Momentum Summit Agenda

This intimate conversation draws on the framework of Rashad Robinson’s new book, From Presence to Power. Robinson, formerly of Color of Change, and Tonya Allen, president of the McKnight Foundation, discuss how leaders can move beyond visible activism to build the durable leverage needed to protect democratic institutions. 

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They will dive into McKnight’s "all-in" strategy to apply flexible capital spending. These investments support vulnerable groups and broader community needs, empowering people to participate in democracy and to own and shape its future. 

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Momentum Connects: Cocktail Hour

 

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Dinner & Discussion: Legacies of Leadership

 

Over the past year, more than 600,000 Black women leaders have been economically sidelined due to a slower labor market, federal job cuts, and pushback against DEIA initiatives. 

 

This private gathering will convene Momentum sponsors and guests from various sectors to discuss the factors driving leadership trends, the hidden costs to organizations and communities, and the responsibilities of funders and institutions in creating environments that sustain and support leadership. 

 

9:00 PM - 10:00 PM Momentum Connections & Conversations

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM Momentum Summit Connections & Cocktails

 

Arrive early to connect with Momentum Summit attendees and speakers over cocktails, enjoy the grazing table, and take photos in the historic Strand Theatre before taking your seat for the Summit. Receive the Momentum Thread to guide your Summit experience and help you achieve lasting change for you and your community during the sessions and connection breaks. 

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3:35 PM - 3:55 PM The Case for Now: Equitable Innovation, Black Women’s Leadership, and the Future of Social Impact

Confirmed Moderator: Olivia Jefferson, Best Buy Panelists: Edward Hill, Paramount; Antonia Dean, Partner, Black Ops VC

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As AI rapidly reshapes every facet of our lives, this session proposes a reset: grounding participants in the latest research on risk, opportunity, and bias, while acknowledging the role Black women have long played in advocating for tech to center community. 

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Best Buy presents this session, which involves elevating youth voices in the development and governance of AI as present-day partners and co-designers. The call to action is to encourage nonprofits and funders to use AI to increase capacity, strengthen equity, and sustainably serve stakeholders.

 

3:55 PM - 4:00 PM Connection Break: SPARK What’s Possible? 

 

4:00 PM - 4:20 PM Who Gets to Build What’s Next? Black Women, AI, and Democracy 

​Shawna Young, Camelback Venture; Errika Moore, Camelback Venture; Stephanie Frenel, Founder and CEO of SchoolOpsAI

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Momentum convenes a fast-paced, founder-centered conversation on who gets to build what’s next in AI—and what that means for Black women, democracy, and economic opportunity. This lightning-round session connects the dots between funders, founders, and community. Hear directly from founders working with or leveraging AI to solve problems in their communities, and explore how capital, policy, and proximity to the issues all shape which ideas get built—and whose voices are amplified.

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Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of their personal role in the AI ecosystem, new stories of founders on the front lines, and a new model for partnership. 

 

4:20 PM - 4:25 PM Connection Break: FUEL What Power Do You Hold?

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4:25 PM - 4:55 PM Momentum Moment: Period to Post Menopause (Part 1)

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Black women have always found a way to thrive despite systems never designed for us. Through policies that ignored us. Through a healthcare landscape that misread our pain and underestimated our resilience. Through the daily mathematics of motherhood, career, and survival, we have, more often than not, achieved far greater outcomes without adequate support. Hear from organizational leaders in an honest conversation about how Black women’s health is being impacted, and what we must break and release to embrace a future that centers Black women. 

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4:45- 4:50 pm Connection Break: FORCE What Momentum Will Carry You Forward?

 

4:50 PM - 5:00 PM Momentum Award Presentation

 

5:00 PM - 5:30 PM Momentum Award Method Conversation with Tonya Allen, President, McKnight Foundation and Van Jones, CNN Host, and Founder of DreamMachine.org and Rapport.co

 

A conversation on moving from presence to power — how leaders and communities convert visibility and access into durable influence over policy, capital, and civic life. Anchored in the Summit’s “Power of Possible” theme, the dialogue explores the responsibilities of funders and institutions in building sustainable leadership ecosystems and translating this moment into measurable, lasting impact.

 

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM Momentum Connections & Networking 

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Momentum Connections: Prosecco & Prosciutto Cocktail Hour

 

Author Dr. Duchess Harris hosts a private signing of “Black Feminist Politics: From the Voting Rights Act to the Kamala Harris Vice Presidency (1965–2025)." 

 

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Period to Post Menopause: Our Bodies, Our Stories (Part 2)

 

Hosted by League of Industry Moms, a multi-generational dialogue centered on birth equity and the hidden economies of reproductive power from periods through menopause.  Following the session during the Momentum Summit with Planned Parenthood, this session is designed to engage in affirming storytelling with celebrity moms, experts, and policymakers to share and understand what happens to Black women’s bodies from placentas to menopause. 

 

Attendees will better understand how a lack of information has fueled a quiet economy built on our bodies. Bridging the phases of women’s health and community storytelling, we ask: What are we not being told, who profits, and how can we reclaim informed choice and benefit for our families? 

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