#LoveSowGrow
Our roots, our seeds, our future.
August 17-19 | Philadelphia, PA
The Kinks, Locks and Twists Conference™ offers women, gender non-conforming and trans people of color and allies a unique space to explore the dynamic relationship between the health and well-being of our bodies, communities and the ecosystems in both a local and global context.
KLT also serves as an incubator to share models and develop practices to solve the problems caused by living in an increasingly toxic world. In a world that devalues the voices of women and girls and the wisdom of our foremothers, KLT offers women of color across ethnicities, nationalities and cultures an opportunity to remember, celebrate and connect to legacies with rich relationships to the land.
The Kinks, Locks and Twists Conference was created as a signature event during Women of Color HERStory Month® – a celebration of women of color presented by New Voices For Reproductive Justice annually between February 15 – March 15. The goal of the KLT Conference™ during the first two years was for women of color in Pittsburgh to discuss how our pursuit of elusive standards of beauty impacted our health and well-being. The politics of Black hair specifically served as the compelling access point for women of color to enter conversations about Environmental and Reproductive Justice.
KLT has expanded to explore a broad range of important environmental issues including environmental racism, fracking in Pennsylvania and toxic hair, makeup and personal products and their relationship to a host of reproductive cancers.
This year, New Voices is proud to host KLT in Philadelphia in celebration of our growing bases in Philadelphia as well as Cleveland, OH. The three-day experience will feature workshops, skill shares, plenaries, DIY activities, the Black Hair Institute, and health and wellness tutorials. Our primary venue will be the Friends Center at 1501 Cherry Street, with additional venues for events. Our theme this year is #LoveSowGrow — a call to embrace our roots as women of color, recognize our potential, and invest in ourselves as leaders to shape a self-determined future.
KLT has consistently provided a unique and vital space for people living on the frontlines of Environmental and Reproductive Justice to collaborate and grow together. We are very excited about what is in store for this year’s KLT Conference and we hope you will join us!
Kinks, Locks & Twists Conference™ 