Our “Women at the Tables of Power” conference brought together women legislators, stakeholders, and community leaders from across the nation for issue briefings, skills-building workshops and meetings with members of Congress. The biennial conference featured training on communications, as well as panels and plenary sessions. Speakers included members of Congress and leading women experts on national security issues and the federal budget's impact on states, communities, and constituencies.
Agenda
Follow The Federal Money: Getting Your State the Money it Needs
This panel will provide an overview of the federal budget, illustrate how irregular recent budget processes have become, and discuss the need to prioritize programs that are essential for the security and prosperity of our communities.
The Environmental and Health Impact of Nuclear Weapons
Uranium mining, nuclear testing, nuclear waste— every step of nuclear weapons production has harmed generations of families living in the impacted areas. These effects are not only felt among the individual communities but within the state services that are tasked with responding.
Exporting War to Civilian Communities at Home & Abroad
There are two programs in the Department of Defense that transfer "excess" military equipment. One gives equipment to domestic law enforcement agencies and the other transfers equipment to politically unstable countries for their militaries. Both of these programs have propagated extreme violence towards civilians and have spent taxpayer money unwisely.
Navigating Online Harassment as Women Politicians with Soraya Chemaly
Soraya Chemaly is a feminist writer, critic and activist whose work focuses on women’s rights and the role of gender in politics, religion and popular culture. Her book, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, was released in September 2018.
Bossy, Emotional, and In Charge: How to Overcome Sexist Stereotypes
Political figures are continuously under public scrutiny. Even with more women than ever on the public stage, the media is rife with outdated, sexist stereotypes. In this hands-on training, you will learn effective strategies to respond to the micro and macroaggressions that women face every day-- from comments on the length of your skirt to online harassment.
Torchbearer Reception
At every national conference, WAND honors inspirational women leaders in the fields of peace, justice, and the advancement of women during our Torchbearer Reception.
This year, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was our 2019 Torchbearer awardee!
WiLL also honors women state legislators as "Pacesetters," women who are setting the pace in their state capitols for service, leadership, and progress. Click here to learn more about the reception.
Exhibitors and Sponsors
The WiLL/WAND National Conference offers select companies and organizations the unique opportunity to affiliate and network with women legislators. Support of WiLL/WAND demonstrates a shared core of values founded on women’s leadership development, building the communications capacity of women leaders, and supporting women’s political power and representation in elected office, including state legislatures and the U.S. Congress.
Thank you to our 2019 sponsors: Facebook, Alkermes, Birmingham Association of Realtors, Ploughshares Fund, Deliver Strategies, Compassion & Choices, and Frabel Glass.
