Women In the World
When I was offered free tickets to
attend the Women in the World Summit,
my first thought was to cease the moment and jump at the opportunity. Before
attending I did not know what to expect, but I did understand the notion that
if professional women are offering their time and knowledge you people like me
is a place where I want to and need to be.
Women in the World Summit was a gathering of women who were on the front
lines from all different aspects over the world and came together to tell their
stories. There were activists, CEOs, peacemakers, and entrepreneurs. These
women allowed us to peek in to their lives by telling us stories through
journalistic narratives, stirring videos, and provocative discussions. Women in the World was a showcase for
women who had impacted our society and for the men who champion them.
I witnessed many panel discussions,
but the one that which impacted me the most was entitled, “They Killed My
Daughter.” During this discussion a mother spoke of her daughter being addicted
to opioids. She explained how her daughter hid her addiction for a long time,
but after a while it started to show. Her daughter lived a great life before
her addiction: She was a great student
in school and just an overall a good person. Her daughter got into an accident
and that’s when she was introduced to her first dose of opioids. The topic of drug
addiction hits very close to me because many of my family members are addicts
themselves. So, to hear the pain in this mother’s voice really hit a chord in
me. The speaker’s current goal is to combat the pharmaceutical industry. She
believed that they do not do enough to help people with their addiction, and
she wants to save people so no other mother would ever have to feel the pain
that she endured.
Another segment that stood out to me
was called, “Beat the Clock.” This was a panel of women: The President of Markus
Strobel President of P&G, Michaela Angela Davis, writer and image activist,
Maye Musk, model and face of Covergirl, Sheila Nevins, former president of HBO
documentary films, and Lesley Stahl who was the moderator of 60 minutes and CBS
news. This was by far the most powerful group of women I have ever seen. They
talked about how hard it is for older women to gain employment, but since times
are changing, older women are not looked at as “old news” anymore. They
informed us that there are more opportunities than there use to be for women
who are not in their younger years. Maye Musk was a prime example of this. When
you turn on your TV you are likely to see her gracing your screen. What I
learned from this panel is if you are still able to do the job, you should
never let your age discourage you in the future. There is still life after 50
and you just have to grab it!
The last panel that left a mark on
me was the “Me Too” panel. It had Joanna Coles who was the Chief Content
Officer of Hearst Magazines, Teen Vogue Columnist, Lauren Duca, actor Terry
Crews, and Zainab Salbi moderator of the television show Me Too, Now What. The panel discussed rape culture and the meaning
of consent. All the panelists made many positive points, but Terry Crews was
the most impactful to me. This brawny African American man looks like he can
beat up anyone opened up to us about a time when he was on a movie set and was
touched inappropriately. He was so vulnerable when he explained to us how he
didn’t know what to do when it happened. It is easy to say what you would do
until something so shocking happens to you. Crews also gave a fresh insight to
the panel. He was the only man and gave us tips on signs we should notice when
interacting with men. I walked away from that panel thinking I must be mindful
of who I interact with in the workforce, but also not be afraid to speak up.
This summit was very powerful
because I cried, laughed and learned so much. I do not know where I will end
you in this journey of life, but I do know that I need to appreciate every day
of it. Learning about the fight against drugs, how aging is bitter sweet, and
the #MeToo movement are things that I have a better perspective of outside of
seeing them being mentioned on television. This summit is something that was needed,
and I appreciate that I had the chance to attend. It was very insightful and I
hope one day it will be me on that stage empowering some young girl to find a
cause, fight for that cause, and to hopefully make change some way, I plan on
attending again and learning new things to help with my future endeavors.