2024 DAY IF ACTION PROGRAM

CHERYL BRANNAN

Sister to Sister International (STSI)

Founder and CEO

Greetings and welcome to Sister to Sister International’s (STSI’S)

Third Annual Day of Recognition, Education and Action.

This event is a testament to the power of unity and collective effort, offering updates on STSI’s four pillars and workgroups, and building upon the insights from our "Still I Rise: Status of Black Women and Girls in Westchester County" report

It's an honor to have distinguished guest speakers like Asha Castleberry-Hernandez and Dr. Uche Blackstock, share their insights and expertise related to our areas of focus. This year we added recognition to our agenda and will applaud the invaluable contributions of community partners. We strongly believe that "It takes a village, " as we celebrate our shared achievements and move full steam ahead toward making continued impactful change

The generosity of sponsors plays a crucial role, enabling STSI to enhance community value, nurture future leaders and support events like this one today. With heartfelt gratitude, I extend a special thanks to Board Co-chairs Germaine Scott and Zelda Strong Diaz, our dedicated board of directors, and esteemed steering committee, workgroup leaders, members and consultants that are the driving force behind our success. Their leadership makes a difference and team STSI is on the MOVE!

United in purpose, STSI calls upon members and allies to be the change we wish to see, reinforcing the belief that together, we can undo systemic racism, promote equity and forge a brighter tomorrow. Let's continue to take ACTION and move forward, together!

Sisterly, Cheryl

DAY OF ACTION AGENDA DAY OF ACTION AGENDA

Welcome, Agenda Review,

Introduction of Guests, and Mistress of Ceremonies

CherylBrannan, MS, STSIFounder & BlackWomenGirlChildConvenor

DonnaEliseBell, MBACHES, MorningMistress ofCeremonies

STEM & STEAM Spotlight

JádésóláColpa, BA, Cochair ofSTEAMWorkgroup

10:30AM

12:00PM

1:15PM

2:00PM

2:10PM

3:40PM

LydiaSmith, MBA, STEAMProgramConsultant

Introduction of Morning Keynote Speaker

Asha Castleberry-Hernandez

By: JordanneLewis, MS, STSISTEAMAlumni

STSI Pillars of Focus Overview

STSIWorkgroup Co-Chairs

Lunch & Break-Out Groups

Reconvene in Auditorium

Welcome to Afternoon Session

Dr ValerieMasonCunningham, AfternoonMistress ofCeremonies

Community Partner Recognition

CherylBrannan, MS & BerylWeaver, MA

Break-out Groups Report

Presentedby Workgroup Co-Chairs

STSI ‘Health Disparities’ Overview

Introduction of Special Guest Speaker

A Fireside Chat Discussion with Dr. Uché Blackstock

By: KhadyjaBa, MS, Project Manager, MontefioreHealthSystem & STSISTEAMAlumni

Moderators: StephanieLovinsky-Desir, MD & Chiatogu Onyewu, MD, PhD

Closing Remarks & Wrap-up

GermaineScott & ZeldaStrong-Diaz, MPA & STSIBoardCo-Chairs

Asha Castleberry-Hernandez is a distinguished national security and foreign affairs expert with over a decade of experience working as a Middle East Policy Expert in the public and private sectors

For the Biden-Harris Administration, Asha served as a Senior Advisor (NC-Senior Executive Service) in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in the U S State Department From 2012 to 2015, Asha served in the U S Army in Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan She previously served as the Kuwait Desk Officer in the U S Army Central She is now a Major in the U S Army Reserves Before Asha deployed, she worked in the U S Mission to the United Nations

She previously taught at Fordham University, George Washington University, and Baruch College She is also the founder of the Diversity in National Security Network, and has been named on Boston’s Color Magazine’s 40 under 40 Color Power list and 40 under 40 Middle East Policy Council

BREAKOUT ROOM ASSIGNMENTS: BREAKOUT ROOM ASSIGNMENTS:

Black Maternal Health & Health Lifestyle Workgroup

Flynn Room - Lower Lobby (same floor as the auditorium)

Entrepreneurship, Pay Equity & Economic Prosperity

Conference Room - Mezzanine Level

Social & Juvenile Justice Workgroup

Board Room - Mezzanine Level

STEM, STEAM, & Health Careers Workgroup

Team Room - Main Floor

Physician and Healthcare Consultant

Physician and Healthcare Consultant

As children in the 1980s, Uché Blackstock and her twin sister Oni watched their mother lead an organization of Black women physicians: fiercely intelligent women in white coats who cured ills and saved lives. Destined to follow in her footsteps, Uché and her sister went on to become the first Black mother-daughter legacies from Harvard Medical School. But as her career continued as an ER physician and a professor in academic medicine, Dr. Uché Blackstock became profoundly aware of what she hadn’t seen as a child: the dangerous systemic barriers that Black patients and physicians face.

IN LEGACY:

A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine (Viking, January 23, 2024), Dr. Blackstock tells the incredible story of her career and reveals the deep inequities that still exist in American healthcare.

In a medical system where only 2% of physicians are Black women, Black Americans have far worse health outcomes than any other group in the country. LEGACY is a journey through the critical intersection of racism and healthcare, exposing a flawed system of practices and policies that jeopardize the well-being of entire communities. Following Dr. Blackstock’s odyssey from child to medical student to practicing physician, this captivating memoir not only explores the legacy of her mother and other pioneering Black physicians but also the long shadow of inequality in the United States healthcare system. With striking wisdom and inspiring leadership,

LEGACY ultimately shows Dr Blackstock’s path to realizing her own power as a health equity advocate against the backdrop of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement In 2019, Dr Blackstock founded Advancing Health Equity, an organization that aims to dismantle racism in healthcare and close the gap in racial health equities She has been recognized by Forbes Magazine, Essence Magazine, the Black Voices for Black Justice Fund, the American Medical Student Association, and numerous other institutions for her work as a thought leader and advocate on bias and racism in medicine A medical contributor to MSNBC and NBC News, Dr Blackstock’s commentary on the latest news in healthcare has been featured widely

LEGACY is at once a searing indictment of our healthcare system, a generational family memoir, and a powerful call to action

Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD

Chiatogu Onyewu, MD, PhD

STSI BOARD OF DIRECTORS STSI BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CherylBrannan,MS

Founder&CEO

GermaineScott

ZeldaStrong-Diaz,MPA

Co-Chairs

KassandraM.Woody

Secretary

GeorgiaReidDouglas,MS

Treasurer

AlyssaGillespie,Esq.

Parlemantarian

Deana Nelson, CMP

Millissa Bess, BSN RN OCN

Brenda Bracey

Dr Angela Campbell

Vera Cheek

Tinuke Colpa, MS, SBL, SDA

Charmaine Golding, MS

Zenobia Kelly, RN

Subomi Macaulay

Athena Dent-Alleyne, CHC

STSI WORKGROUPS & TEAM STSI WORKGROUPS & TEAM

SOCIAL & JUVENILE JUSTICE WORKGROUP

Chair: Pat White, MA

Co-Chairs: Dr Darlene Russell & Dr Alexandria Connally

BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH & HEALTHY LIFESTYLES WORKGROUP

Chair: Millissa Bess, BSN RN OCN

Preeclampsia Chair: Nubia Martin, MS

SBTO Co-Chair: Khalia Jones, CPA & Erica Williams-Woodley, RN MSN NP

Communications: Jennifer Jones & Gloria Cunningham

STSI STEERING COMMITTEE STSI STEERING COMMITTEE

Gwen Parris, Esq

Dr Darlene Russell

Rev Marcia White-Smith, MS, MDiv

Athena Dent-Alleyne, CHC

Ghiliane Clark

Chiatogu Onyewu, MD, PhD

Donna Elise Bell, MBA CHES

Jordanne-Ashley Lewis, MS

Pamela Verette

ENTREPRENEURSHIP, PAY EQUITY, & ECONOMIC PROSPERITY WORKGROUP

Chair: Charmaine Golding, MS

Co-Chairs: Georgia Reid-Douglas, MA & Beryl Weaver, MA

CONSULTANTS

Dr Valerie Mason Cunningham, Strategic Planning

Beryl Weaver, MA, Community Partner Liaison Tsahai Amazan, Development & Administration

Gloria Cunningham, Marketing & Communication

Eden Gilliam, Social Media

Dr Marcia V Keizs, Allison Lake, MBA, Dr La Ruth Gray, E Adell Dowdy, MA, Hon Janet Malone, Jamie Hubert, MBA, Lauren Williams, Patricia White, MA, Rashida Thigpen, Esq , *Roslyn Abrams, Kecia Palmer-Cousins, Hon Shawyn Patterson-Howard, MA, Suzanne Greenidge-Hewitt, MD, Hon Terry Clements, Yedidah Yehudah, MA RD, Paige Long Sharps, MD, Cammie Jones, MA, April Bourne, Bianca Gambrah, MHC-LLP, CLC, OWDS, Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD, Hon Gina Jackson, Sade E Amazan, MBA

*Honorary Steering Committee Member

Sister to Sister International Hosts: