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Black Women, Laying Our Burdens Down:
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Black Women spend a lot of time and energy protecting the mind, body, and soul of everyone else around them without taking nearly a fraction of that energy to protect their own minds, bodies, and souls. There is no way for Black Women to become free until we learn the fine art of putting ourselves first and finding strategies that will keep us from carrying the burdens of the entire world on our shoulders. This one-day, online retreat, facilitated by Jill Cox-Cordova and Angela Jackson-Brown, is designed to foster conversation and healing for Black Women of all backgrounds and to present us with an opportunity to come together with other like-minded Black Women for one day and literally “lay our burdens down.”
The morning will be filled with inspirational speakers who will discuss the burdens they carry each day and the strategies they use to release them. Other sessions will allow participants to voice their concerns and possible solutions. This event is not just about sharing our common sorrows and grievances, it is, instead, about giving each attendee the tools to literally plan their way out of carrying some of the mental, physical, and spiritual burdens they deal with on a regular basis. We want “laying down burdens” to become more than a hypothetical or metaphysical activity but an actual activity that can be charted and put into motion. This event is open to Black Women of all backgrounds, all sexual orientations, all socioeconomic statuses, all political ideologies, and all levels of traditional or radical thought.
The morning will be filled with inspirational speakers who will discuss the burdens they carry each day and the strategies they use to release them. Other sessions will allow participants to voice their concerns and possible solutions. This event is not just about sharing our common sorrows and grievances, it is, instead, about giving each attendee the tools to literally plan their way out of carrying some of the mental, physical, and spiritual burdens they deal with on a regular basis. We want “laying down burdens” to become more than a hypothetical or metaphysical activity but an actual activity that can be charted and put into motion. This event is open to Black Women of all backgrounds, all sexual orientations, all socioeconomic statuses, all political ideologies, and all levels of traditional or radical thought.
BIOS OF THE PANELISTS (in order of appearance in photos above)
Anitra Davis is a lifelong resident of Muncie, Indiana and is currently the Deputy Trustee for the Center Township Trustee's office where she has worked for over 21 years. Recently, Ms. Davis was elected to be the representative for District #6 on the Muncie, Indiana City Council. She is the second Black woman to be elected to the Muncie City Council in District #6. She has been married for 22 years to her husband, Edmond Davis, Sr., and they have a blended family of adult children.
Dana Danielle Salter is a Housing Counselor for a non-profit, helping people from generational poverty to purchasing their first home. She has collaborated with banks to write housing grants and discuss effective ways to reach the underserved. Ms. Salter was an expert panelist for WLWT in Cincinnati, The Cincinnati Herald, Fifth Third Bank, and Cincinnati Public Schools. She writes about the effects of generational poverty on Black Women. You can catch her at danadanielle.net.
Dr. Leslie Schuschke joined the faculty of the University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal Medicine in 1996 after completing her medical school, pediatric residency, and neonatology fellowship at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She served in the U of L Neonatal Follow Up Program for over 20 years and is an Associate Professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She is also employed by Norton Children's Medical Group as an Attending Neonatologist and provides neonatal care at Norton Children's Hospital, University of Louisville Hospital, Norton Women's and Children's Hospital and Baptist Hospital Louisville, as well as providing care in two southern Indiana hospitals when needed. Dr. Schuschke has served as a medical missionary for over 18 years.
Keiona Barnwell is an award-winning journalist. She currently focuses on content collaboration as a media licensing consultant for CNN. She is a wife, mother of two, and entrepreneur. Connect with Ms. Barnwell on Instagram: @kaybwell.
Rev. Dr. Aleze M. Fulbright is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. She is a person of conviction in living a personal mission to encourage, equip, and empower all people to live on purpose and live out their God-giveness. Dr. Aleze’s greatest joy in life is her son, Myron Fisher Jr., who is a Middle School Math Educator and Basketball Coach in Wichita, Kansas. Additionally, she enjoys fellowshipping with family and friends, while also connecting with community through her civic and sorority involvement. Dr. Aleze currently serves as a Conference Superintendent, in the Central District of the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Savonne Pearson is a Queer Woman of Color creative with a passion for creating content for those who are often underrepresented. She graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelors of Arts in Video Production in May of 2020. Immediately upon graduating, she went to work on the Biden For President campaign as a video intern, which quickly turned into a full time position as a video editor. After Biden was elected president, she was hired by Jon Ossoff as a video editor on his Senate Runoff Campaign. Currently, she works remotely as an Associate Video Producer at the Human Rights Campaign located in Washington, D.C. and she freelances for her own company, Sapimi Media, based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Vivian A. Malone has been married to Carl Malone for 44 years and she is the mother of three wonderful children, Carlos Malone, Carlina Malone and Carman Malone. She has five grandchildren and is the oldest of five children. Ms. Malone enjoys traveling and enjoying life, and she is proud to say she is a cancer survivor who sees every day as precious. Recently, she retired from the Delaware County Sheriff Office after 25 years of service. She worked in the Jail Division for her entire career. During that time, she served in many different positions.
HOST: Jill Cox-Cordova is an award-winning essayist and fiction writer, who has worked as a television journalist for such media outlets as CNN.com, MSNBC, NBC, and The Weather Channel. She currently teaches at Georgia’s third-largest university and co-hosts a podcast with her husband. For more information about Ms. Cox-Cordova, go to her website: https://jillcoxcordova.com.
HOST: Angela Jackson-Brown is an award winning writer, poet and playwright who teaches Creative Writing and English at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. She is the author of Drinking From a Bitter Cup, House Repairs, and the soon to be released novel, When Stars Rain Down (Thomas Nelson/Imprint of HarperCollins, April 2021). For more information about Ms. Jackson-Brown, go to her website: www.angelajacksonbrown.com.
