Int'l Women's Day 2026: Toward Just Digital Futures

In commemoration of International Women's Day 2026, the Center for Women, Gender & Global Leadership invites you to a powerful conversation at the intersection of artificial intelligence, equity, and justice. As AI reshapes nearly every dimension of daily life, from healthcare and education to criminal justice and civic participation, Black women are not only navigating these changes, they are leading the charge to reshape them.

Toward Just Digital Futures: Women Reconfiguring Power in the Age of AI brings together two of the nation's foremost voices in ethical and human-centered AI. Professor Renée Cummings, Data Activist in Residence at the University of Virginia and a globally recognized AI ethicist, has spent her career working at the intersection of technology, civil rights, and data justice — advocating for AI that is trustworthy, trauma-informed, and built for all. Dr. Lucretia Williams Senior Research Scientist at Howard University's Human-Centered AI Institute, centers the lived experiences of underrepresented communities in her research, ensuring that the technologies shaping our world are designed with — not just for — the people they affect.

The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Talitha Washington, Executive Director of Howard University's Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics and a transformational leader in mathematics, data science, and HBCU-centered innovation.

Together, they will explore what AI means for power, rights, and accountability — and what it will take to build a more just digital future.