19th Amendment Speaker Series LACBA

It has been said that diversity is like being invited to the party, but inclusion is being asked to dance. Panelists will discuss their perspectives on the intersection of race and gender, and what impact the 19th Amendment has had on women serving as judges on state and federal courts, their participation in leadership and policy, and what work remains to be done in the future. Panelists include the Honorable Karen L. Stevenson, Judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California; the Honorable Phyllis Frye, Associate Judge for the Municipal Courts in Houston, Texas; the Honorable Michelle Kim, Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court, and the Honorable Serena Murillo, Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court.

Join us as we engage in an inspirational discussion with Glynda Carr from the incredible political organization Higher Heights, the “political home for Black

women,” and California State Senator Holly Mitchell who works “to bring forth equity and justice for all” and was dubbed by the Los Angeles Times as “the Legislature’s moral compass.” Moderated by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Amy Yerkey, this lively panel will discuss how racist ideology prevented women of color from being guaranteed the right to vote when the 19th Amendment was first passed. The panel will highlight the significant impact that women of color have had on politics and the important changes that women of color can affect in political leadership. We will explore the Amendment’s relevance to the issue of equal rights today, and the power and importance of exercising voting rights as we head into the upcoming election. With these leaders in politics as our panelists, we will look at how the intersection of race and gender shapes the political experience of women of color and how we can expand political leadership for all women.



Guests: Glynda Carr, Sen. Holly Mitchell

Moderator: Hon. Amy Yerkey

On August 18, 1920, the Tennessee legislature ratified the 19th Amendment, the last state to do so providing the two thirds majority needed to grant women the right to vote. In practice, however, it insured voting rights for primarily white, middle and upper class women. Women of color were largely not entitled to vote. Native Americans did not become citizens until 1924 and Jim Crow laws, coupled with a violent Ku Klux Klan, ensured that women of color could no more exercise their right to vote in 1920 than Black men could after the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870.

One hundred years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, women comprise a little over 30% of the nation’s state legislatures and just 25% of those are women of color, while women represent over half the nation’s population. How can the promise of the 19th Amendment be fulfilled if women continue to be underrepresented in state government?

The 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was ratified 100 years ago. Yet a century later, women – and especially women of color – still have to fight to have a seat at the table in the upper echelons of the business community. Hear from three powerful women in the business world – Dr. Helene Gayle, President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust; Monica Lozano, CEO of College Futures Foundation; and Sarah Zapp, Founder of Beyond Board – for a lively discussion about how they navigate one of the biggest remaining bastions of male privilege, the business community; how each has achieved success; how they deal with being one of the few women or only woman “in the room;” mentorship; strategies for starting out in the business world; and how to increase diversity in the business community. This is a must-hear panel discussion.

Panelists: Dr. Helene Gayle, Monica Lozano
Moderator: Sarah Zapp

Join Charlotte Jones, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of the Dallas Cowboys Football Club, and Jana Winograde, President of Entertainment at Showtime Networks, Inc., for a conversation about their experiences in traditionally male-dominated industries, their leadership styles, how they work to ensure they are not the last women to hold their respective positions and their ideas about mentoring, among other topics. You won’t want to miss this discussion with two powerhouses in sports and entertainment.

Panelists: Charlotte Jones, Jana Winograde
Moderator: Hon. Samantha Jessner