Who We Are, And What We Do.

The Black Women's Leadership Forum (BWLF) is an organization of Black women in Rochester, New York, dedicated to improving relationships between and among black women.

Be Part of Our Community

The Black Women's Leadership Forum came into existence in 2005 in response to a newspaper article in the Democrat & Chronicle that identified Rochester's African American leaders without the benefit of input from the local community.

Program Details

BWLF is a subcommittee of the City Of Rochester's Black Heritage Committee, and is supported primarily through membership dues, donations, and participant registration fees.​

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THE BACK STORY…

The Black Women's Leadership Forum came into existence in 2005, in response to a newspaper article in the Democrat & Chronicle that identified Rochester's African American leaders without the benefit of input from the local community.

KUJICHAGULIA…

We began a process of Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) to name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.  We came together to identify for ourselves, not only who our leaders were, but to name for ourselves the issues that were important to us.

WHO WE ARE…

BWLF began as a subcommittee of the City of Rochester's Black Heritage Committee.   We are now a membership organization for Black women interested in improving their “sister” relationships and to be more supportive of one another.  We are supported primarily through membership dues, donations, and workshop registration fees. ​ 

WHAT WE DO...

Annually, we offer our signature workshop, "Overcoming Internalized Racism", to help Black women understand internalized racism and how it affects our relationships with other Black women.  Additionally, we offer book and movie discussions, leadership workshops, sister trips and retreats, and are proud to say we’ve served more than 250 Black women.