Jewel Plummer Cobb Sisters Conference – Still I Rise: The State of Black Women and Girls

The Associate Alumnae and the Black Alumnae Network invite all Douglass alumnae, friends, the entire Rutgers community and beyond to come together for the Jewel Plummer Cobb Sisters Conference: Still I Rise: The State of Black Women and Girls, hosted on campus at the Rutgers University Cook Student Center (59 Biel Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901) from 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday, March 7, 2026.

Register online today, click here! All registrations include: Continental Breakfast, Morning Panel, Buffet Lunch (traditional cuisine), Keynote Session, Afternoon Panel, Conversation Hour. The ticket to attend is $100.

Black Alumnae Network President and Conference Chairperson Catherine Sackey ’22, Conference Co-Chairs Dolores Ijames Bryant ’84 and Channél Jordan ’19, and the planning committee, encourage all alumnae and friends to participate in this important, practical, and interactive conference. 

Natasha Hemmings-Durant, MPA, Chief Executive Officer for the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey, will deliver the keynote. We will pay tribute to the legacy of the late Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb, scientist, educator, mentor, and the first African American Dean of Douglass College.

Our dynamic panelists and moderators will guide discussions where we will explore underlying issues that continue to impact the security of Black women and girls, technology, and employment. Through powerful panel discussions and expert insights, we’ll consider what we need to prepare for the future. Together we will move beyond conversation to share valuable resources and develop a collective CALL TO ACTION. 

Our morning panel, presented by Dolores Ijames Bryant ’84 (Moderator), Miranda Alfonso, Jaime Coleman,  and Tamara Fleming, “Beyond the Buzz: What Technology and AI Really Mean for Black Communities,” is a focused conversation with experts in AI and cybersecurity, youth-centered creative education, and social impact entrepreneurship. This panel explores how emerging technologies can empower Black communities, protect our digital futures, and expand opportunities for creators, innovators, and the next generation.

In the afternoon, “Reimagining Equity: An Economic Action Plan for Black Women and Our Communities,” will be presented by panelists Caprice Jenerson ’90 (Moderator), Thelma Ramsey Bryant, Ph.D., Keisha Dabrowski and Shanique Taliaferro. In this conversation, a diverse group of leaders will explore how to build more equitable pathways that strengthen opportunity, learning, and economic advancement for Black women and the communities they support. Drawing from work that spans organizational leadership, community empowerment, and educational transformation, the panel will offer insight into the systems that shape our lives—and discuss bold, practical approaches for reshaping them.

We are grateful to conference sponsors and partners, including:

• Inclusion Sponsor: Pamela Brug ’84, MD, President | New Jersey Black Women Physicians Association
• Inclusion Sponsor: Dr. Debra Joy Perez ’84
• Engagement Partner: Dolores Ijames Bryant ’84, MSW, LCSW
• Engagement Partner: Rutgers Alumni Association 
• Promotional Partner: New Brunswick Area Branch NAACP

Biennial Conference Honors Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb 

Hosted by the Black Alumnae Network of the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, this unique conference was inspired by the prolific life of the late Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb, who, among her many amazing accomplishments, was the first Black Dean of Douglass College. Dr. Cobb, an influential educator, trailblazer and scientist, served as the sixth Dean of Douglass from 1976 to 1981. 

The biennial conference explores a wide range of issues impacting Black women and girls, and presents powerful keynote speakers and expert panel discussions.

Dr. Cobb (1924-2017) was the granddaughter of a freed slave and grew up in Chicago, the daughter of a doctor and a schoolteacher. She overcame racial segregation and sexism throughout her career, excelling in her work throughout the country as a researcher, professor and higher education administrator. As a scientific researcher, she studied the skin pigment melanin and the testing of new chemotherapy drugs to treat melanoma; her research is still widely applied to the treatment of skin and lung cancers. 

Dr. Cobb was the first African-American to be appointed Dean of Douglass. A researcher with an impressive background in cell cytology and cancer research, she was also a role model for women in science. Throughout her career, she advocated for women and minorities to enter careers in science, math and engineering. Dr. Cobb influenced countless Douglass alumnae through her leadership and achievements. Her leadership was instrumental in the creation of the AADC Black Alumnae Network. 

The Black Alumnae Network of the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College (AADC) was established in 1981 to organize events that are of particular interest to African American alumnae.