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Despite the horrible things Black women have faced in the Deep South, especially in the state of Louisiana, Women With A Vision co-founder Deon Haywood says they thrive in New Orleans ahead of her conversation during Get Free 2025.
During a call with Madamenoire, Hawyood reflected on spending time with a group of young ladies in the city’s seventh ward, noting how their stories align, specifically when learning that their mother’s were also seamstresses, and used to make stuff for the drag queens who would come out at nighttime to get the outfits that were made from them. Things like this excite Haywood, something as simple as connecting over memories of eating struggle meals made with the basics like egg, rice, and a little bit of smoked sausage.
For women like herself, having a simple conversation with women of a younger generation is just one example of the freedom that New Orleans beholds, allowing her to hone in on the beauty, reflecting on the good, bad, and the ugly, because without any of them, there’d be no Crescent City.
“I tell people, either she loves you or she doesn’t,” said Haywood, confidently gendering New Orleans as a woman. “Either she will embrace you, or she’ll spit you out. All of it is based on who you are. Yeah, that’s my city.”
As someone who has been at the helm of Women of A Vision, the community-based nonprofit founded in 1989 by a grassroots collective of Black women in response to the spread of HIV and AIDS within communities of color, Haywood took a second to reflect on what it means for the organization to be honored during this year’s North Star Gala at Get Free 2025.
“It feels like the whole coming home reunion,” Haywood told Madamenoire. “I’ve known Paris Hatcher for many years now, and just to have your work honored by your peers… The agency has gotten awards from many different people, but it feels really special for people to see that you’re operating from a Black feminist standpoint, that you’re working intersectionality. You’re working on behalf of Black women and queer folk, right?”
She added, “It feels sweet. That’s the only other word I have. I may be profound, but it just feels sweet to be chosen by your own. Yeah, absolutely, chosen by our own in a state that, yes, they have many partnerships, but oftentimes here we have felt lonely as an organization. Not many people talk about Black feminist thought, Black feministtheory. Not many people operate from that place. So it feels just really sweet to be honored for Black women doing the work that our foremothers have always done. That our ancestors have always done, and we’re rooted in that.”
What is Get Free: A Black Feminist Reunion?
“Get Free is the largest Black feminist convening in the US, and is a space for our people to joyfully connect, build skills, and raise consciousness,” according to the event’s website, and will take place in New Orleans from June 5 to June 7.
Hundreds of Black feminists will be united in collective, learning, knowledg-sharing, and action, including Haywood’s presentation on reproductive justice in a segment titled: “When Sh*t Hits the Fan: Reimagining RJ in Louisiana and the Deep South.”
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