From Lillian Hardin and Ella Fitzgerald to Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding, in jazz music women have help to shape, innovate, and serve as agents of change. But the disparity in opportunities for women speaks to the oppressive nature of institutional inequities that not only exist in the jazz industry, but in the world. Uncovering how these inequities manifest—from discriminatory hiring practices to unequal pay—is just the first step towards advocacy; however, advocating for gender equity requires an intersectional approach to looking at how both sexism and racism impact opportunities for all women.

In a moderated, open-mic conversation about the challenges and successes of women across the jazz diaspora—from musicians and educators to students and industry professionals—this town hall forum create a dialogue on how to both empower and advocate for women and address the question: “What do we need in order to create equitable spaces for women in the jazz industry?”

Moderator: Kaisha S. Johnson (Women of Color in the Arts).