Starts:

Thursday April 23, 2026

    6:00 PM

Ends:

    8:00 PM

Join WNDC for a powerful conversation on history, recognition, and the ongoing fight for educational equity with Rep. Jennifer McClellan. The first Black woman elected to Congress from Virginia, McClellan serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, defending America’s access to health care, affordable energy, and a clean and livable planet.  

 McClellan will tell the story behind the installation last December of the statue honoring Barbara Rose Johns in the United States Capitol. This important recognition commemorates Johns’ courageous leadership as a student activist who protested unequal educational facilities in Virginia, helping to ignite a movement for educational equity that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring school segregation unconstitutional.  

McClellan will also address current challenges facing educational institutions and discuss congressional efforts to counter policies and actions that threaten equitable access to education. By linking past and present, this conversation will highlight the continued importance of advocacy, leadership, and public policy in shaping the future of education and equal rights for all Americans. 

EVENT DETAILS: 

Remarks and Q&A, in-person and via Zoom. 
6 p.m. complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cash bar; 6:30–8 p.m. program. 
Zoom only: $10. In-person: members: $35, non-members: $45 plus tax. 

A lifelong Virginian, McClellan spent 18 years serving the Richmond area in the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate, passing over 370 bills to expand voting rights, protect reproductive health, combat climate change, and enhance workers’ protections. Since her election to Congress in 2023, she has served on the House Armed Service Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee, working to protect health care, education, reproductive rights, and the environment.  

For non-member event reservations: please email pfitzgerald@democraticwoman.org or telephone 202-232-7363 Ext. 402 (voicemails will also be accepted).

*Please note: Guests, with the exception of members’ spouses and domestic partners, may attend a maximum of three paid events from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. After the third event, they must join the Club to continue attending events.* 

Please note: By attending a WNDC event, participants agree to being recorded and/or photographed, and the resulting assets may be used for promotional purposes. Should you wish not to be recorded or photographed, please notify a member of the WNDC staff on site.