Event Speakers  

Joanna Lohman

Joanna Lohman, author of, Raising Tomorrow's Champions, is a former professional soccer player and member of the United States Women’s National Team. During her 16-year professional career, she has built a platform for social impact and became the first player in Washington Spirit history to have her jersey retired.

Kandice A. Sumner

Kandice A. Sumner, M.Ed., teaches humanities (a combination of history and English) for the Boston Public Schools and is a doctoral student in Urban Educational Policy. Sumner created and facilitates a professional development curriculum entitled R.A.C.E. (race, achievement, culture, and equity) to engage professionals of all ages on how to conduct courageous conversations concerning race for the betterment of today’s youth. As the subject of the documentary film Far From Home, Sumner speaks publicly and consults with organizations on holding difficult conversations about race and education.

Born and raised in urban Boston, Sumner graduated from a suburban school system through a voluntary desegregation program (METCO). She then matriculated Spelman College (a historically Black liberal arts college) and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. From being one of a few Blacks in her school to attending at a historically Black college to teaching in the underserved and predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods of Boston, Sumner has spent a lifetime traversing the lines of race, class, and gender.