Katie Geneva Cannon Research Collection

Union Presbyterian Seminary has developed the Center for Womanist Leadership “to inspire, equip, connect and support Black women divinely motivated to serve as change makers in their community.” The mission statement reflects the visionary insight of the late Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, Annie Scales Rogers Professor of Christian Social Ethics at Union, who, in 1974, became the first African-American woman to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Cannon named womanism as a powerful approach to recognizing the human dignity and amplifying the long-ignored voice of Black women in a hostile world. She wrote that “…one’s soul has work that is …vital not only to the health and strength of the community but is integral to our fulfillment as individuals.

A Texas organization whose mission is:
"to serve Black women and girls by transforming their relationship with their sexual and reproductive health through addressing the consequences of reproduction oppression.

The Afiya Center (TAC) was established in response to the increasing disparities between HIV incidences worldwide and the extraordinary prevalence of HIV among Black women and girls in Texas. TAC is unique in that it is the only Reproductive Justice (RJ) organization in North Texas founded and directed by Black women. Our mission is to serve Black women and girls by transforming their relationship with their sexual and reproductive health through addressing the consequences of reproduction oppression."
--From the website

"The Wellesley Centers for Women is the largest academic, women- and gender-focused, social-change-oriented, research-and-action institute in the United States, located at Wellesley College. Our mission is to advance gender equality, social justice, and human wellbeing through high-quality research, theory, and action programs. By sharing this work with policymakers, educators, practitioners, advocates, the media, and the public, WCW helps to shape a more just and equitable society."
--From the website

Archives of Women in Theological Scholarship (AWTS) provides access to the records of women who have reshaped theological education and American church life since 1900 and serves as the living memory and documentary repository for materials pertaining to Christian women's movements for progressive social change during this period. Dr. Cannon chose these Archives to house her papers.

"Newcomb College Institute is proud to support the development of The Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race and Politics in the South, led by founding director and Professor of Political Science Melissa Harris-Perry. The project investigates how gender and race intersect to shape women’s politics in the South. Plans include the initiation of a visiting scholar program, a postdoctoral program, student media projects, an endowed lecture series, and the development of a journal."
--From the Website

"The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities works with schools, businesses, and communities to achieve success by addressing prejudices, in all forms, in order to improve academic achievement, increase workplace productivity, and enhance local trust. Through workshops, retreats, and customized programs that raise knowledge, motivation, and skills, VCIC develops leaders who work together to achieve success throughout the Commonwealth.
Our organization traces its roots back to 1935 in Virginia. With a lengthy and rich history, we have been destined to change with the times, even as we work to change the times in which we live. Originally founded as the Virginia Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities concluded our association with NCCJ in 2005 and joined with many of our fellow offices across the country to form a new movement fighting prejudice in all its forms"
--From the website