WAND Women Speakers' Bureau
Speaker: Shirley McClain

Region North Carolina Honorarium None Expenses to be covered Travel/lodging expenses. Topics of focus Womens’ political empowerment

Shirley Williams McClain has a long history of working for social and economic justice. Born and reared in North Carolina, she's one of eight children; her whole family worked as sharecroppers. This gave her firsthand experience dealing with greed, discrimination, prejudice, and injustice. She has three children and three grandchildren.

Shirley is a fellow in the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership, a graduate of the North Carolina Institute of Community Economic Development, and a leader in the Rural Development Leadership Network. In her current position as Executive Director of North Carolina Hunger Network, she has led this diverse organization to many accomplishments.

Shirley graduated from Shaw University with a degree in Sociology, and began her career as a junior high school teacher. She was instrumental in helping to save a formerly all-black school from demolition.

She’s had the opportunity to travel in China, Korea, Haiti, Mexico, Canada, Chile, Durban, South Africa, and most recently, the Philippines. In her spare time, she’s produced and directed plays. In the eighties, Shirley worked as a program coordinator for the First Offenders Program, known at the time as ReEntry.