PHL Advocates for Equity - Spring 2026

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ADVOCATES FOR EQUITY
Upcoming 2026 Programs

This spring and summer, 2026, the Advocates for Equity committee is offering educational programs on both historic and contemporary issues, as well as highlighting volunteer action opportunities for our members.

Here are some of our featured programs:

People's Light and Theatre presents:
The Woman Question, a new play with local roots, unearths the stories of medical pioneers who led the charge for women’s health and reproductive freedom 150 years ago. This world premier follows the 1894 class of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, an intrepid and incredibly diverse cohort of students whose struggles and joys reverberate across centuries.

May 20, 2026, at 2pm Register Now

The Chester County History Center will lead us on a walking tour of civil rights icon Bayard Rustin’s West Chester. Rustin was from West Chester and was an American civil rights activist, adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the main organizer of the March on Washington in 1963.

June 6, 2026, at 11am Register Now

Volunteer with 12 Plus!
Interested in helping to shape the next generation’s future? Consider volunteering with 12 Plus, an organization that works inside Philadelphia public high schools helping students discover where they are headed. 12 Plus is inviting our members to join them at various times and schools in March at upcoming career fairs. Volunteers speak with students about their career journeys and lessons learned. Volunteers are welcome from all industries and stages of career –whether currently working or retired.

For questions or more information:
Contact Michele Butler
Michele is the Development Director for 12+, as well as a member of Women's Connection!

Information Alerts - Exhibits
You have probably seen the coverage on the federal government’s removal of the President’s House Slavery Exhibit on Independence Mall. The exhibit depicted life for George Washington’s slaves who lived in The President’s House. According to Axios Philadelphia, “Philadelphia is preparing to celebrate 250 years of American independence, even as a court fight over a slavery exhibit questions how much of that founding story should remain on display. The legal skirmish is not about facts; it’s about whether to keep them in public view.” Following legal measures, most of the exhibits have been restored. However, it’s a fluid situation that is worth following. It’s expected that the courts will offer a decision by May.

Information Alerts - Podcasts
Check out Scene on Radio, “a two-time Peabody Award-nominated podcast that dares to ask big, hard questions about who we are—really—and how we got this way." It comes from the Kenan Institute at Duke University and is distributed by PRX. Many of our members are particularly interested In Season 2: Seeing White: “Just what is going on with white people? Police shootings of unarmed African Americans. Acts of domestic terrorism by white supremacists. The renewed embrace of raw, undisguised white-identity politics. Unending racial inequity in schools, housing, criminal justice, and hiring. Some of this feels new, but in truth it’s an old story.” Scene on Radio host John Biewen, and an array of leading scholars, took a deep dive into where the notion of whiteness came from and what it means. The documentary series was released in 2017.
Seeing White - Scene on Radio

Advocates for Equity is the social justice committee of the Philadelphia Chapter of The Women’s Connection. Our mission is to acknowledge and address the ways that systemic racism and other social injustices continue to influence the current and future Greater Philadelphia communities of color.

Have suggestions for Advocates for Equity programs or activities? Please contact Suzanne Kaplan, Advocates for Equity Chair.