After Roe
An interactive panel about reproductive justice
From the Supreme Court to statehouses nationwide, the right to control our bodies is under assault like never before. American’s reproductive rights are actively under attack by legislators; not just abortion care but birth control, gender expression and sex education. Organizations in conservative states that provide essential services to both women and men are shutting down, depriving some areas entirely of essential services like STI screenings, cancer screenings, pregnancy care, and basic well care. A panel of National Storytellers for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America talks about how their lives have been affected by the care they received.
These panelists put a face on that reality and share the human cost of denying access to these essential health services.
Dr. Cecilia Aragon
Flying Free
Prof. Cecilia Aragon is a computer scientist, professor, award-winning author, and champion aerobatic pilot. In the span of just six years, Cecilia learned how to fly, secured a place on the United States Unlimited Aerobatic Team, and earned the right to represent her country at the Olympics of aviation, the World Aerobatic Championships. Her memoir, Flying Free: My Victory Over Fear to Become the First Latina Pilot on the US Aerobatic Team, shares her journey of breaking past her own fears to become a competitive pilot. Dr. Aragon directs the Human-Centered Data Science Lab at the University of Washington, working at the intersection of human-computer interaction and data science/artificial intelligence.
Stuart Getty
Author, Gender Educator
What does nonbinary really mean? What is gender nonconforming? What do I do if I mess up? And isn’t they a plural pronoun? All these burning questions and more answered by a real-life genderqueer writer. The author of ‘How To: They/Them’ gives a primer on pronouns and gender, screens helpful clips from their short documentary, and shares insights from their book in a charming and disarming interactive workshop.
Gabriel Grant
Author, Executive Consultant
Do you want disagreement within your organization to be a source of innovation and flourishing rather than frustration and polarization? With the techniques developed in his ground-breaking book, Breaking Through Gridlock, Gabriel Grant shares clear-cut and actionable pathways for having hard conversations that produce dramatic positive results. With well-tested methods, proven exercises, and rich examples, he provides a ‘field guide’ to transforming paralysis and effecting positive change.
Nicola Griffith
Award-winning author and disability advocate
Award-winning author Nicola Griffith is female, disabled, and queer. Disabled people fight institutional ableism, ableist people, the physical built environment, and the implicit bias we all grow up with and must consciously fight every single day. How people see the disabled can be as much, or more, of a problem than actual access. Fixing the built environment—increasing physical access—is vital, but it’s just a beginning. What we really need to change is people’s minds, by changing the story. When we overwrite the old disability script in our heads, we change the narrative, changing the inspirational cripple into a real human being.
Tessa Hulls
Author and multidisciplinary artist
Tessa Hulls is an artist/writer/adventurer illuminating the connections between the present and the past. Her graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts explores the reverberations of her Chinese grandmother’s escape from the Communist regime and her subsequent mental illness. Her work addresses racial justice, the immigrant experience, generational trauma, mental health, the creative process, and the surprising feminist history of the bicycle.
Dr. Dave Montgomery
Geomorphologist, Environmentalist
Prof. David Montgomery is a geomorphologist who looks at the process shaping Earth’s surface and how they affect ecological systems and human societies. His work explores what the Earth’s soil tells us about our health, our history and our future. The author of several popular science books promoting sustainability and environmentally friendly farming practices, Dr. Montgomery offers practical solutions for our time’s most salient crisis.
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Putsata Reang
Award-winning journalist and author
Putsata Reang’s award-winning memoir, “Ma and Me,” is a powerful and touching account of her journey to self-discovery as a lesbian in a traditional Cambodian family. Putsata’s personal experience has given her a unique perspective on the challenges of growing up in a conservative culture and coming out to family and friends. Her story is one of resilience, perseverance, and ultimately, acceptance.
Dr. Phil Plait
Astronomer, author, and science communicator
Dr. Phil Plait, astronomer, author, and science communicator brings complex scientific concepts to life in a way that’s accessible and engaging for audiences of all levels. His passion for science and his ability to break down complicated ideas into simple, understandable terms has made him a go-to expert for everything from TV appearances to podcasts to keynote speeches.
Dr. Terry Roberts
Civil rights activist, diversity consultant, keynote speaker
In 1957, 9 African-American teenagers attempted to integrate Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. The students faced intense opposition from segregationist protesters and harassment from white peers in an incident that became a major landmark of the Civil Rights movement. Terrence Roberts was one of those teenagers, and continues to share his story and his passion for equality today.
Loung Ung
Author, Activist, and Screenwriter
Loung Ung is a survivor of the killing fields of Cambodia, one of the bloodiest episodes of the twentieth century. Her story of survival is told in her internationally best-selling memoir, First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, now a major motion picture directed by Angelina Jolie. Bring Loung to share her story and the keys to resilience and leadership that she has learned from a lifetime of overcoming adversity and, through her activism, changing the world.
Charles Vogl
Author, speaker, and executive advisor
Best-in-class businesses are carefully crafted communities of high performers. This is why they can adapt to dynamic challenges and contexts. Successful communities aren’t just happy accidents – they must be purposefully cultivated and developed. In this interactive leadership development conversation, author and executive advisor Charles Vogl shows how leaders can build tight-knit bonds that radically change how teams and collaborating departments respond to threats and opportunities.