THE LOHM SALUTES FACES OF WOMEN IMPRISONED GRADUATING CLASS OF 2020

New York, NY – September 29, 2020, The Ladies of Hope Ministries (LOHM) announces the first graduating class of Faces of Women Imprisoned (FOWI), one of the nonprofit’s core mission programs addressing the crisis of poverty and incarceration of women and girls through advocacy and engagement.

The commencement is set for Thursday, October 1, 2020, 11 AM – 1 PM EST, and will stream live via Facebook, YouTube or text FOWI2020 to 41444. LOHM’s Founder and Executive Director Topeka K. Sam and Chair of the Board Director Rev. Dr. Eleanor Moody Shepard will open with the celebration with welcome reflections, followed by the participation of the graduating women. Appropriately, the program will also include a few words from all of FOWI’s 2020 Graduate Cohort Speakers: Halimah Washington, Ayana Thomas-Bazile, Wendi Cooper, Ivy Woolf-Turk, Monica Banks, Promise Mebrtatu, Starling Thomas and Lauren Reed.

The commencement speaker is Keia Clarke who is entering her second season as Chief Executive Officer of the New York Liberty, where she will lead and manage all business aspects of the Liberty organization, including strategic planning, revenue, P&L and operations. Additionally, Clarke works with stakeholders on key elements of team business, including growing the fan base, maximizing sales and fan engagement, and improving business performance.

FOWI provides personalized training for professional public speaking and a platform where members of the cohort can receive the encouragement and skills they need to share their deeply personal stories, and offer their wisdom and insight gained from their experience with incarceration and the criminal justice system. In turn, these women will advance, frame and
broaden the public conversation around incarceration, while also influencing policy change and private practices around employment and housing.

Mistress of Ceremony Trish Lewis, FOWI Director, says “Overall, the LOHM directly touches more than 6,000 people each year through our full suite of services in our mission areas that are described above. Through FOWI, we have trained women—whom are now active in the speakers bureau— and are planning to train a new cohort in 20-21. Together, these women have reached hundreds of thousands of people through participation in panels, public speaking events, and media appearances in outlets like NBC News, The Marshall Project, and Essence (among many others).”

FOWI program sponsors include Arnold Ventures, Art for Justice Fund, Fondation Chanel and Ford Foundation. You can see our Global Speakers Bureau Hub at https://speakerbureau.thelohm.org.