The California Black Women’s Health Project (CABWHP) is an organization catered to driving change and promoting health equity and wellness for Black women and girls in California. Women Who Dared is an annual awards ceremony and fundraising brunch that highlights prominent Black female leaders who are trailblazers in fostering meaningful change. This year’s ceremony is special as it highlights CABWHP’s 30th anniversary. 

The event will be held on Sunday, May 18, from 11am to 3pm at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. “Rooted in Care & Truth: Nurturing Black Women’s Wellness” is the theme of this year’s event, laying the foundation for a space of empowerment and connection.

Honorees are selected for their various impactful contributions within the community, stemming from the fields of education, activism, politics, the arts, and culture. This year’s honorees chosen are Mayor Karen Bass, Morenike “Nike” Irvin, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Tamika L. Butler. Past honorees include notable women such as actress Angela Bassett, Debbie Allen, the California Black Women’s Collective, and many other trailblazers. 

The current CEO, Sonya Aadam Young, has dedicated almost 11 years of time to her role Women Who Dared is making its return. She spoke about how important the event is for the Black community during today’s political climate, post George Floyd, which initially sparked a racial awakening during the height of the pandemic in 2020.

“Now we are in an environment that is regressive. It’s not friendly to us. During the pandemic, following the death of George Floyd and other incidents that led to [a] racial awakening — for this organization in particular — it was a time where there was love, a lot of support… for our community and for Black women.” 

She continued, “We are rooted in care and truth. We will always stand for that level of care and for the truths that we hold to be self-evident… We nurture the wellness of Black women and Black communities in the work that we do.” 

Young is the fifth CEO of the organization and stands on the shoulders of her predecessors, former CEOs Crystal Crawford, Holly J. Mitchell, Fran Jemmott, and Latonya Slack, who have left their mark on the important work of the organization. 

The event also is in celebration of the CABWHP’s 30th anniversary and is in tribute to the legacy of the late Anna Julia Cooper. Cooper is known as one of the first notable Black feminists who was also an educator, writer, and author, whose work stems all the way back to the late 1800s. CABWHP is following in the footsteps of Cooper, who laid a blueprint that signifies the importance of advocacy, education, and wellness for the empowerment of Black women. 

“Anna Julia Cooper is a pioneering activist, and that spirit of activism lives on through this organization, through the work we do, and through the women we are honoring at this event,” said current CABWHP CEO Sonya Young Aadam. 

Crystal Crawford is one of CABWHP’s former CEOs and is excited to have helped cultivate a path of exemplary leadership for Black women. With extensive experience in the legal, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors, Crawford was CEO of CABHP for seven years and the organization’s first Director of Policy for five years. She also established CABWHP’s Advocate Training Program. 

She reflected on the significance of Women Who Dared, as CABWHP has partnered with the WACO Theatre Company to feature a collaboration with local Black artist Christen Austin. Creativity, art, and advocacy are at the forefront. 

“Creativity has to be centered on our journey to achieving wellness. It’s who we are as people of African ancestry, creativity has always been woven into the fabric of everything we do, whether it is in the arts, social justice, legal work, or advocacy.”

Crawford also opened up about her 12 years in service to CABHP and her love for community work, as it is a labor of love. 

“It was the type of job that if I did not have bills, I would do it for free.” She continued, “I consider it to be one of the highlights of my career and am so proud to be a part of the legacy standing to folks in prior executive roles and standing alongside Sonya.”

Tamika Butler and Nike Irvin are two of the honorees for this year’s event. Other honorees included the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, and legendary actress Yvette Nicole Brown. 

Irvin was selected as an honoree due to being a visionary in leadership and philanthropic development. She is currently the managing director of the Civil Society Fellowship, a program of the Aspen Institute, focusing on facilitating civil discourse across ideological differences across the world. Irvin is ecstatic about her award and attributes the recognition to her ancestors. 

“It indeed is an honor, and what it means to me is that my mom, grandma, and all of my ancestors, including my dad… their dreams are manifesting through me.” She continued, “An honor like this means that the bets, risks, and dares they took are paying off. It’s my opportunity to keep daring myself. So, someone wants to call me a ‘woman who dared.’ I’m thinking the folks who came before me must have done a few good things.”

Butler is a national leader in the areas of urban justice and racial equity. She is also a doctoral student in urban planning at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs and often speaks on various issues related to public policy. Butler said the following about being an honoree of this year’s Women Who Dared event.

“It’s huge, the work I’ve done. I think so much of the work that Black women do, no matter what field, often feels like it goes unseen and unappreciated.” She continued, “… And I think just being lucky enough to be honored, not only with the other honorees this year but also with the long history of honorees, feels like real validation. [It’s specifically] important because it’s coming from Black women, and that means the most!”

For more information about Women Who Dared and to RSVP, visit www.cabwhp.org/wwd.