Rural Women’s Summit 2019

If women are the “backbone” of communities, how do we support them as organizers and leaders at every level?

The Rural Assembly will host 250 participants at the inaugural Rural Women’s Summit in Greenville, SC, October 27-29, to examine how we support and strengthen women’s leadership in rural America. We know rural women are often the primary organizers, leaders, creators, and implementers of more just and inclusive efforts in their communities. At the Summit we will honor the diverse stories and experiences of rural women, particularly women of color, Indigenous women, LGBTQIA voices, and immigrants, by engaging them as speakers and framers at all levels. We’ll hear from women journalists, organizers and activists, artists and poets, lawyers and professors, faith leaders, and young women, who are building bridges and crossing borders to better connect us to one another and the places we call home. This Summit is designed for rural practitioners, leaders, and advocates to articulate the broad civic, political, and cultural impact of women’s leadership in rural America.

Together we’ll name the ways rural women are agents of change, call out the barriers rural women face every day, and proclaim the powerful role rural women play in creating more compassionate communities. In line with our focus on building an inclusive nation, this summit will be open to all advocates committed to building a more just and inclusive nation.

Key speakers and facilitators include North Carolina’s Poet Laureate, Jaki Shelton Green; journalist April Simpson of Pew Trust Media; VoteRunLead™ trainers Nevada Littlewolf and Prairie Rose Seminole; Dr. Kristen Carpenter, Director of the American Indian Law Program at the University of Colorado Law School; Lindsey Gilpin, editor-in-chief of Southerly; and Saba Ashfaq, documentary film participant in “Muslim in Appalachia.”

The Rural Assembly is a national network of leaders and advocates who represent the rich diversity of the rural experience. To learn more about us and the Rural Women’s Summit, visit www.ruralassembly.org.