Women Creating Change Hosts Inaugural State of NYC Women Conference

NEW YORK, N.Y.—October 23, 2025— New York’s top women leaders appeared at the lively and captivating inaugural State of NYC Women Conference, hosted by Women Creating Change (WCC) on Tuesday, October 14, at Civic Hall in Manhattan. WCC is a 110-year-old organization, born out of the women’s suffrage movement, which continues to be dedicated to advancing women’s civic engagement and leadership.

Taking place just weeks before the critical New York City general election, the day-long convening connected over 260 leaders from across communities, sectors, and lived experiences. The event featured panels, keynotes, and strategy sessions addressing gender equity, economic justice, safety, education, reproductive justice, and civic participation. Attendees gathered to think through both long and short-term actions they can take to improve their communities and step into their power as changemakers.

• Opening remarks from Sharon Sewell-Fairman (President & CEO, WCC), Gale Brewer (NYC Council Member), and Sabrina Stratton (Board Chair, WCC; Senior Vice President and Northeast Regional Director, Amalgamated Bank).
• Special appearances by local elected and government officials, including NYC Council Member Farah N. Louis; Sideya Sherman, NYC Chief Equity Officer & Commissioner, NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice; NYC Council Member Carmen De La Rosa; Denise M. Miranda, Esq. Commissioner, NYS Division of Human Rights; Camille Joseph Varlack, Deputy Mayor for Administration, Chief of Staff and Special Counsel to the Mayor, Mayor’s Office, City of New York
• Engaging panels on reproductive rights, gender-based safety, economic justice, democracy, early civic education, and the future of women’s leadership.
• Funding roundtable featuring leaders from The New York Women’s Foundation, North Star Fund, Brooklyn Org, and Amplify Her Foundation, who explored strategies to sustain long-term investment in women-led change.

Throughout the day, attendees participated in real-time polls to provide feedback to organizers and stay actively engaged in the discussions. Our findings provide a pulse check on how women in the room are thinking about the critical issues of our time.

• When asked what statewide policy would do the most to advance health justice, attendees overwhelmingly agreed that universal reproductive and maternal care would have the greatest impact.
• When asked which system is in most urgent need of reform to ensure women’s safety, attendees were most supportive of reforming the criminal legal system/policing as well as housing and shelter access.
• Attendees overwhelmingly agree that the biggest barrier to women’s economic security is wage inequality.
• Attendees signal the biggest barriers to full civic participation for women are time and caregiving responsibilities, political gatekeeping/bias, and distrust that participation leads to real impact.
• Thinking ahead, attendees voted to signal that the greatest opportunity for the next generation of women leaders lives in building cross-movement coalitions.

“Something special happens when women who share a common vision join in community to share ideas, discuss barriers, lift each other up, and make plans to advance their cause. That’s exactly what happened at the State of NYC Women Conference,” said Sharon Sewell-Fairman, President and CEO of Women Creating Change. “Attendees represented women across every borough who deal with these pressing issues every day. They left with a strong community and a commitment to change their lives.”

"Civic leadership isn't confined to elected voices, it’s expressed through the choices we make every day,” said Sabrina Stratton, Board Chair, Women Creating Change and Senior Vice President and Northeast Regional Director, Amalgamated Bank. “Through my work with WCC, I have had the privilege to work with women who remind me why this work matters.”

“We are not letting this moment, time, or crisis go to waste,” said Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank. “We are building, and this conference is not just an event; it's a declaration. I hope you leave today with a fire in your belly. Let's make change happen; let's make it inevitable."

“There are many challenges for women and children in this complicated city, many of which we will discuss today,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. “And I hope these workshops lead to agendas that we can legislate or budget for in the council.”

“I believe in a three-pronged approach: legislate, educate, and advocate," said Council Member Farah N. Louis. “Legislators open up spaces for us to create laws, but we must also open up opportunities to the community to educate us, because they are usually the experts and can speak on the issues that all women are experiencing throughout our city and country.”

“We are here today because of a legacy that compels us,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. “Our history is not a footnote; it's an unshakable foundation with the vision that began in 1948 with those who dared to demand equality. Victories are monumental, but political access is the step towards democracy.”

Over the course of the day, attendees strategized around dismantling systemic barriers to women’s full civic participation and explored frameworks for mobilizing communities, shaping policy, and building cross-sector partnerships.

The inaugural State of NYC Women Conference was supported by Amplify Her Foundation, Amalgamated Bank, PWC, JP Morgan Chase, Adams & Company, Lyft, The New York Women’s Foundation, and Reavis, Page, Jump, LLP.