100 Solutions for Peaceful Advancement of Women Across Cultures

Held in the late afternoon of March 17 at the Salvation Army building, “100 Solutions for Peaceful Advancement of Women Across Cultures” served a a soft launch of the brand-new book by the same name. Available online and soon available in print, this interdisciplinary book provides solutions for the advancement of women. Authors and other involved in the development of the book were engaged in this panel session.

The session began with the singing of the national anthem by one of the author’s family members. Upon the conclusion of the anthem, the panel moderators, Padmini Murthy and Regina Askia Williams, introduced the keynote speaker. Mrs. Innocence Ntap Ndiaye, who currently the President of the High Council of Social Dialogue by Decree and has held multiple ministerial positions in Senegal, spoke about the steps that Senegal has taken to promote gender equality. Feeling more comfortable in her native language, she gave her talk in French, with another member of the panel translating. At the conclusion of her brief talk, she was presented with an SDG pin, in honor of her work on gender quality and as an inspiration to continue fighting.

Ora Welch, CEO of HOPES CAP and the first black woman elected to the United States Congress, spoke next about the importance of education in breaking patterns of gender inequality and violence. With particular attention to early education and the education of young people, she described the role that education plays in breaking cycles of violence. Specifically, Mrs. Welch explained that women need education to become self-sustaining, and that the respect they receive (and feel for themselves) once they are economically empowered, will lead to a reduction in violence. She also discussed the importance of women’s education addressing love, noting that girls must be taught that love should feel good and not hurtful, and that they must be supported by their community when they choose to leave domestic relationships in which violence is used as a proxy for love.

Next, Dr. Murthy and Regina Williams introduced the audience to the inspiration behind 100 Solutions, and discussed their perspectives on what can be done across cultures to promote women’s empowerment. Regina draw attention to the role that caregivers, especially women, play in breaking cultural patterns that maintain gender inequality, while Dr. Murthy took an opportunity to thank the feminist men in the audience who are also working towards gender equality.

Finally, Mrs. Terry Ince, a human rights activist and entrepreneur, spoke about women in peace and peaceful ways to get there. Using the recent example of a woman’s death during Carnivale in Trinidad and Tobago, she described how women’s empowerment starts with women. Women coming together to make their voices heard can lead to change, as it has in Trinidad and Tobago. However, international conventions also make a difference, and women in Trinidad and Tobago have been able to point to CEDAW to hold their government accountable when women aren’t getting the protection that they need.

The audience then had an opportunity to ask the panelists questions. The questions were wide-ranging, covering topic such as how communities can come together to make sure that girls have safe places to go when they are experiencing violence to how the recent changes in US governance will impact the worldwide women’s empowerment movement. To conclude the session, all of the book’s authors present (and their families) were called to the stage, where they were presented with flowers. Two authors’ children read poetry, and a third led the audience in singing Bob Marley's “Three Little Birds” to end the session on an inspiring note.