Vegas PBS, held a free Women, Leadership and Social Justice screening and town hall event with special guest filmmaker, philanthropist, and producer, Abigail Disney. Attendees watched a live recording of Vegas PBS’ public affairs show “Nevada Week” followed by a preview screening of the PBS documentary “Women, War & Peace II.”
The screening was followed by a town hall discussion with panelists who empower and mobilize women and the community to engage and act on social justice issues. The event was held Friday, March 22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Vegas PBS Educational Technology Campus, 3050 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121.
The town hall panel included Abigail Disney and the following: Moderator Rebecca Gill, Director of the Women’s Research Institute of Nevada and UNLV political science professor
Erika Castro, Organizing Manager of The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada and leader of the Nevada Immigration Coalition
Kelly Smyth-Dent, Director of Scaling Up
Elynne Greene, Manager of Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force for Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Sybrina Bernabei, Advocacy Services Coordinator for Gender Justice Nevada
Jonnette Paddy, UNLV student activist, member of the Diné Nation
These powerful leaders discussed how something as simple as telling a story can be the catalyst for change, among other topics. The event included a spoken word performances by Iris Pamela Vargas and Alyssa Cortes.
“Women, War & Peace II” features an all-female cast of directors presenting four never-before-told stories about the women who risked their lives for peace, changing history in the process. The four-part series airs Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26 from 9–11 p.m. on Vegas PBS Channel 10.
Representatives and resources from the following organizations were available:
Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth
Refuge for Women
PLAN Action Fund
Nevada Department of Veteran Services
Nevada Chapter, National Organization of Women (NOW)
Sierra Club Southern Nevada Group
Elder HelpLv
ACLU of Nevada
CASA
Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Las Vegas
The event is part of the Women, War & Peace National Community Engagement Initiative and is funded by the Compton Foundation.