PHILADELPHIA — Today Mayor Jim Kenney joined Jovida Hill, Executive Director for the Philadelphia Commission for Women (PCW), and PCW commission members to celebrate the release of PCW’s annual report and to honor five of the women who contributed to the report.

The annual report details the progress the Commission has made over the past year in policy advocacy and strategic partnerships to address their priorities of economic empowerment and reducing sexual violence against women.

“From the outset, this commission of dedicated women has taken on the hard work of advocating on behalf of women and girls,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “Over the past year, the Philadelphia Commission for Women has advised our administration on important public policy and I look forward to continuing to work with them this year.”

“I’m very proud of our accomplishments for fiscal year 2018,” said Jovida Hill, Executive Director for the Philadelphia Commission for Women. “We had a successful 2018 Summit for Women and Girls, which we hope to repeat in March. We continue to focus our advocacy around pay equity, reducing sexual violence against women, and raising awareness about human trafficking that happens right here in our city and in our neighborhoods. We need to work together to abolish this modern day form of slavery.”

At the event Mayor Kenney presented citations to five women from the People’s Paper Co-op (PPC) who authored “Women’s Bill of Rights: A Blueprint for Keeping Women Free,” which was included in the report. The “Women’s Bill of Rights” highlights last year’s “Women in Reentry Day” and the outcome of their symposium. The five PPC fellows who received mayoral citations were: Faith Bartley, Latyra Blake, Teresa Saunders, Latonya Myers and Nikkie Lee-Smith

The People’s Paper Co-op is a women-led, women-focused, women-powered art and advocacy project at the Village of Arts and Humanities. PPC connects formerly incarcerated individuals together with artists, civil rights lawyers, and many others to run a multitude of programs and initiatives. Through a highly collaborative and multidisciplinary process, the PPC and an incredible array of city-wide partners, work with individuals directly impacted by the criminal justice system to develop the tools, skills, and networks to advocate for themselves, their families, and residents across the city.

A copy of the 2018 Philadelphia Commission for Women Annual Report is available for download here.