And in 1993, NCBW members who participated in their chapters’ mentorship or literacy program attended a two-day, Individual Leadership Skills Training program. Held in Richmond, Virginia, the program focused first on personal values, decisions and programs and then expanded to organizational issues.

Reproductive Health Rights and Awareness: Launched in 1989, this education program addresses a range of topics related to reproductive health: values, economics, religion, public policy, abortion, teen pregnancy, drug addiction, AIDS, stress and nutrition. In 1991, experts from the health field and related fields of knowledge and NCBW chapter and board members held a three-day dialogue on the issue of reproductive health rights. This diverse gathering of women represented a myriad of economic, political, and philosophical clusters, which translated into a host of opinions and perspectives on this issue. The women developed strategies and endorsed recommended actions tailored to address the specific health needs of a systematically marginal segment of the American population. The report of the dialogue has been distributed to the NCBW membership and to the nonmember participants.

Time Warner's Time To Read Program: In 1991, NCBW entered into a partnership with Time Warner to sponsor this program, which provides sets of supportive materials valued at $30,000 each. Six NCBW chapters—Atlanta (GA), Tuskegee (AL), Houston (TX), Richmond (VA), Columbus (OH), and the District of Columbia—have incorporated this project into their existing literacy programs. Time Warner trained more than 150 tutors. And more than 500 children participated in the program.

Shades of You Literacy & Life Skills Development: This pilot project was developed in 1992, in cooperation with Maybelline. The project provides supportive services in reading, writing, and image development for single mothers aged 16–25. Four chapters were involved: Memphis (TN), Decatur-Dekalb (GA), Bridgeport (CT), and Fort Lauderdale (FL). More than 300 young people participated in the project. During 1993 and 1994, a literacy manual was developed, with a Shades of You life-skills component. Building Beautiful Bridges was disseminated to all NCBW chapters.

Conferences: NCBW conferences are held biennially. They have been funded by numerous corporations. Among them are Avon, General Mills, Clairol, American Express, Time Warner, Philip Morris Companies, The Coca-Cola Company, New York Telephone, Xerox, AT&T, Home Box Office, Sara Lee, and Reebok. The first convention, held in Philadelphia in 1984, enabled NCBW to pull together its regional cadres of leaders. During the second, which was held in Houston in 1986, the membership adopted resolutions that have become part of NCBW's present operating strategy. The third, held in St. Louis in 1988, included workshops devoted to voter registration, education reform, AIDS and career paths. The fourth conference, held in New York City in 1990, provided self-development opportunities and probed issues that could help shape America in the twenty-first century. And among the issues addressed at the fifth, which was held in Washington, DC, in October 1992, were educational reform, reproductive health freedom, and wellness in the African American community. The 1994 biennial meeting, in New York City, addressed the issues of equity, education and economics as they related to African American women.