originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press
When I got the invitation from the annual virtual Women’s Empowerment Expo to be featured among the 40 organizations from around the world, I thought it was a joke. Maybe that’s because the Expo is organized by Harvard Alumni for Global Women’s Empowerment (GlobalWE) and includes CEOs, ambassadors, inventors, I’ve always addressed the challenges that women face, my Radcliffe/Harvard time was more than a half century ago. Overwhelmed by their incredible attempts to build a better world, I’ll let others from the Zoom conference comment.
Let’s start with one of the facilitators, Christina Tobias-Nahi. “I always enjoy the GlobalWE Expo – a plethora of opportunities for the over 100 women and men who attend to hear about ways to give back through modalities like mentoring or funding. A wide array of global presenters from nearly every continent shared slides about their work. A former panel speaker myself, I enjoyed facilitating two sessions so that I got to hear from and connect with so many inspiring women, often sharing very vulnerable stories of their ‘Why’. Their work is more important now then even ever before.”
It was great to hear Mini’imah Shaheed’s presentation about technology and the future. “I’m the founder of OrbitIQ, a leadership intelligence engine for women who lead. We are in a moment where women’s leadership is not adapted to the system, but the system is rebuilt around the full truth of women’s lives, power, and brilliance. I’m building OrbitIQ for the future, to be a new category of leadership technology that transforms the lived experiences of women into intelligence that women leaders can use in real time to navigate complexity, power, and possibility.”
Another presenter, Nadia Muradi highlighted the global network of the Expo. “At the Black Basalt Foundation, our work began in response to a critical gap, where minority communities are not fully heard, and where women within those communities face additional layers of vulnerability. We’ve seen how unaddressed differences can deepen mistrust across the region, something we’ve witnessed through friends and family in southern Syria. We’re developing programs that use art and storytelling to confront these realities and push back against normalization of violence and discrimination.”
Attendee Musa Jafar demonstrated the Expo’s impact. “Stepping into the different breakout rooms was like walking into a powerhouse of innovation and purpose. The vision and mission behind each of these women-led organizations are nothing short of incredible. It opened my eyes to the global impact of female entrepreneurship and the creative ways leaders are tackling world challenges.” This Expo made me think deeply about home and the opportunities Women’s Empowerment and Entrepreneurship in Pakistan. I’m excited to take these learnings and explore how to support our female leaders and build a stronger ecosystem for social entrepreneurship in Pakistan.”
And then there was little old me. My project felt minuscule next to what these folks are doing and plan to do. My online magazine, American Diversity Report, doesn’t seem as world changing. Yes, I do publish local, national and global experts. And there’s a podcast, plus my 20 how-to books.
But my Expo Zoom audience was unimpressed until I explained how I encourage people to write. Whether it’s friends, colleagues, students or their professors, they sit up straighter and pay attention when I state that we’re all history-in-the-making. If they record their experiences and perspectives, they’ll preserve history. Further, writing is truly transformative
Now there were smiles on the Expo faces. They asked for my email in the chat and I’m delighted that several have already contacted me about writing.
I hope you won’t forget that you’re history, too. Time to start writing!
