SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
& OPPORTUNITIES

SHERYL’S MOST REQUESTED TALKS

CORE3

CORE3 refers to community, outreach, research, engagement, evaluation, and education, and represents a central theme to Sheryl Davis’s keynote talks, speaking remarks, and scholarship. CORE ideals must come through authentic community partnership, wherein expertise and lived experience is recognized and valued, before evaluation and education follow. Authenticity is critical to successful collaboration and holistic engagement of stakeholders, and especially when collaborative partners are members of historically marginalized groups and communities.

DARE TO DREAM

Daring to dream remains an audacious act.  From the essay ‘Dare to Dream’ by Sheryl Davis: 

“In the words of Langston Hughes, we must hold fast to dreams. Regardless of all the noise, the distractions and persistent attempts to silence the hope of the Black community, there are some who still dare to dream and work toward a day where people are not forever defined by their worst day or action, where they live and actually have the opportunity to thrive. Dreamers will continue to build safe communities for all neighborhoods; and envision a world where everyone has enough money to meet their basic needs — financial, emotional, mental and physical.”

BLACK EXCELLENCE

Sheryl Davis has worked to shine a light on Black writers and leading thinkers, creating events and opportunities for San Franciscans to hear from such luminaries as Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming, Another Brooklyn), D.Watkins (The Beast Side, We Speak for Ourselves), Wes Moore (The Other Wes Moore), and the late Congressman John Lewis (the March trilogy), among others, ensuring that many hundreds of children and youth, and other community members, had access to powerful experiences of Black excellence.  Davis has also engaged in conversation at events with scholar Dr. Cornel West, actor and activist Danny Glover, and in a virtual author talk with renowned writer Alice Walker, among other notables.