PrimeTime 55+ Directory – Celebrating Power, Acumen, Achievement
Though Black women of all ages are phenomenal achievers, this directory celebrates older sisters. They carry the triple burden of racism, sexism and ageism. They are under acknowledged but overperformers in electoral politics, advanced degrees, public advocacy and business ownership. Their younger selves witnessed the first moon shot, the emerging computing era and mass media proliferation. They consumed civil rights advocacy, antiwar protests, women’s rights, student activism and the Black Power movement which formed their social change psyche. And through their work and advocacy, they have cleared paths for younger Black women to follow.
Before they pass on the baton, the erasure of Black women 55+ ends here! Our public engagement initiative Unerased | Black Women Speak, in collaboration with the Black Women's Roundtable National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, are elevating Black women over age 55. This PrimeTime 55+ directory, while not the definitive tally, is a representative sample of the power and acumen within our ranks!
ABOUT UNERASED
Unerased | Black Women Speak is a public engagement initiative committed to shaping narrative and creating content that tells the continuous and unfolding story of Black women. We embrace the power in our voice and vision, engaging Black women, our community, our allies and the world that affirms or challenges us.
COLLABORATORS
.jpg)
Melanie L. Campbell
CEO Black Women’s Roundtable, NCBCP
Melanie Campbell is president/CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable. Campbell leads #BlackWomenTakeAction, in partnership with National Council of Negro Women and 20 other organizations, advocating for federal voting rights reform. Campbell is an advisor to leaders at the highest level of government, corporate, labor, advocacy and faith communities. A veteran coalition builder, Campbell is at the helm of multi-million dollar civic engagement, women’s economic empowerment and youth civic leadership development campaigns. A native of Mims, Florida, Campbell holds a B.A. from Clark Atlanta University, and is a resident fellow alumni, of John F. Kennedy School of Government, Institute of Politics, Harvard University.
Gwen McKinney
Creator Unerased | Black Women Speak
Gwen McKinney, founder of McKinney & Associates, birthed and sustained the first Black
woman-owned communications firm in the nation’s capital dedicated to progressive public policy. She has represented and collaborated with prominent thought leaders and change agents advancing rights and equality. Since 1990, McKinney’s vision of racial and gender justice has been translated into a bold and tested suite of narrative and content creation using her skills as a journalist, advocate, and communications strategist. Today that acumen is being honed into the unfolding of Unerased | Black Women Speak, a public engagement initiative that she created in 2020 dedicated to collaboration, advocacy, and storytelling for, by and about Black
women.
This project was made possible with generous support from the Craig Newmark Philanthropies and "Anonymous Women Donors.”