Joanne Smith
NationalityHaitian-American
EducationBowie State University (BA)
Hunter College (MSW)
Columbia University (MA)
Occupation(s)Feminist, human rights advocate, social worker

Joanne Ninive Smith[1] is a first-generation Haitian-American social worker and activist born and raised in New York City.[2] She is the executive director and founder of the Brooklyn-based non-profit organization, Girls for Gender Equity. Smith has organized around the issues of gender equality, racial justice, school pushout, sexual harassment, police brutality, the criminalization of black girls in schools and violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people of color.

Background

Education

In 1997, Smith received a bachelor's degree from Bowie State University[3] and completed Louisiana State University's Pre-Doctoral Academy. She worked as a case manager at Rheedlan and as a Cobra Casework Supervisor at Brooklyn Aids Task Force before returning to school. In 2001, Smith became a Community Fellow for the Open Society Institute, now Open Society Foundations. In 2003, she received a Master of Social Work Degree from Hunter Graduate School of Social Work. In 2007, she received a degree in Non-Profit Management from Columbia Business School. Smith also completed post-graduate training at the Ackerman Institute of Family.[4]

Activism

Girls for Gender Equity

With the support of the Open Society Foundations, in 2001 Smith started Girls for Gender Equity in Sports with the mission to end gender inequality and gender-based violence. The organization changed its name to Girls for Gender Equity in 2003.[5] Girls for Gender Equity works intergenerationally, through a Black feminist lens, to center the leadership of Black girls and gender-expansive young people of color in reshaping culture and policy through advocacy, youth-led programming, and narrative shift to achieve gender and racial justice.[6]

National Agenda for Black Girls

A National Agenda for Black Girls was launched by Girls for Gender Equity and partner organizations in 2019, to build political momentum and center the voices and policy priorities of Black girls and gender expansive youth in the 2020 presidential election and beyond. Youth organizers have since created and distributed a Presidential Candidate Questionnaire, convened political education seminars, hosted culture-shifting events, published op-eds and policy memos, and participated in White House listening sessions to influence national policy.[7] Youth organizers from A National Agenda for Black Girls organizers helped inform the Gender Policy Council's National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality, and are continuing to organize to promote the Protect Black Women and Girls Act and a Black Girl Bill of Rights.[8]

Young Women's Initiative

Smith is the co-chair of the Young Women's Initiative (YWI). She felt that it was unfair that women and girls were left out of Mayor Bloomberg's 2011 Young Men's Initiative, so she responded by hosting town-hall meetings in New York City and a holding a National Listening Session on the needs of girls and women of color.[9] These events were held to give women and girls a space to unite and discuss their personal experiences with racial discrimination, violence, and inequality, with the intention to show that their needs are just as pressing as the needs of boys and men of color. Smith's leadership helped facilitate a $35M commitment from government and philanthropy to invest in community-driven recommendations, including an initial $10 million investment from NoVo Foundation and the New York Women's Foundation to match New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito's $10 million contribution.[10] Given its success, as of 2021, YWI has been codified and replicated across 9 localities, and at the White House Summit on the United States of Women in 2016, the National Collaborative of Young Women's Initiatives was launched.[11]

Black Girl Freedom Fund

Launched on September 15, 2020, the anniversary of the 1963 Birmingham bombing that killed four little girls, the Black Girl Freedom fund is a 10-year initiative to invest one billion dollars into the advancement of Black girls and gender expansive youth by 2030.[12] Recognizing that Black girls, femmes, and gender-expansive young people are often overlooked, erased, silenced, or simply not invested in, despite their position on the frontlines of fighting for gender and racial equity, a group of activists, educators, organizers and philanthropists came together to call attention to the crisis Black girls face in the US. Joanne N. Smith is a co-founder of the fund alongside Dr. Monique W. Morris (Grantmakers for Girls of Color), LaTosha Brown (Southern Black Women and Girls Consortium), Tarana Burke (‘me too.’ Movement), Fatima Goss Graves (National Women's Law Center), Dr. Salamishah Tillet (A Long Walk Home), Scheherazade Tillet (A Long Walk Home), and Teresa C. Younger (Ms. Foundation).[13][14]

Surviving R. Kelly

Smith spoke out and organized in support of survivors in response to allegations of sexual abuse against rapper and hip hop artist R. Kelly. Smith was featured in Lifetime's documentary series Surviving R. Kelly[15] as well as a panel discussion following the premier,[16] and Girls for Gender Equity published a viewer guide[17] for the show. The show and Smith's activism, alongside others, shifted the conversation about Black survivorship and increased awareness around the prevalence and impact of sexual abuse.

Move to End Violence

Smith was part of the first cohort of Movement Makers in NoVo Foundations’ Move to End Violence, a 10-year movement building program designed to strengthen the collective capacity to end gender based violence in the United States.[18]

Publications

In January 2011, Feminist Press published Smith's first book, Hey, Shorty!: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets (ISBN 9781558616691). Smith co-authored this book with Meghan Huppuch and Mandy Van Deven.[19]

In October 2021, Joanne N. Smith was invited to author a book with the new gender-focused Moment of Lift Books publishing house, created by Melinda French Gates in collaboration with Flatiron Books. Expected in 2023, the book will discuss freedom dreaming with Black girls and gender-expansive youth.[20]

Op-Eds and articles

  • Smith, Joanne. (2002), Gay and Lesbian Foster Care and Adoption Information Pack for The National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning at the Hunter College School of Social Work.[21]
  • Smith, Joanne. (Ed.) (2008), The Go Girl Go Project Official Coaches and Group Leaders Guide and Go Girls Guide to Life, from the Women's Sports Foundation.[22]
  • Smith, Joanne N. (2011), "Schoolgirls Can Find Protection in Title IX," Women's E-News.[23]
  • Smith, Joanne N. (2014), "Young Women of Color Break the Silence. Now What?" Women's E-News.[24]
  • Smith, Joanne. (2017), Resist School Pushout With and For Black Girls. Occasional Paper Series.[25]
  • Smith, Joanne N. (2020), "A Love Letter to Black Girls," Essence.[26]
  • Smith, Joanne N. (2020), "#MeToo Isn't Just for Adults," Essence.[27]
  • Smith, Joanne N. (2021), “We all know Gabby Petito's story. Can you name a missing Black girl?” The Lily.[28]

Honors and awards

In 2007 Smith was inducted in the New York City Hall of Fame.[29] In 2012 she was named to the French American Foundation's Young Leaders Program.[30] In 2013, she was named as one of New York's New Abolitionists.[31] In 2016, Smith was honored at The New York Women's Foundation Celebrating Women Breakfast.[32] In 2018 she was a Woman of Vision honoree at the Ms. Foundation 30th Annual Gloria Awards.[33] In 2021, Smith was named among the Nonprofit Power 100: nonprofit leaders who are serving the most vulnerable New Yorkers.[34]

Other awards include:

  • 2006: The Union Square Award[35]
  • 2008: The Susan B. Anthony Award from NOW-NY[36]
  • 2008: The Educational Equity Center Rising Star Award[37]
  • 2010: The Stonewall Democratic Club's Stonewall Women's Award[38]
  • 2012: The New York Women's Foundation (NYWF) Neighborhood Leadership Award[39]
  • 2013: Choice USA's Generation 2 Generation Award[40]
  • 2015: The Shirley Chisholm Women of Distinction Award[41]
  • 2015: The Haitian Round Table's 1804 Haitian-American Change Maker Award[42]
  • 2016: NYWF Vision Award[43]
  • 2019: Brooklyn Community Foundation Spark Prize[44]

Public appearances

Documentary & Media Features

  • 2012: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart[45]
  • 2014: Anita: Speaking Truth to Power Director Freida Lee Mock. Samuel Goldwyn Films.[46]
  • 2019: Pushout - The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. A feature-length documentary that takes a close look at the educational, judicial and societal disparities facing Black Girls. Inspired by the groundbreaking book of the same name by renowned scholar, Monique W. Morris, Ed.D.[47]
  • 2020: Surviving R Kelly Part II: The Reckoning: docuseries from Lifetime on Netflix.[48]

Speaking Engagements

  • 2011: Sex, Power and Speaking Truth: Anita Hill 20 Years Later Conference, Hunter College.[49]
  • 2012: "(In)visibility of Girls Like Us: Why Race and Class Matter" at Girls Are Not For Sale, CUNY Graduate Center.[50] 
  • 2012: Panel to Celebrate International Women's Day and the 40th Anniversary of Title IX, Women's eNews & New York Liberty.[51]
  • 2014: Women's Media Center Live #98.[52]
  • 2014: Breaking Silence: A Hearing on Girls of Color, the African American Policy Forum.[53][54]
  • 2014: Why We Can't Wait: Lessons from Listening to Girls of Color.[55]
  • 2015: NY1 Online's Panel Talks New City Council Initiative to Help Young Women in 2015[56]
  • 2015: National Listening Session on Young Women of Girls of Color[57]
  • 2016: Black Girl Movement: A National Conference (panel moderator).[58]
  • 2016: The Future of the Movement: A Black Girls Bill of Rights, Grantmakers For Girls of Color.[59]
  • 2016: White House Summit on the United States of Women.[60][61]
  • 2016: Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) Conference Plenary Speaker: Stories of Action.[62]
  • 2016: Race Forward's Facing Race National Conference: Mobilizing Black Women and Girls in the Movement for Black Lives.[63]
  • 2016: New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) Prevention Summit Keynote Speaker: Centering girls of color within the racial and gender justice movement of the 21st Century.[64]
  • 2017: “BLACK GIRL VISION: Intergenerational Movement Building for Race & Gender Equity”, Annual Zora Neale Hurston Lecture at Columbia University.[65]
  • 2018: Nurturing Black Girl Genius, Anna Julia Cooper conference.[66][Source]
  • 2018: United States of Women Summit: How to Stop the Prison Pipelines for Girls of Color.[67]
  • 2019: Surviving and Thriving panel with Melissa Harris Perry and Stacey Abrams joined by Deon Haywood, and Barbara Perkins, Power Rising.[68]
  • 2019: Grassroots Organizing in the Era of #MeToo (panelist), University of Pennsylvania Perry World House, The Alice Paul Center for Research on Gender, Sexuality & Women, Latin American and Latino Studies, and the Ortner Center on Violence & Abuse in Relationships.[69]
  • 2019: Lifetime Screening Of "Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning".[70]
  • 2020: Boston Women's Foundation Conversation Series: Advancing Girls of Color 2021 and Beyond.[71]
  • 2020: Spark Change For Justice: #SayHerName, Brooklyn Community Foundation.[72]
  • 2020: “Gender Justice in Our Lifetime: What will it take?” Closing plenary speaker, Jahajee Sisters 2020 Indo-Caribbean Women's Empowerment Summit.[73]
  • 2021: 2nd Annual State of the People, We Rise plenary for the Office of the Public Advocate.[74]
  • 2021: It's the Legacy for Us: An Intergenerational Conversation with Anita Hill, Girls for Gender Equity.[75]

References

  1. ↑ Catalog record for "Hey Shorty". Worldcat. OCLC 693750944. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "Joanne N. Smith". New York Foundation. Archived from the original on 2016-06-25. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  3. ↑ Evans, Ronald W. (2021-05-01). Handbook on Teaching Social Issues: 2nd edition. IAP. ISBN 978-1-64802-566-2.
  4. ↑ "Joanne Smith, Author at Move to End Violence". Move to End Violence. 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  5. ↑ "Sustaining Police Free Schools Through Practice by ggenyc - Issuu". issuu.com. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  6. ↑ Pennington, Bill (26 December 2004). "Bringing Some Order to Games City Students Play". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "National Agenda for Black Girls – An Initiative of Girls for Gender Equity". Archived from the original on 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  8. ↑ "Policy Priorities – National Agenda for Black Girls". Archived from the original on 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  9. ↑ "Black and Brown Girls Have a Powerful Message for America". Mic. 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  10. ↑ "NYWF | Building The Future with Young Women and TGNC Youth of Color". NYWF. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  11. ↑ "About Us". The National Collaborative of Young Women's Initiatives. Archived from the original on 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  12. ↑ Johnson, Christen A. (2020-10-13). "8 Black women create fund to raise $1 billion by 2030 to invest in African American girls". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  13. ↑ "About Black Girl Freedom Fund". Black Girl Freedom Fund. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  14. ↑ 1Billion4BlackGirls (6 December 2020). "Black Girl Freedom Fund: Extraordinary Times Require Extraordinary Measures". Essence. Retrieved 2022-02-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning (TV Mini Series 2020) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-02-04
  16. ↑ Aswad, Jem (2019-12-18). "'Surviving R. Kelly Part II' Preview, Panel Discussion Look at Past Year, Series' Impact". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  17. ↑ Girls for Gender Equity. "Surviving R. Kelly Viewer Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  18. ↑ "Move to End Violence Searches for Next Cohort « NoVo Foundation". NoVo Foundation. 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  19. ↑ Equity, Girls for Gender; Smith, Joanne; Huppuch, Meghan; Deven, Mandy Van (12 April 2011). Hey, Shorty!. The Feminist Press at CUNY. ISBN 9781558616707.
  20. ↑ Puckett-Pope, Lauren (2021-10-06). "Melinda French Gates' Next Move? Launching a Female-Focused Book Imprint". ELLE. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  21. ↑ "Information Packet: Gay & Lesbian Foster Care and Adoption" (PDF).
  22. ↑ "Girls for Gender Equity, Inc". The MY HERO Project. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  23. ↑ "Schoolgirls Can Find Protection in Title IX". Women's eNews. 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  24. ↑ "Young Women of Color Break the Silence. Now What?". Women's eNews. 2014-12-04. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  25. ↑ Smith, Joanne (2017-12-15). "Resist School Pushout With and For Black Girls". Occasional Paper Series. 2017 (38). doi:10.58295/2375-3668.1150. ISSN 2375-3668. S2CID 158127492.
  26. ↑ Smith, Joanne N. (14 February 2020). "A Love Letter to Black Girls". Essence. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  27. ↑ "#MeToo Isn't Just for Adults". Essence. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  28. ↑ Smith, Joanne N. "We all know Gabby Petito's story. Can you name a missing Black girl?". www.thelily.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  29. ↑ McLaughlin, Mike (2007-12-15). "Hammerman now belongs to the ages". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  30. ↑ "Joanne Smith". French-American Foundation. Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  31. ↑ "End Modern Day Slavery - The New Abolitionist Movement". A Call To Men. 2013-05-07. Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  32. ↑ "2016 Celebrating Women Breakfast Honorees". The New York Women's Foundation. Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  33. ↑ Women of Vision Honoree, Joanne Smith (Girls for Gender Equity), retrieved 2022-02-04
  34. ↑ "The 2021 Nonprofit Power 100: 51-100". City & State NY. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  35. ↑ "Girls for Gender Equity (GGE)". Union Square Awards. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  36. ↑ "Susan B. Anthony Awards Alumni". National Organization for Women New York City. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  37. ↑ "Equity Awards Dinner | Educational Equity Center at FHI 360". FHI 360. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  38. ↑ "Women Honored By, At Stonewall". Gay City News. 2010-01-25. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  39. ↑ "2012 Neighborhood Dinner". The New York Women's Foundation. 2012. Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  40. ↑ "2013 Generation 2 Generation Celebration". Urge. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  41. ↑ "Williams & Cumbo Co-Host Shirley Chisholm Women Of Distinction Celebration Honoring Six". The Council of the City of New York Office of Council Members. 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2016-06-15 – via Constant Contact.
  42. ↑ "March 21st: Haitian Roundtable 1804 Haitian-American Change Makers & Ones to Watch « Haiti Cultural Exchange". Haiti Cultural Exchange. 2015-02-17. Archived from the original on 2016-06-23. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  43. ↑ "Joanne Smith Receives Vision Award from New York Women's Foundation". Move to End Violence. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  44. ↑ 2019 Spark Prize: Girls for Gender Equity Acceptance Speech, retrieved 2022-02-04
  45. ↑ "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - The Women's Vote | Girls for Gender Equity". Girls for Gender Equity. 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  46. ↑ "Anita Hill steps back into spotlight as subject of new documentary film". The Boston Globe. 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  47. ↑ "Book Launch—Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools | Open Society Foundations (OSF)". Open Society Foundations. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  48. ↑ "Watch Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning | Netflix". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  49. ↑ "Sex, Power and Speaking Truth: Anita Hill 20 Years Later – The Macaulay Messenger". 23 October 2011. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  50. ↑ "Girls Are Not For Sale - Mark your calendars! On February 28, the day of Rachel Lloyd's paperback book release, a critical panel called "(In)Visibility of Girls Like Us: Why Race and Class Matter" is taking place at CUNY Graduate Center in NYC! Panel participants include the following powerhouses: Salamishash Tillet, Joanne Smith, Zerlina Maxwell, Jenn Pozner, and of course, our very own Founder and Executive Director, Rachel Lloyd! This occasion will expand the conversation on trafficking to larger trends in the media involving young girls of color, from the lack of coverage of missing children of color to the ways that commercially sexually exploited children from New York are reported on. Join us for this important conversation! | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  51. ↑ "International Women's Day: Women, Sports and Title IX". Good News!. 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  52. ↑ October 03; Tillet, 2014 | Salamishah; Crenshaw, Kimberlé Williams; Dotson, Kristie; Smith, Joanne N.; Gary, Danielle E.; Nussbaum, Maya; violence, Taysha Clark | Gender-based; Girls. "WMC Live #98: Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, Salamishah Tillet, Kristie Dotson, Joanne N. Smith, and Danielle E. Gary; Maya Nussbaum and Taysha Clark. (Original Airdate 10/4/2014) - Women's Media Center". womensmediacenter.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  53. ↑ "Saturday in NYC: Kimberle Crenshaw to Moderate Town Hall Hearing: Breaking Silence - A Hearing on Girls of Color | V-Day: A Global Movement to End Violence Against Women and Girls Worldwide". www.vday.org. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  54. ↑ "Breaking Silence: A Hearing on Girls of Color – October 11, 2014 | Girls for Gender Equity". 2014-09-22. Archived from the original on 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  55. ↑ "12/15/2014 - Why We Can't Wait: Lessons from Listening to Girls of Color - Live stream and Materials". Philanthropy New York. 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  56. ↑ "NY1 Online: Panel Talks New City Council Initiative to Help Young Women". Time Warner Cable News: NY1. 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  57. ↑ "Girls for Gender Equity Hosts Listening Session on the Needs of Young Women of Color". Move to End Violence. 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  58. ↑ "Black Girl Magic". Move to End Violence. 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  59. ↑ "Livestream". Grantmakers For Girls of Color. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  60. ↑ "White House United State of Women Summit". whitehouse.gov. 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2016-06-15 – via National Archives.
  61. ↑ Joanne N. Smith Speaks at the White House Summit on the United State of Women, retrieved 2022-02-04
  62. ↑ "Joanne Smith Presents Stories of Action at WSCADV 2016". Move to End Violence. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  63. ↑ "Joanne N. Smith". Facing Race: A National Conference. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  64. ↑ "New York State Domestic Violence Prevention Summit 2016". Constant Contact. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  65. ↑ "Black Girl Vision: Inter-generational Movement Building for Race & Gender Equity | African American and African Diaspora Studies Department". afamstudies.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  66. ↑ "Anna Julia Cooper Center to host national Know Her Truths conference". Wake Forest News. 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  67. ↑ "Joanne N. Smith's schedule for The 2018 United State of Women Summit". theunitedstateofwomen2018.sched.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  68. ↑ Surviving and Thriving Panel, retrieved 2022-02-04
  69. ↑ "Grassroots Organizing in the Era of #MeToo | Perryworldhouse". global.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  70. ↑ "Tarana Burke, dream Hampton, and Joanne Smith speak at Lifetime..." Getty Images. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  71. ↑ "National Strategies to Advocate for Girls of Color [10/22/20]". www.thebostoncalendar.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  72. ↑ "Spark Change For Justice: A Webinar Series". Brooklyn Community Foundation. 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  73. ↑ "2020 Summit". Jahajee Sisters: Empowering Indo-Caribbean Women. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  74. ↑ Advocate, John Katt and Mudit Prashar via Office of the New York City Public. "Office of the New York City Public Advocate". Office of the New York City Public Advocate. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  75. ↑ It's the Legacy for Us: A Conversation with Anita Hill & GGE, retrieved 2022-02-04
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