ADC Launches Women’s Empowerment Forum With Successful Event
Washington, DC |www.adc.org| March 20th, 2014- The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)-Women’s Empowerment Forum (WEF) is proud to announce a full capacity turn out at the inaugural ADC-WEF event: International Women’s Day Celebration 2014.
This event not only brought together a crowd of 150 leaders, but also highlighted the importance of women’s empowerment and gender equality in today’s society, notably through a panel discussion, award ceremony and keynote remarks by Barbara Harrison. The leaders attending the event came from a variety of professional fields, including the realms of civil rights, civil society, women’s empowerment advocacy, culture, politics, diplomacy, academia, science, art, and business, as well as a strong contingent of youth and students.
The star-studded panel on Women in the Media was moderated by Michelle Upton, Managing Editor of Al-Monitor. It also included TV reporter Reema Abu Hamdieh, International Broadcast Journalist Nunu Wako, and International Finance Corporation Lead Communications Specialist Esther Lee Rosen.
The panelists enlightened the crowd on their positions as women in the media. They touched upon the launch of their careers and their various achievements. The panelists agreed that women should continue to strive for success and “be unafraid of the consequences” according to Nunu Wako. In addition to their own personal success stories, they advocated for continued progress of women’s rights. Women need to continue to empower themselves and others around them; “we need women supporting women regardless of their profession” stated Reema Abu Hamdieh. As the panelists advocated for progress, they also reflected on the changes in gender roles, as Esther Rosen eloquently stated “we are in a generation where more and more men want to be involved in raising children.” The latter demonstrates a great change in gender roles that previously limited women to being housewives and children bearers.
In addition to the panel, the Emcee of the event, Tanya Rahall, presented the ADC-WEF Excellence and Leadership Achievement Awards to United States Ambassador Marcelle Wahba, Dr. Mary Sidawy, H.E. Ambassador Mervat Tallawy, the Honorable Mary Rose Oakar, H.E. Ambassador Clovis Maksoud, and Barbara Harrison. Additional speakers included ADC President Samer Khalaf, ADC Board Member Dr. Doaa Taha, and DC Mayoral Candidate Andy Shallal.
As the event came to an end, NBC4 anchor Barbara Harrison delivered the keynote address, setting forth the importance of women’s empowerment. She made excellent comparisons between women and men while acknowledging a few successful women on the fortune 500 list. Harrison highlighted an important theme throughout her remarks: women are continuously treated differently, notably in the work force. She stated, “We have not yet achieved equality in the work place” despite the progress we may see today. While it is apparent that women and men are different in certain ways, she emphasized the importance of equality by stating that “it is okay to be different, as long as we are equal.”
In addition to her remarks on gender issues, Barbara Harrison noted the particular relevance of a civil rights organization such as ADC and the proud work it accomplishes for the Arab-American community that it serves.
ADC-WEF would like to thank all those who attended the event, notably the panelists and award recipients. We appreciate your continuous support.
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