Black Feminist Praxis

Join YWCA Cambridge as they kick off the first Feminist Roundtable Series of 2021. Speakers include Lisa Owens, Executive Director of The Hyams Foundation and Denise Matthews-Turner, Interim Executive Director of City Life/Vida Urbana for a conversation on “Developing a Black Feminist Praxis for an Organization.”

General Admission: $15
YWCA Member: $10

About Lisa Owens: 
Lisa Owens joined the Hyams Foundation as Executive Director in 2021 and brings more than 25 years of experience in building local grassroots organizations and national movements for social, racial, and economic justice.  She previously served as the Executive Director of City Life/Vida Urbana, a prominent housing justice group that is nationally recognized for organizing communities against displacement and building collective power for systemic change. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of mytown, a nationally recognized youth development organization.

Lisa brings to Hyams extensive experience as an educator, a trainer and a coach of community-based nonprofit leaders and organizations. For the past 15 years, she’s taught courses on community organizing and nonprofit management at Boston University and Springfield College. Over the past 10 years, she has served on the boards of many Boston-based and national organizations committed to fighting for social, racial, and economic justice.  Lisa is a proud Bostonian who grew up in Roxbury. She attended Boston Public Schools and holds a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from Springfield College.

About Denise Matthews-Turner:
Denise Matthews-Turner is the Interim Executive Director of City Life/Vida Urbana (CLVU), becoming Interim ED in January of this year. Founded in 1973, City Life works for racial, social, and economic justice and gender equity by fighting displacement and building community power. Before becoming Interim ED, Denise was City Life’s Director of Administration. Part of her work the past 2 years has been supporting the leadership development of Black women leaders in our movement through co-facilitating the Black Feminist Praxis Circle. Denise is a fabric artist and leads CLVU’s Arts and Culture Committee. A native of New Jersey, Denise is a graduate of Boston University.