Women for Women

I recently attended two events that were led by strong, inspiring women. Both left me feeling inspired and empowered. I think these types of events are helpful for women to gain the courage and strength to overcome obstacles that we face.

It is the first time that the Female Experience (FemEx) has held a celebration of Women's Empowerment in DC since its creation in 2009. More than 10 organizations were presented to introduce themselves: Younger Women’s Task Force which supports young women leaders, Family Health & Birth Center which helps pregnant women with doula, Yoga activists who offer free classes at shelters, prisons and so on, Latin American Youth Center which supports youth and their families in achieving their goals, etc.

The performance started with a group of young women drummers. The powerful drum beats and wonderful song empowered everyone present. The cheerful performance continued with a “Vagina Monologue” which condemns sexual harassment that happens to women every day. The speaker asked everybody to repeat “stop insulting women and show some respect” with her at the end of the passionate speech. This powerful statement rocked the All Souls church. The height of the night was reached when dancing teachers from Jordin's Paradise taught hot chair dance, asking all the women to show their beauty confidently. The celebration ended with a special bingo game when people shouted “empowered” if they won the game.

This event reminded me of the dinner party that I attended as a volunteer last week. The dinner I attended, titled “Girl Talk: Leave your High Heels and Resume at the Door”, was a part of the 22nd annual Women Opening Doors for Women (WODW) event, in celebration of the Women’s Information Network (WIN)of DC. Our host Lou Ivey, a certified MBTI administrator, held a deep discussion of Myers Briggs Personality Types with us. The eleven of us also talked about our favorite childhood games, and the things that we appreciate most in life. Everybody took off the masks that we wear and presented our true selves. This cosy and warm talk went on for hours because everyone was so engaged.

Women need occasions to get together and share their thoughts about life. This is why I love D.C., a city that has no lack of women’s organizations and sweet girl talks.