for more details.

Keynotes

Each day of the Summit features THREE keynotes on our main stage from civil rights and thought leaders of our time.

From art as activism to voting equity to resilience against impossible odds, our keynote speakers will inspire and activate attendees to become INTERRUPTERS of systemic racism.

Marc H. Morial is the President and CEO of the National Urban League. Over the last 15 years, Marc has expanded the reach of our services by empowering our affiliate movement and created a framework to create policies that serve communities of color. As Mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002, Morial led New Orleans’ renaissance and left office with a 70% approval rating. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Economics and African American Studies and holds a law degree from Georgetown University. He also is the author of The Gumbo Coalition, a collection of lessons on the power of unity in our democracy and a leadership framework for America's changemakers.

Courtney "Courn" Ahn is a multidisciplinary designer, illustrator, and freelance creative based in Portland, Oregon. Her direct experience as a Korean American has largely shaped her career philosophy, serving as inspiration for the social justice advocacy present in her creative work. Through her freelance studio, Courtney Ahn Design, she aims to provide accessible design services for small BIPOC business-owners and partner with organizations working directly in the equity space as a force for good. In recent months, Courn has found purpose in using art as a tool for activism, sharing weekly posts navigating white supremacy and oppressive systems through her Instagram account, @courtneyahndesign.

Erika Andiola is the Chief Advocacy Officer for RAICES (The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services) and former Press Secretary for Latino Outreach for Bernie 2016. She started her community organizing experience when she co-founded the Arizona Dream Act Coalition. She then served in the National Coordinating Committee and the Board of Directors for the United We Dream Network. Her personal struggle as an undocumented woman herself, with an undocumented family, has given her the drive and the passion to keep fighting for immigrant and human rights.

JeVon "JT" McCormick shouldn't have succeeded. He was born the mixed-race son of a drug-dealing pimp father and an orphaned, single mother on welfare. He was raised in the slums of Dayton, Ohio, suffered incredible abuse and racism, and had multiple stints in the juvenile justice system. He barely graduated high school and has no college degree. But succeed he did. Starting by scrubbing toilets, JeVon hustled and worked his way into better opportunities, eventually finding incredible success in the banking and mortgage industry. He was on top of the world. And then the mortgage industry fell apart. He lost his job, and literally all of his money. He had to borrow from his friends to make rent. He was nearly back to where he started: with nothing. But this time, he had something that he did not have growing up in the slums of Dayton: the knowledge of what it takes to succeed. JeVon used this setback combined with what he learned as the springboard for him to reach even bigger heights--eventually becoming President of two multimillion-dollar companies. Currently, JeVon is the President and CEO of Scribe Media. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Megan, and their four children; Ava, Jaxon, Elle and Jace.

Esmeralda Simmons, Esq. founded the Center for Law and Social Justice in Brooklyn, New York. She served as executive director from 1986 until her retirement in 2020. Prior to founding the Center, Esmeralda had already had an accomplished career as: the First Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights for New York State, and as a Civil Rights Attorney for the US Department of Education, a New York State Assistant Attorney General, and a New York City Assistant Corporation Counsel. She had also served as a law clerk to a federal judge. In addition, she has served on several major public boards in New York City government, e.g., the NYC Board of Education, and the NYC Districting Commission. Currently, Esmeralda also volunteers her skills by serving on the Board of Directors for the Applied Research Center, the Fund for Social Change and the Vallecitos Mountain Refuge, Inc., and as a selection committee member for several fellowships and grants for activists, parents, and youth. An activist and a leader, she has been involved in the community empowerment movement in Central Brooklyn and in progressive political causes for over thirty-five years. As an attorney, she specializes in racial justice issues, such as quality public education for students of color, voting rights, and cultural rights. She chooses to work locally with community organizations using advocacy, community education, coalition-building, and organizing methods, as well as civil rights and human rights legal tools. Esmeralda is a deeply spiritual woman who is grounded in African culture. She finds constant inspiration in the vision of her ancestors, her belief in peace, and her respect for life and cultural diversity.

Mary-Frances Winters, founder and CEO of The Winters Group, Inc., a  global organization development and diversity and inclusion consulting firm with over 36 years of experience, truly believes that diversity and inclusion work is her “passion and calling.” Dubbed a thought leader in the field, for the past three decades Mary-Frances has impacted hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals with her thought-provoking message, and her approach to diversity and inclusion. Winters is a master strategist with experience in strategic planning, change management, diversity, organization development, training and facilitation, systems thinking and qualitative and quantitative research methods. She is the author of six books, including Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy, and Belonging across Differences (August 2020 release) and Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit (September 2020 release).

Thank you to our generous sponsors!