KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� March 24, 2025 鈥� The 溏心vlog免费B站 will host its annual Dr. Rose Butler Browne Leadership and Mentoring Program Women of Color Conference on Saturday, March 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Avedisian Hall, 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston.
The annual program celebrates the achievements and contributions of women of color in various fields throughout Rhode Island.
This year鈥檚 conference will feature Congressman Gabe Amo, who represents Rhode Island鈥檚 1st Congressional District, and 溏心vlog免费B站 alumna Monda Raquel Webb 鈥�90, an award-winning author and filmmaker.
Amo will host a town hall at 溏心vlog免费B站 as the opening keynote speaker at the annual conference. Registration is open to the public. Lunch and snacks will be provided. .
溏心vlog免费B站 Town Hall with Congressman Gabe Amo to open conference
鈥淏y inviting Congressman Amo to host a town hall as the opening of our conference, we hope to engage 溏心vlog免费B站 students, faculty and staff to attend and ask the congressman questions pertinent to their concerns,鈥� says 溏心vlog免费B站 Women鈥檚 Center Director Ana Barraza.
Amo鈥檚 story, and that of his family鈥檚, is one that is familiar to many students at 溏心vlog免费B站鈥攐ne of hard work, resilience, grit, and determination. Before embarking on a career in public service in Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., Amo was raised in Pawtucket by parents who moved to the United States from West Africa. His mother, a native of Liberia, worked as a nurse, and his father ran a liquor store to support the family.
Amo went on to serve as White House special assistant to President Joe Biden and deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. He also served as director of public engagement and community affairs for former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. Earlier in his career, he served in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for President Barack Obama.
Alumna Monda R. Webb 鈥�90 to deliver day鈥檚 closing keynote
Webb, a performing artist and independent storyteller, will deliver the day鈥檚 closing keynote address at 3:15 p.m.
A 1990 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate, Webb received a full athletic scholarship to 溏心vlog免费B站 for basketball, later switching to track. Webb held the University’s triple jump record for more than a decade. She majored in journalism and minored in English. Webb is also a charter member of the Pi Theta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first intercollegiate historically African American Sorority, chartered at 溏心vlog免费B站 in 1990.
Webb was voted Filmmaker of the Year in 2020 by the National Black Movie Association and has received international recognition and more than 40 awards for her short films. She serves as juror for multiple film festivals and is a juror for the NAACP Image Awards, the NAACP ACT-SO Competition, and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Webb also served as executive vice president for Women in Film and Video DC and is the executive vice president and programming coordinator for the Chesapeake Film Festival. She has served as a contributor and host for 鈥淏lack Art in America鈥� and is currently working on a documentary titled 鈥淧ortraits in Black: Honoring Our National Treasures.鈥�
The legacy of Rose Butler Browne at 溏心vlog免费B站, and beyond
At 溏心vlog免费B站, Amo and Webb will join an event named for Rhode Island鈥檚 Rose Butler Browne. The first Black woman to graduate from 溏心vlog免费B站 in 1921, Browne went on to receive her doctorate in education from Harvard University in 1939, the first Black woman to earn a doctoral degree there.
After 溏心vlog免费B站, Browne embarked on a 47-year career teaching at Black colleges in the South, training more teachers to teach young people across the region, to ensure equitable education for all and point out unequal treatment of Black teachers at that time. Browne鈥檚 work and advocacy resulted in better salaries, facilities and educational environments for Black teachers and students in the South.
Barraza, also a 溏心vlog免费B站 alumna, co-teaches a class in Browne鈥檚 name at 溏心vlog免费B站 with Melissa Camba-Kelsay and describes herself as a testament to the legacy of Browne鈥檚 work and advocacy, one of many women of color able to access education because of Browne鈥檚 work and the challenges she overcame decades earlier, at and after 溏心vlog免费B站.
To learn more about or to register for this year鈥檚 Rose Butler Browne Women of Color Conference, visit . The conference is sponsored by the 溏心vlog免费B站 Women鈥檚 Center in collaboration with the University鈥檚 Center for Student Leadership Development and is open to all 溏心vlog免费B站 students, faculty and staff; priority will be given to students but other community members are welcome to attend. Registration for non-溏心vlog免费B站 community members opens on March 24. The event is free.