The COVID vaccines are safe and effective! Getting one is a step towards protecting yourself, your loved ones, and your community from the virus. Find an appointment today!

Remember we can get through this together, let’s continue to practice social distancing, masking, and frequent hand washing.

Has it been 10 years already! You guessed it! Every 10 years new voting district boundaries are adjusted based on population data collected via the U.S. Census. Did you know the 2020 Census data was released on August 12, 2021? Check out the 2020 Census Redistricting Press Conference hosted by the NGP Action Fund to learn what this means for voters. 

The Georgia Secretary of State has begun to send notices. Don't get caught slipping and check your voter status today! Have you recently moved or changed your name? Are you recently off papers or 17.5 years old but will be 18 by election day? If so, register today! Follow the link for more details or click the link in our bio. https://bit.ly/WEVote

We demand that the United States Congress pass and enforce a bill outlawing coerced sterilizations and forced medical procedures on detained and incarcerated people by federal law enforcement agencies and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

The recent news of the violations at Irwin Detention Center is a continuation of attacks of our bodily autonomy rooted inhumane practices that date back to slavery. If it were not for the bravery of Dawn Wooten, a black woman, who stepped up and reported what was happening we would not be aware this was occurring in our own backyard.

After Four Years of Leadership, Malika Redmond Steps Down as First Board Chair of ProGeorgia

ATLANTA, GA –  After four years of service as the twice elected board Chair of the ProGeorgia Civic Engagement Table, Malika Redmond is stepping down to cheer on new board leadership. 

Redmond spent her tenure guiding the organization through major transition and sizable growth. In her first term, she facilitated executive leadership change and the hiring of ProGeorgia’s first woman of color executive director, who continues to bring a courageous vision and innovative ideas to the coalition. In her second term, she provided steadfast management to the executive director, board colleagues, and coalition partners as ProGeorgia expanded programmatic outreach, added partners across the state, and dramatically increased resources to women of color led organizations — too often underfunded for doing the same work as their white and, or male counterparts. 

This work built the foundation for the historic results of the 2020 Presidential and January 5th runoff elections during a year of multiple crises and a pandemic sweeping the nation. Women Engaged looks forward to continuing their work alongside ProGeorgia as one of the over 30 organizations that make up the table. 

Executive Director of ProGeorgia, Tamieka Atkins, released the following statement:  

“Malika Redmond’s leadership, innovation, and guidance have been integral to ProGeorgia’s success over the last four years. The huge strides made in voter engagement and turnout in the 2020 Presidential election and January 5th runoff are incredible examples of the impact of Malika’s leadership in Georgia. Power is something that is more powerful when shared, and in stepping down Malika continues to exemplify progressive leadership by allowing space for the next generation to take up the mantle. We are excited to see what amazing work she does next.”

CEO and Executive Director of Women Engaged, Malika Redmond, MA, said: 

“Thank you to the members of ProGeorgia for trusting in my leadership and electing me twice to serve as your board Chair. I feel confident leaving the future of ProGeorgia in the capable hands of the next generation of leaders, and look forward to seeing what incredible progress they make next. I am excited to continue building on what I’ve accomplished at ProGeorgia, and furthering the work I’ve done throughout my career on creating an inclusive and representative democracy that celebrates the leadership of Black women, femmes, and girls and centers all marginalized voices.”

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Women Engaged’s work centers on ensuring Black dignity and bodily integrity in an inclusive democracy. We are continuing to grow our dynamic team!  To learn more about open positions at WE and how to apply, click on the following link: https://bit.ly/3mAiPd5"  

At Women Engaged, we work hard to ensure that our organization continues to grow its capacity, reach, and impact so that we can continue to create change. As part of that effort, we look for strategic partnerships that will help us reach those goals. We're proud to announce that we have found that partnership with The Hive Fund and have been named as one of their new grantee partners. 

The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice is a public foundation that raises money and makes grants to support organizations led by Black women, Indigenous women, women of color, and others on the frontlines working to address intersecting climate, gender, and racial justice crises in the U.S. Their work includes advocacy for strong policies, social movement-building to intensify public demand for change, civic engagement to build political power and hold decision-makers accountable, and creative communications efforts to move hearts, minds, and imaginations. 

As a grantee partner, WE will continue our mission to support the power-building of Black women and young adults creating a world where compassionate, fact-based, equity-centered approaches are used to develop and implement public policy and actualize social transformation. See the full announcement from The Hive Fund here and follow along by signing up for our email list. 

Last week, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, Interfaith Voices for Reproductive Justice, and SisterLove, Inc. announced the release of the Black Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda, an innovative agenda created in collaboration with more than 30 Black women’s organizations and Reproductive Justice activists. Women Engaged is proud to stand as one of the 30 organizations that contributed to this groundbreaking policy agenda. 

The agenda offers proactive policy solutions to address issues at the intersections of race, gender, class, sexual orientation and gender identity within the situational impacts of economics, politics and culture that make up the lived experiences of Black women, femmes, girls and gender-expansive individuals in the United States. Furthermore, it addresses the need for systemic change to truly make the U. S. a place where all people can live and thrive. 

“Too often, policies are formulated and written into law without a full understanding of how those policies may impact the everyday life of real people,” said In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda President and CEO Marcela Howell. “This Black policy agenda presents proactive solutions grounded in a human rights framework and Black feminist theory, which we believe provides a clearer view of the needs of Black communities.”

Women Engaged is proud to be part of this initiative, continuing to fight for Black emmes, girls and gender-expansive individuals.

READ THE BLACK REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE POLICY AGENDA

Get Involved! Help us raise awareness by sharing on social:

Black Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda Social Toolkit

This post originally appears on Adam Mendler's Leadership Blog

I recently went one on one with Malika Redmond. Malika is the co-founder and CEO of Women Engaged, a human rights and political power-building initiative that engages, organizes, and develops the leadership of Black women and young adults through voter engagement on justice issues dear to their lives.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? 

Malika: I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, known as the Steel City, and watching the Steelers play football was my family's favorite pastime.  My grandparents, my heroes, moved to Pittsburgh from the South to escape from Jim Crow and racist domestic terrorism, and my grandfather worked in the city’s steel mills and as a contractor building residential properties.  My grandparents built their own home from the ground up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, and raised a family of 5.  My mother and her brothers were among a very small number of Black children who attended an all-white school system in the 50’s and 60’s dealing with daily bullying because of the color of their skin.  Yet through it all, my grandparents were able to create a very good quality of life for themselves and their family.  

Read the full interview »

Founding Executive Director Malika Redmond along with the entire WE team are very proud to be a part of the #7MillionStrong initiative of the Roddenberry Foundation.  Learn how our WE Vote. WE Rise! program continues to build young Black voter participation this year.  https://bit.ly/2WKDUFW