History and Mission

Maryland WOCN was founded on October 4, 2000, to be an advocate in communities of color for victims of sexual violence, and to provide insight and guidance to the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault on issues of sexual violence that impact women of color. Since its inception, the Maryland WOCN has actively worked toward breaking down barriers to service delivery and influencing meaningful change at all  levels for women of color by providing workshops, participating in community activities, and researching the best practices that support women of color who are survivors of sexual violence.

 

 

 

Maryland WOCN’s Goals

  • Actively recruit more women of color for paid and volunteer leadership and clinical positions.
  • Work with educational institutions to encourage women of color to go into health, social service and human services fields.
  • Create more opportunities for leadership training.
  • Heighten the understanding of working with women of color.
  • Maintain contacts with existing women of color and other minority and allied organizations.

Maryland WOCN Membership

Participation in Maryland WOCN is open to women with professional experience in victim services and to women from the community who are interested in promoting improvement of services and assistance to victims of sexual violence.

Maryland WOCN hosts meetings for its general body, which features various training, technical assistance, and informational topics.  There is no fee to join Maryland WOCN.  However, we do ask that you self-identify as a woman of color or an allied professional or member of the community.

The general body monthly meeting for Maryland WOCN is held every second Friday from 10am-12pm.

If you are interested in being involved with Maryland WOCN, please fill out the interest form linked below, or email [email protected].

Join The Maryland Women of Color Network

Annual Conference

Maryland WOCN hosts an annual statewide conference that serves as a networking and training event for rape crisis and recovery centers, government agencies, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, community leaders and students to increase knowledge and gain skills related to sexual violence prevention and cultural competency that can be applied in their organizations and within their communities. 

 

Past Conferences

  • November 2023: Empowering Mind, Body, & Spirit: Healing & Thriving After Trauma
  • November 2022: Forming Alliances with Communities to Empower & Embrace Survivors
  • November 2021: Truth, Transformation, and Healing: Supporting Survivors & Rebuilding Our Communities
  • November 2020: Bold & Courageous: Strengthening Community Connections to End Sexual Violence
    Watch Dr. Tricia B. Bent-Goodley's keynote address on our Youtube channel.

Maryland WOCN Resources