Feminism Speakers

Sara Paretsky

One of the most influential female crime writers, the award-winning Paretsky changed the world of detective fiction with her groundbreaking popular female sleuth, "V.I. Waschawski." An activist, she explores the political and literary dissent that informed her life and work in her acclaimed book, Writing in an Age of ...

Mary Frances Berry

Former Chairperson of the US Civil Rights Commission, law professor, and esteemed civil rights historian, Berry continually defends the rights of all people with her actions and dedication to equality. From fair housing to equal opportunity to voter's rights, she has been a strong advocate for the disempowered and ...

Patricia J. Williams

She writes the monthly "Diary of a Mad Law Professor" for the Nation magazine. Her wry, witty columns cover broad issues of social justice, including the rhetoric of the war on terror, race, ethnicity, gender, all aspects of civil rights law, bioethics and eugenics, forensic uses of DNA, and comparative issues of ...

Mavis Leno

Mavis Leno is currently a leader in the effort to make the restoration of women's rights a nonnegotiable element of a post-Taliban Afghanistan, and has been at the forefront of insuring that the plight of Afghan women is included in the world's reporting of the war in Afghanistan.

Kathy Najimy

Rarely do we encounter an actress with such a remarkable range of talents and scope of emotion than that of Najimy. Seen in over 20 films such as Sister Act and The Wedding Planner, she is an AIDS activist and enthusiastic supporter of women and animal rights, and choice.

Sheryl WuDunn

As a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and professional speaker, Sheryl WuDunn offers a unique perspective on current economic, political and social issues such as women's rights. As co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Half the Sky, WuDunn calls attention to the trials and triumphs of women ...

Angela Davis

Co-founder of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Internationally known for her contributions to the movement for racial equality, women's rights and world peace.

Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman is the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on more than 800 public television and radio stations worldwide. A well informed and captivating keynote speaker on political, gender, human rights and economic issues, she is The ...

Asra Nomani

The author of the critically-acclaimed Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam, she is a former Wall Street Journal correspondent, and friend of Daniel Pearl. Her character figures prominently in A Mighty Heart, the film based on the life and death of Pearl at the ...

Lily Tomlin

Lily Tomlin, one of America's foremost comediennes, continues to venture across an ever-widening range of media, starring in television, theater, motion pictures, animation, and video. In her entertaining keynote speeches, Tomlin recants her illustrious carrer, which spanned decades, with candor and charm.

Nicholas Kristof

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times, Kristof is an extraordinary thinker, human rights advocate, and astute chronicler of humanity. As a seasoned journalist who has traveled China, Africa, India, and South Asia, he offers a compassionate glimpse into such issues as global health, poverty and ...

Rachel Simmons

Simmons is the author of The New York Times bestseller Odd Girl Out, the first book to explore the phenomenon of bullying between girls - just as harmful as boys, but harder to recognize. The Founder and Director of The Girls’ Leadership Institute, she is a highly sought-after consultant to schools all over ...

Rosie Perez

A film actress and choreographer, AIDS activist and women's rights advocate, Perez has been nominated for both an Emmy and an Oscar. She has recently produced, directed, and starred in Yo Soy Boricua, Pa Que Tu Lo Sepa: I Am Puerto Rican, Just So You Know, which chronicles the lives of Puerto Ricans living in the ...

Somaly Mam

Sold into sexual slavery as young girl, Mam has dedicated her life to finding a way to stop this horrific practice. Her past has fueled her passion and all her efforts to help young children and women who have become victims of sex slavery and human trafficking. Her incredible life experiences, stalwart dedication, and ...

Julianne Malveaux

Recognized for her provocative, progressive and insightful observations, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, an economist, author and commentator, is the 15th President of Bennett College for Women. Dr. Cornel West describes her as "the most iconoclastic public intellectual in the country."

Susan Sarandon

Known as an Academy Award-winning actress and an activist, she has shared with the world her dramatic talents and personal convictions.

Stockard Channing

With two Emmy Awards plus nine nominations, an Oscar nomination, two SAG Awards, and two SAG Award nominations, Stockard Channing is one of America’s most well respected, hardest working actresses of our time. Most recently, Channing starred in her Emmy-winning role as “Abigail Bartlet” on The West Wing. ...

Gloria Feldt

Feldt is a women's rights activist and the leading author, speaker, and media commentator on reproductive rights and health from that point of view where the personal meets the political. A teen mom who rose to be the leader of the world's largest reproductive health provider and advocacy organization, she was dubbed "the ...

Carolyn Jessop

The first woman in the country to escape from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and be granted full custody of her eight children, her story has become a model of courage and hope to people everywhere. She co-authored the bookEscape, which will be turned into a movie starring ...

Leslie Bennetts

A contributing editor at Vanity Fair who has explored women's issues in society, Bennetts is the author of The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much?, the groundbreaking bestseller that presents a cautionary tale about the dangers of women giving up their careers.