2020 Seneca Falls Revisited Conference CHAIR & CO-CHAIRS
2020 Honorary Chair, Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough President
Gale A. Brewer is the 27th Borough President of Manhattan.
Since she took office in 2014, she has successfully passed legislation to reform the deed restriction process, add ‘caregivers’ to the city’s anti-discrimination law, remove criminal history questions from initial employment applications (the “Fair Chance Act”), and enforce requirements for street numbers on buildings in Manhattan (to aid emergency workers). She has also spearheaded community planning initiatives at the South Street Seaport, in East Midtown, and in other neighborhoods to address development and zoning issues.
In 2018, Brewer served as Chair of the Large Cities Council of the National League of Cities, and has been named a member of their 2019 Human Development federal advocacy committee, which advocates NLC policy positions on issues involving social services, children and learning, poverty and income support, employment and workforce development, equal opportunity, Social Security and seniors, individuals with disabilities, public health care, mental health parity, and immigration reform.
Brewer previously served on the City Council for 12 years, serving as the founding chair of the Technology Committee and leading the Government Operations Committee. There, the Council passed her legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave for most hourly employees, requiring all City data be published online, and protecting domestic workers from abusive practices.
Prior to that, she served as Chief of Staff to Council Member Ruth Messinger, NYC Deputy Public Advocate, Director of the city’s Federal Office, and Executive Director of the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women.
Brewer has an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and did her undergraduate work at Columbia University and Bennington College.
2020 Co-Chair, Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., Founder and President, The Frederick Douglass Family Foundation Honorary Chair
Kenneth descends from two of the most influential names in American history: he is the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington. His mother, Nettie Washington Douglass, is the daughter of Nettie Hancock Washington (granddaughter of Booker T. Washington), and Dr. Frederick Douglass III (great-grandson of Frederick Douglass). Ken’s life until the year 2007 could be described as distinguished yet decisively disengaged from his lineage until Providence called. Ken continues his family’s legacy of anti-slavery and educational work as co-founder and president of the Atlanta-based nonprofit Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI). His career and life path are driven by a clear focus on FDFI’s mission“[t]o Advance Freedom through Knowledge and Strategic Action.” He could not have predicted that one day he would so fully embrace and be defined by the characteristics that so closely defined his famous ancestors.
2020 Co-Chair, Manuela Roosevelt, Spouse of David Roosevelt, Grandson of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt
Born in Bern, Switzerland, Manuela Roosevelt has dual Swiss and Spanish citizenship, and speaks English, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, and French fluently. She has lived in Switzerland, Italy, Spain, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In 1987, she started Labyrinth Publishing AG, a Swiss-based book packaging company that became one of the primary book creation houses in Europe. In 1992, the company moved its headquarters to London, where it acquired other small publishing companies under the umbrella of the Labyrinth Group Plc. Manuela Roosevelt became editorial director for the group, running both adult trade as well as a children’s division. In 1998, she moved to the United States, where she formed a small book creation house called Book Laboratory that was responsible for illustration and publication of such multi-million-copy best sellers as The Illustrated Brief History of Time and The Universe in a Nutshell (translated into 31 languages).
In April 2012, Manuela Roosevelt and three founding partners launched Springwood Media, a producer of leading-edge interactive digital academic learning environments for undergraduate and graduate courses.
In addition to serving on Omega's board of directors, Manuela Roosevelt currently serves as chair of the board of the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Partnership, and is on the advisory board of Sanghata Global.
CO-CHAIRS (continued)
Alice Keesey Mecoy
Alice Keesey Mecoy, a great-great-great granddaughter of John Brown the abolitionist, grew up in Palo Alto, California. She was unaware of her familial connection until high school; the family considered the relationship a secret and did not discuss it openly. Jean Libby, nationally renowned John Brown scholar, located the family in 1976 and introduced Alice to her history.
For more than 35 years, Alice has researched her family history, with her studies primarily focused on the women in John Brown’s life, whose dedication and sacrifices contributed greatly to the war against slavery. She has worked closely with numerous historians and writers in her quest to understand better her family’s history. She has also compiled one of the most comprehensive Brown Family Genealogies, spanning from John Brown’s father, Owen, to descendants born this year, with more than 4000 entries in the database.
Alice has presented her findings on the Brown women and the Brown genealogy to numerous audiences, including; The National Abolition Hall of Fame, in Peterboro, NY, the Allen Public Library, in Allen, TX, the Saratoga History Museum, in Saratoga, CA, and at the Academic Symposium held at Harper’s Ferry, WV, during the sesquicentennial of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in October 2009.
Alice is a member of many organizations including The Saratoga Historical Society, The Humboldt Historical Society, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, The National Abolition Hall of Fame, The Blackjack Battlefield Historical Society, The North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association, The Lesser North Texas Writers Group, The Collin County Genealogy Society, and The Dallas Genealogy Society.
Alice can be reached at jbrownkin@yahoo.com and has a blog recounting her discoveries and adventures available at http://johnbrownkin.blogspot.com.
Michelle Jones Galvin
Michele Jones Galvin is a Great, Great, Great Grandniece of Harriet Tubman. Ms. Jones Galvin and her mother, Joyce Stokes Jones, have co-authored Beyond the Underground:Aunt Harriet, Moses of Her People. As Descendant Biographers, they have penned the creative nonfiction based on genealogical and historical research about Harriet Ross Tubman Davis, Greatest Conductor of the Underground Railroad, and celebrated Civil War Captain. It chronicles the family lineage from the survival of the Middle Passage to slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to freedom in Canada, and then settling in Upstate New York. Beyond the Underground: Aunt Harriet, Moses of Her People is an intricate mix of memoir, family lore and historical reconstruction.
Newly retired, in her professional career Ms. Jones Galvin specialized in program design, implementation and evaluation in Human Services Administration. Areas of expertise included coordination and collaboration of government and community initiatives, communications and strategic planning. Ms. Jones Galvin is a certified Bridges Out of Poverty facilitator, and a certified National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) trainer.
Before relocating to Syracuse, Ms. Jones Galvin was awarded a Master’s Degree in Psychology from the New School for Social Research, New York City. She received a Bachelor’s Degree with a double concentration in Psychology and African American Studies from Fordham University, New York City.
Ms. Jones Galvin serves on the Board of Directors of the George and Rebecca Barnes Foundation, FOCUS Greater Syracuse, Guardian Angel Society, Loretto Corporate Management and League of Women Voters. Current affiliations: Junior League of Syracuse, Syracuse Chapter of Lambda Kappa Mu, Inc., Syracuse Chapter of The Links, Inc., Syracuse Chapter of National Council of Negro Women, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Kappa Xi Zeta Chapter.
Most recently, Ms. Jones Galvin was named Co-Chair of the 2020 New York State Centennial Suffrage Conference, serving with Kenneth Morris, Jr. (Descendant of Frederick Douglass) and Coline Jenkins (Descendant of Elizabeth Cady Stanton).
Seneca Falls Revisited Conference JULY 23-25, 2020
Have you ever heard about Seneca Falls Revisited Women’s Equality Conferences?
Next Year You Get To Be Civically Re-Engaged and Celebrate Women’s Equality Day in New York City!
To The Ratification of the 19th Amendment
37 States ratified the 19th Amendment on August 19, 2019. The process of ratification began shortly after June 4, 1919 when Congress passed the amendment and President Wilson approved. It took a little more than a year for the states to weigh in. This process is what of the people, by the people and for the people reflects. 2019 is the centennial of ratification.
Program
Celebrating our legacy of Suffrage
In 1869, 1870 and 1917 Saratoga Springs hosted 3 NYS Suffrage Conventions. Without these important conventions the Suffrage movement would not have gained momentum. We celebrate the historic Centennial of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment HERE
The New York Hilton, New York, NY
What a better place to celebrate the centennial of Suffrage than a Mecca. The New York Hilton is at the heart of the Midtown Manhattan which seats at the cradle of liberty and diversity and a cosmopolitan of the United States of America
Welcome Reception Meet & Greet
Network with Conference co-chairs Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer, Kenneth Morris Jr. and other conference VIPS and attendees. Featuring Cocktails and Music Entertainment
A Weekend To Find Your Center
FLOOR-BARRE® Technique
The Mission of the Zena Rommett Floor-Barre Foundation is to preserve and promote the highly regarded Floor-Barre® Technique for current and future generations of dancers, athletes, the injured, elderly and everyone desiring the alignment and strengthening health benefits of this gentle, yet highly effective Technique. This is accomplished through the teaching of classes, the production of DVDs and educational materials, and the certification of Floor-Barre® instructors every July in Europe (Florence '12 & '13; Venice '14 & '15; Paris '16 & '17; Rome '18 & '19), every August in New York City and every February in Latin America (Playa del Carmen, Mexico '19 & '20).
Tae Bo® & Cardio Kickboxing Fitness
Shireen Nelson has over 20 years experience in healthcare & fitness. As a licensed, registered pharmacist she provides personalized patient care & counseling on a daily basis which often includes the importance of living a healthy lifestyle through exercise & diet. After years of successfully maintaining her fitness goals with Tae bo® (created by Billy Blanks) Shireen took her passion for this workout & helping others to the next level by becoming a certified Tae bo® & Boom Box® fitness instructor. This fun, jam-packed routine, which combines cardio kickboxing & aerobics, caters to everyone's level by allowing them to go at their own pace while burning calories & achieving their goals. See you in class!!
In Room Spa Services
Unwind after your travels with a 30, 60, or 90-minute reflexology massage. Prenatal massage and facial massage also offered.
Let us make you picture perfect with in-room hair styling services including Blowouts, Haircut, Up-dos, and Braids.
From airbrush to spray tan, professional make-up artists will come to your room for applications, eyebrow threading, eyelash extensions, and more.
Enjoy the convenience of in-room manicure, pedicure, or gelicure.