Leading Women Defined: Mentoring, Education and Activism

Education, activism, and mentoring at BET summit.

Mentoring the Next Generation - To kick off the Leading Women Defined conference, Mara Brock Akil, executive producer and creator of The Game, and Wendy Raquel Robinson, an actress on the show, hosted a program called "Speed Careering: Mentoring the Next Generation" for high-achieving teenage girls from various local organizations to provide inspiration and insight about the wealth of career opportunities available to them. Hosted in partnership with MENTOR/The National Mentoring Partnership, the goal of the session was to expose young girls to senior-level executives and show students what is possible for them if they work hard and follow through on their education.  (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Mentoring the Next Generation - To kick off the Leading Women Defined conference, Mara Brock Akil, executive producer and creator of The Game, and Wendy Raquel Robinson, an actress on the show, hosted a program called "Speed Careering: Mentoring the Next Generation" for high-achieving teenage girls from various local organizations to provide inspiration and insight about the wealth of career opportunities available to them. Hosted in partnership with MENTOR/The National Mentoring Partnership, the goal of the session was to expose young girls to senior-level executives and show students what is possible for them if they work hard and follow through on their education. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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The Chairman Speaks - BET Networks Chairman and Chief Executive Debra Lee also spoke at the session. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Working the Room - Mara Brock Akil mingles with the crowd. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Working the Room - Mara Brock Akil mingles with the crowd. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Giving Back - Mara Brock Akil and Wendy Raquel Robinson share inspiring words. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Giving Back - Mara Brock Akil and Wendy Raquel Robinson share inspiring words. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Powerful Women - Volkswagen's Michelle Williams, Wendy Raquel Robinson, BET Networks Chairman and Chief Executive Debra Lee  and Mara Brock Akil pose for a photo.  (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Powerful Women - Volkswagen's Michelle Williams, Wendy Raquel Robinson, BET Networks Chairman and Chief Executive Debra Lee  and Mara Brock Akil pose for a photo. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Preparing for Success - Libre Johnson engages the crowd. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Preparing for Success - Libre Johnson engages the crowd. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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On the Rise: The Future of Activism - Actress, producer and activist Tatyana Ali hosted a program that featured prominent youth activists who are making remarkable strides in their respective areas of advocacy.  (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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On the Rise: The Future of Activism - Actress, producer and activist Tatyana Ali hosted a program that featured prominent youth activists who are making remarkable strides in their respective areas of advocacy. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

Discussing Strategies - Author and Emmy Award–winning AIDS activist Marvelyn Brown discussed how to bring about meaningful change in our communities.  (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Discussing Strategies - Author and Emmy Award–winning AIDS activist Marvelyn Brown discussed how to bring about meaningful change in our communities. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Leading Women Defined - On Tuesday, BET Networks kicked off its second annual Leading Women Defined summit in Washington D.C. The three-day conference featured programs on education reform, activism, self-esteem, and mentoring, as well as forums with celebrity guests such as Venus Williams, Star Jones, and Tracee Ellis Ross. In this photo Tatyana Ali, Marvelyn Brown, Kari Fulton, and Zedia Wright sit on a panel. (Photo:  Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Navigating Obstacles - From left, Tatyana Ali, Marvelyn Brown, Kari Fulton and Zedia Wright discuss how we can all affect sustainable change in our communities. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

One Fierce Woman - Zedia Wright, a youth leader with FIERCE, enjoys the panel. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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One Fierce Woman - Zedia Wright, a youth leader with FIERCE, enjoys the panel. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Kari Fulton - Kari Fulton is an award-winning environmental justice and national campus campaign coordinator for the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative. She has been an advocate since she went to volunteer in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. She has traveled across the globe reporting on climate change and, in 2009, she co-founded Checktheweather.TV, a virtual platform for climate change discourse.  (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Sharing Blueprints for Success - Part of the discussion on activism centered on the findings of a Girls Scouts survey called "What African-American Girls Say." In this image, co-founder and editor of checktheweather.net, Kari Fulton. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

Education Reform: Building a Movement - In this session on education reform, Digital Youth Network founder Nichole Pinkard (left), NAACP Chairman Roslyn Brock (center) and D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson discuss the critical roles that teachers, administrators, parents and legislators must assume to ensure transformation in America’s public education system.(Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Education Reform: Building a Movement - In this session on education reform, Digital Youth Network founder Nichole Pinkard (left), NAACP Chairman Roslyn Brock (center) and D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson discuss the critical roles that teachers, administrators, parents and legislators must assume to ensure transformation in America’s public education system.(Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

Sparking the Conversation - BET News Correspondent April Woodard moderated the lively discussion on education reform. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Sparking the Conversation - BET News Correspondent April Woodard moderated the lively discussion on education reform. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Transforming a Failed System - D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Transforming a Failed System - D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Leading the Movement - NAACP's Rosyln Brock. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Leading the Movement - NAACP's Rosyln Brock. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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