The UNA of Greater Milwaukee invites you to a virtual celebration of the “2024 International Women’s Day” with presentations by three distinguished women on…

“Inspire Inclusion:  Invest in Women”

Rickey Gard Diamond – Founder of An Economy of Our Own

Bernadette Karanja – Chief Equity Officer City of Milwaukee

Office of Equity & Inclusion

Bianca Shaw – President of Wisconsin Women’s Network

Saturday – March 16th, 2024 from 10 AM – 11:30 AM 
 Free & Open to the Public

Attend Virtually Through the Following Zoom Link

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88650140165?pwd=bElvK1Q0bFFuMlNyK2hNRzF4YkM4UT09

Co-sponsored by:  Peace Action of WI & Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom

Rickey Gard Diamond, Bernadette Karanja, and Bianca Shaw will present their views on a gender-equal world.  A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.  A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive.  A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

The theme of their presentations is “We can forge women's equality.  Collectively, we can all ‘inspire inclusion,’ celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about discrimination, and take action to drive gender parity.”

The Presenters

Now a Ms. Magazine columnist, Rickey Gard Diamond began learning about economic systems as a single mom on welfare. She edited a newspaper on poverty issues while getting an education, and in 1985, became founding editor of Vermont Woman, where she continued as a contributing editor for 34 years. She taught writing and literature at Vermont College for over 20 years, publishing fiction and non-fiction. Her novel Second Sight, and her short story collection, Whole Worlds Could Pass Away, include class, gender, and money troubles.

Accepted for a writing residency at Hedgebrook, she worked on a new story-based feminist economic primer, including cartoons illustrated by Peaco Todd. She wondered why money, race, and sex seemed intertwined, with billionaires mostly white males, and the poorest most often women of color.

The resulting book, Screwnomics: How the Economy Works Against Women and Real Ways to Make Lasting Change was published by SheWritesPress in 2018 and won the Independent Book Publishers Award Silver Medal in 2019 for Women’s Issues. Her Ms. column, Women Unscrewing Screwnomics, focuses on women making change in a field exclusively male until recently. She founded An Economy of Our Own, a network of feminist writers and change-makers dedicated to women's joined efforts to transform an economy waged as war to one that wages healthy lives.

Bianca Shaw is an innovative Director, Policy Advisor, and Senior Strategist with more than 16 years of leadership experience and progressive public service in non-profit, state, and local governance.  Bianca has designed and managed social service, economic development, and community advocacy programs. She is an Executive Consultant who has influenced both state and local policy programs.

 She is adept at crafting and executing a vision to transform communities and create effective social change. Bianca's mission is to help individuals move from poverty and low - income situations to middle income and stability. She is a proud graduate of the WI Women’s Network Policy Institute 2017 cohort.

Bernadette Karanja is The Chief Equity Officer of the City of Milwaukee and was appointed by Mayor Cavalier Johnson to head the Office of Equity and Inclusion. In this role, she oversees the city’s racial equity and inclusion efforts, the Office of Workforce Development, the city’s small business development program, and serves as a liaison to the Equal Rights Commission.

Ms. Karanja is a Kenyan-American who immigrated to the United States 22 years ago. Prior to immigrating to the US, she was a business owner.  As a result of this experience she has a unique understanding of the challenges of managing a business. Ms. Karanja has over two decades of workforce development experience, 17 have been in senior management roles and seven of have been in small business inclusion work.

Ms. Karanja is a hands-on leader, adept at driving for results, motivating people, and capable of moving from higher-level planning to tactical collaboration.  Examples of her leadership efforts include integrating regional workforce development models into Fatherhood, Healthy Relationship, Re-entry, and Head Start models including Mayor Barrett’s Compete Milwaukee Program, and DirectConnectMKE, Milwaukee Common Council’s first workforce development social media platform.

For more information, contact:

Martha Collins:  414.435.6482 / martha4progress@gmail.com
Pam Richard: 510.542.7688 / pamrichard35@gmail.com

unamilwaukeewi@gmail.com (email)

https://www.unamilwaukee.org/ (website)