Lila Downs, Joycelyn Elders and More to Headline at Assembly

Mixtec music powerhouse Lila Downs and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders are on a growing list of women leaders in their fields stated to address plenaries and “town halls” at United Methodist Women’s “Faith • Hope • Love in Action” quadrennial Assembly, April 30-May 2, 2010 in St. Louis, Mo.

 

United Methodist Native American Anita Phillips will also address the Assembly audience, as will a more recent addition to justice activism, Erica L. Williams, deputy director of Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress.

 

“I am delighted that such noted women will offer additional opportunities at Assembly, along with all the sensory experiences that will be provided,” said Andris Salter, Women’s Division executive and coordinator of the event.

 

Ms. Downs, Dr. Elders, Ms. Phillips and Ms. Williams are in addition to the previously announced participation of renowned Gospel vocalist CeCe Winans, award-winning broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff, and Africa’s first female prelate Bishop Joaquina Nhanala of Mozambique.

 

Assembly 2010 will celebrate women of faith and the mission work of women, children and youth in more than 80 countries, hosted by one of the largest and most diverse groups of women of faith from the largest denominational faith organization for women, United Methodist Women.

 

Inspired by faith and activated by justice, Assembly 2010 is a movement of women from all walks of life who come together as one body to worship, fellowship with each other, and also to address and act upon issues affecting women, children and youth.

 

 

Lila Downs, born in Oaxaca, Mexico, is the daughter of Mixtec cabaret singer Anita Sánchez and Allen Downs, a Scottish/English-American art professor. Her powerful persona and voice caught Hollywood's attention. She played a role in “Frida,” a film about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, sang the Oscar nominated soundtrack song "Burn It Blue," and became the first Mexican to perform on the Academy Awards telecast. She captured a Latin Grammy for 2004's Una Sangre and at The Festival of Sacred Music at the Hollywood Bowl, Downs participated alongside luminaries including the Dalai Lama.

 

Though many songs address the heated topics of immigration, political justice, and transformation, Downs' vulnerability, compassion and humor are always present in her music. Her newest album is Shake Away a Grammy-nominated release.

 

Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders is a United Methodist and a pediatrician who served as the U.S. Surgeon General of Public Health Service in 1993 under President Bill Clinton. She was the first African American to serve in the position. Dr. Elders argued the case for universal health coverage and was a spokesperson for President Clinton’s health care reform effort. She was a strong advocate for comprehensive sex education, including sex education in schools.

 

For many years before and after her appointment as Surgeon General, she was a professor of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

 

Anita Phillips is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and an elder in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. She is presently appointed to extension ministry and serves as the Executive Director of the Native American Comprehensive Plan (NACP), one of five racial-ethnic national plans recognized within the United Methodist Church. She has previously served several Native American churches in Oklahoma and was a district superintendent for six years.

 

Prior to entering formal ministry, she served as a social worker for over twenty years within Native American communities, including co-authoring the first Child Welfare Tribal Code for the Cherokees. Reverend Phillips currently serves as the chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry within her annual conference. 

 

Erica Williams is a Washington D.C. based activist and commentator who works for the political empowerment of the Millennial generation, people of color, and other underrepresented communities. She currently serves as the Deputy Director of Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress. Listed by Politico.com as one of Top 50 Politicos to Watch, she is a frequent commentator on television and radio including CNN, Fox & Friends, The Tavis Smiley Show, Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff and has been featured in publications like the Washington Post to O Magazine.

 

Before joining the Center for American Progress, she worked at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and was a Fellow at the Aspen Institute. She can be found at www.ericawilliamsonline.com and on twitter at @ericawilliamsdc.

 

Learn more about Assembly and the Assembly speakers here.