Last night was a celebration of women and their contributions to fight for global justice at the Ms. Foundation for Women's 40th Anniversary co-hosted by Gloria Steinem and Anika Rahman.
An inspiring list of honorees included:
- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton - champion of economic justice for women
- Saru Jayaraman - co-founder of Restaurant Opportunities Center United -workers rights and standards of equality
- Kierra Johnson - Executive Director of Choice USA - reproductive justice activist
- Sunny Clifford - an Oglala Lakota from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota - access to emergency contraception
- Lauren Embre - The Embrey Family Foundation - improving her community and the lives of women and girls worldwide
- Diane von Furstenberg, founder of DVF Studio - mentor to women leaders and entreprenuers
- Melinda Wolfe - Bloomberg L.P., diversity and professional development
The event hailed attendees from a variety of sectors including nonprofit, academic, foundations and representatives from the entertainment world including Canadian R&B singer-songwriter - Deborah Cox, American actor, dancer and singer - Ben Vereen and television host - Tom Murro.
There is still so much more to be done mobilizing the collective power of women to mitigate pressing world issues:
-American women still earn an average of 25% less than men
-Birth control and basic services are still controversial
-Every day, at least 800 women die while giving life and, unlike other global health challenges, most pregnancy and childbirth complicatoins can be prevented
The Ms.Foundation for Women fights to eliminate barriers for all women. More information - www.forwomen.org.
Posted by Sam Taylor