November 21, 2024 - SACRAMENTO — California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, in collaboration with the California Partners Project, on Wednesday hosted a pivotal Gender Equity Summit on women’s health and safety. The Summit brought together thought leaders, advocates, and experts to advance systemic change, foster collaboration, and raise awareness about key issues that impact women’s well-being in California and beyond.

“When women are safe and supported, we thrive—and so do our families and communities. Today's Summit was about working collaboratively to create and uplift systems to ensure women’s health and safety. By bringing together diverse voices, we have the opportunity to catalyze meaningful action to create a more equitable future for women and their families."

Mental health, deeply intertwined with overall health, emerged as a focal point, with discussions emphasizing that investments in women’s health and safety yield profound benefits for families and communities.

During the Summit, participants explored themes such as trafficking, the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women as a public health issue, Tech-Facilitated Gender Based Violence, toxic stress, intergenerational trauma, and engaging male allies in sexual assault and intimate partner violence prevention.

Gender Equity Summit speakers included public health experts, survivor-advocates, and tribal leaders:

• Dr. Nicole Bush, Professor, University of California San Francisco

• Debbie Chang, CEO, Blue Shield of California Foundation

• Molly Dickens, PhD, Maternal Stress Project

• Rachelle Ditmore, Co-founder, City of Refuge Sacramento

• Ashley Faison, Survivor/Advocate and Founder and Executive Director, Diamond Collective

• Maya Hardigan, CEO and Founder, Mae

• Virginia Hedrick, Executive Director, California Consortium for Urban Indian Health

• Eve Rodsky, New York Times Bestselling Author and Founder, Fair Play Policy Institute

• Cynthia A. Stuenkel, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California San Diego

• Angie Wilson, Director, Reno-Sparks Tribal Health Center
   

The First Partner hosted the first Gender Equity Summit in 2023 with a focus on women's wealth, power, and opportunity.

Through California for ALL Women, First Partner Siebel Newsom has made it a priority to center the needs of women as she makes strides to build economic equity, equal representation, and advance a family-first agenda. Through California for ALL Kids, the First Partner is championing initiatives and policies that support children’s mental and physical health and working to provide families with the tools they need to ensure their children get the best start in life.
Source: Office of the Governor