Black women leaders and their allies are descending on downtown Chicago this weekend as the Power Rising Summit takes over the Hilton Chicago for three days of organizing, strategy and no-small-talk politics. The gathering runs Friday through Sunday and is built around political power, economic opportunity and community resilience. Vice President Kamala Harris and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton are among the headline speakers. Organizers say the summit aims to convert the cultural and civic clout of Black women into concrete voter outreach and policy plans ahead of the 2026 midterms.
About the summit
Power Rising bills the summit as an intergenerational convening organized around five pillars: business and economic empowerment, culture and community, education, technology and innovation, health and wellness, and political empowerment. The group says the conference blends workshops, strategy sessions, and cultural programming so attendees leave with an agenda they can take back home and implement, according to Power Rising.
Where and when
All of it is happening at the Hilton Chicago, 720 South Michigan Avenue. Organizers have partnered with the hotel for an official room block and on-site logistics. Sessions stretch from Friday through Sunday and include a mix of ticketed plenaries and smaller breakout rooms, per Bizzabo.
Speakers and programming
Vice President Harris is slated to appear at a Sunday "soul brunch," and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is among the featured speakers. Commentators Angela Rye and Donna Brazile are also on the schedule, and Mayor Brandon Johnson is expected to join a Friday conversation, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
'1M Black Voters Rising' and the coalition
Organizers say this year comes with an extra level of urgency. They are rolling out a voter registration push called "1M Black Voters Rising" that aims to sign up one million voters before the 2026 midterms. Bringing the summit, now in its ninth year, to Chicago is "a nod to the leadership here that exists in Chicago," founder Bishop Leah Daughtry told the Chicago Sun-Times. The campaign, co-convened by Daughtry and Minyon Moore, will pull in partners including the National Council of Negro Women, Higher Heights for America PAC, the Black Women's Roundtable, several Black Greek-letter sororities and the Win With Black Women network, per the Chicago Sun-Times.
Why it matters
Organizers point to long-running patterns of high civic engagement among Black women, along with shifting youth vote dynamics, as the rationale for the summit and the new registration drive. Turnout data and historic trends from the U.S. Census Bureau are central to that argument. The strategy also leans on grassroots tactics that have worked in recent cycles, including a Win With Black Women Zoom call that drew roughly 44,000 participants and raised about $1.5 million, a model organizers say they hope to replicate in person, according to Fortune.
Local angle and what to expect
Chicago civic and political leaders are expected to use the weekend to push for follow-through at home, from voter registration drives to civic education efforts they argue could ripple out to battleground states. Around the Hilton, expect heavier foot traffic, plenty of lanyards in hotel hallways and a mix of public panels and closed-door strategy sessions through Sunday.
