Webinar – Black Disabled Leadership: Essential Yet Overlooked
Date: February 2025
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
Racial equity is impossible without disability justice, rights, and inclusion. And with at least 1 in 4 Black people in the U.S. living with a disability, disability justice requires Black disabled leadership. As we witness rollbacks in both legislative protections and organizational commitments to DEI, racial justice, and disability inclusion, philanthropy must take action to fund Black disabled communities. Join us for a discussion with Black disabled leaders on how philanthropy can support Black disabled communities.
This webinar will cover topics including:
- the intersections of anti-Blackness and ableism,
- how anti-Blackness is disabling and increases risk for Black people with disabilities, and
- why disability justice and Black liberation must be joint movements.
CART and ASL interpretation will be provided. If you require another accommodation to fully participate in the webinar, please note it in your registration, or contact us at communications@disabilityphilanthropy.org. This free webinar is presented by the Disability & Philanthropy Forum. While the learnings for this webinar are primarily targeted to funders, grantmakers, and philanthropy-serving organizations who are just getting started in learning more about the intersections of disability justice and Black liberation, this session is open to the public, and anyone can register to attend.
About the Panelists
Moderator: Patrick Cokley, Senior Program Officer, Equity & Social Justice Partnerships, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Patrick Cokley joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in March 2023 as the Senior Program Officer, Equity & Social Justice Partnerships. As a disability advocate, Patrick has worked to bring issues of inclusion to the forefront of all communities. His past roles include the Chief of Organizing Advocacy and Learning at the youth civic organization Civic Influencers and Director of the Workforce Recruitment Program at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. Patrick is a graduate of Howard University and serves on the President’s Board of Advisors for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is also a founding member of the Lead On Network. Patrick Cokley is Low vision and the parent of children with disabilities.
Panelist: Mel Brown, Co-Founder, Deep Space Mind 215
Mel Brown is a social scientist and researcher located in the Philadelphia area. Her scope of practice includes building anti-capitalist structures, writing narrative change, research, and systemic carceral navigation & advocacy. Brown’s writings span from personal narrative to meta-theoretical ‘on the ground’ documentation. Brown’s theory around care is centered in explicit consent and direct conflict, with care. Brown received a B.A. in Integrative Art from Pennsylvania State University in 2012 and is a dual master’s degree graduate, class of 2023 at both the Weitzman School of Design and School of Social Policy & Practice.