Ignite Change: Join Us for the 2024 Health Equity Summit!

 

Join the Greater Washington Community Foundation in Washington, DC on April 30 for the 2024 Health Equity Summit. This year’s summit will convene local and national thought leaders, practitioners, policy makers, and community organizations for conversations around the theme: With Equity and Economic Justice for All: Balancing the Scales So Everyone Wins. 

Our Vision

Our time together will  be guided by 3 core vision statements:

  • We imagine a world where everyone can experience physical, mental, and social well-being.

    Why it Matters: If mortality rates of Black Americans were equal to white Americans over the course of the 20th century, there would be 8.8 million more Black Americans alive today.

    Source: https://harvardpublichealth.org/equity/reparations-will-save-black-lives/

  • We imagine a world where everyone can thrive in a non-extractive economy.

    Why it matters: In the Greater Washington, DC region, the racial wealth gap is 81:1, Blacks to whites, and the income gap is 3:1.  This pattern persists through the United States of America.

    Source: https://www.urban.org/research/publication/color-wealth-nations-capital

  • We imagine a world where harm has been repaired and everyone can be made whole.

    Why it matters:  To date, the only class of people who have received federal reparations for slavery are white slaveowners who lived in DC.  Under The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, the federal government paid 900-odd slaveholders an average of $300 in reparations for each of their slaves.

    Source:https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/civil_war/DCEmancipationAct_FeaturedDoc.htm

Don't Miss This Opportunity to Be a Part of Positive Change!

Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP at your earliest convenience to secure your spot.


Meet our participants


Summit Itinerary

9:00 a.m. Participant Check-In

Complimentary Continental Breakfast Bar

9:30 a.m. Summit Opener

  • Meditation and Movement by Chianti Lomax

  • Remarks by Tonia Wellons, President and CEO, Greater Washington Community Foundation

  • Remarks by Dr. Tollie Elliott Sr., CEO, Mary's Center and Health Equity Committee Member

  • Poem by Camilo Montoya

10:00 a.m. A Conversation In Pursuit of Health Equity: Well- being for All

 
  • Moderator

    Senior Director of Health Equity Fund

    Greater Washington Community Foundation

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  • Medical Director, Homeless Health Center

    Alameda Health System

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  • Senior Vice President of Healthy Communities

    The California Endowment

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11:00 a.m. Notes from the Field

Featuring Lessons From Our Nonprofit Partners

11:20 A.M. Remarks

  • Ayanna Bennett, M.D., MSPH, FAAP, Director of DC Department of Health

  • Dr. C. Anneta Arno, MPH, Director of Health Equity, DC Department of Health

  • Rev. Mia Michelle McClain, Pastor, Riverside Church at the Wharf

11:35 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch on Your Own

A list of nearby options will be provided

12:45 p.m. Community Poem

12:55 p.m. A Conversation In Pursuit of Economic Justice: Prosperity for All

 
  • Moderator

    Co-Chief Executive Officer if, A Foundation for Radical Possibility

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  • Reynolds Family Endowed Service Professor; Special Advisor to the Dean for Community and Justice

    Georgetown University

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  • Senior Manager & Benefits21 Initiative Lead, Financial Security Program

    Aspen Institute

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  • Program Manager, Black Employee Ownership Initiative

    Project Equity

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1:55 p.m. Notes from the Field

Featuring Lessons From Our Nonprofit Partners

2:25 P.M. Performance

Performance by Dana Kristina-Joi Morgan, Pianist Virtuoso 

2:35 P.M. Notes from the Field

Featuring Lessons From Our Nonprofit Partners

2:40 p.m. A Conversation In Pursuit of Liberation: A Case for Reparations

 
  • Facilitator

    Senior Pastor

    Metropolitan AME Church

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  • Associate Director, Office of Race and Equity Research

    Urban Institute

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  • Research Associate Professor, Institute for Urban Research

    Morgan State University

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  • Research Associate Professor, Institute for Urban Research

    Morgan State University

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3:40 p.m. Grant Partner Presentation: A Call To Action

Featuring Lessons from Our Nonprofit Partners

3:55 p.m. Summit Closing Remarks

Closing Remarks by Dr. Marla M. Dean, Senior Director, Health Equity Fund

4:00 p.m. Networking Happy Hour

held at the Wharfside Patio at Canopy by Hilton with complementary food and beverages

Sounds by Vybe King the DJ 


Check Out Our Summit Playlist

The late Dick Clark of American Bandstand fame said, “Music is the soundtrack of our lives.” This playlist was curated to commemorate the key messages of the Summit.

The first 10 songs, selected by Dr. Marla M. Dean, correspond to each segment of the Summit. From the prelude to meditation & movement to each panel and the performances in between and ultimately the call to action (postlude), each song seeks to connect the topics discussed at the Summit to their musical muse. The remaining songs just keep the vibe going because there is so much work left undone.

And since this Summit is all about community, we invite you to add to the playlist.

We also have a Spanish-inspired playlist curated by our colleague, Yorman De La Rosa. You are also encouraged to contribute to this playlist.