Black Women’s Roundtable Women of Power National Summit brings hundreds of Black women to Washington, D.C.
TheGrio...
The 15th annual Black Women’s Roundtable Women of Power National Summit brought hundreds to the nation’s capital.
Hundreds of Black women leaders, advocates, and changemakers gathered in the D.C. region last week for the 15th annual Black Women’s Roundtable Women of Power National Summit, a five-day convening focused on policy, organizing, wellness, and empowerment.
Held from Wednesday, March 11 through Sunday, March 15 across Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia, during Women’s History Month, this year’s summit operated under the theme “United We Win: Freedom, Justice, Democracy, Safety & Opportunity for All.”
Attendees included elected officials, such as Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, as well as organizers and professionals from roughly 20 states.
“There’s no sadness in this place — we come together and have joy,” Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP), told theGrio. “It’s our way of celebrating Women’s History Month by bringing together Black women leaders from across the country.”
Organized by the NCBCP and its Black Women’s Roundtable initiative, the gathering came at a time when many Black women are navigating economic instability, workplace barriers and ongoing concerns around civil rights and voting access. Campbell said the summit is designed to provide both strategy and encouragement.
“Our theme is ‘United We Win,’” she said. “People leave these five days feeling more encouraged that whatever obstacles are in the way can be overcome, and how important it is that we overcome them together.”
Programming included policy briefings, strategy sessions and workshops aimed at strengthening leadership pipelines, supporting entrepreneurship and expanding civic participation. Participants also met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and attended sessions focused on education, health and community resilience.
Campbell said this year’s agenda centered on issues ranging from equal pay and health care to voting rights and the state of American democracy.
“We focused on issues around freedom, democracy and justice, but also empowerment and quality of life,” she explained. “We’re also concerned about rights we believe have been eroded and what we must do collectively to protect them.”
Organizers also emphasized the economic influence of Black women, $1.7 trillion in annual consumer spending power, and the importance of leveraging that impact to strengthen Black communities through entrepreneurship and collective investment.
“We are very determined about exercising our power as Black women,” Campbell said. “Politically, we have power. We know we help drive the Black vote.”
Additional programming included a marketplace featuring Black women entrepreneurs, leadership awards, wellness activities, faith gatherings and an intergenerational leadership track for young Black girls focused on mentorship and skill-building.
Now in its 15th year, organizers say the summit continues to serve as both a strategy space and community hub for Black women working across politics, business and social justice.
“[It started from] a desire as a woman to do more for women without leadership,” Campbell said, adding that many women in the coalition understood firsthand how difficult it can be while also understanding the power of intergenerational leadership.
“We really weren’t planning to do it every year,” she continued. “But it was successful in a way that helped to bring together women to find out the things that they had in common. And then we just began to start having it every year. And it’s grown every year since.”