After
frustrating health setbacks, I am finally ready to start my summer blog! Last
week I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Vital Voices Global Leadership
Awards. Presented every year at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the
Awards honor a group of women who are, as described on the Vital Voices
website, the “unsung heroines working to strengthen our democracy. This event
marked the 15th anniversary of the Awards, which were initiated in
Vienna, Austria.
The
night was truly inspirational. I found myself backstage at the famous Kennedy
Center, and remembered the countless times that I had sat in the audience of
the very same room to watch the Nutcracker every December. Yet this show was
very different than the annual Nutcracker performances. Instead of watching
tutus and Christmas trees, I listened to the inspirational stories of nine
women who have made drastic steps to cause social change across the world. I
would love to share each and every one of these amazing stories, but that would
lead to an excessively long blog post. Instead, I will describe the lives of
two of the honorees.
Samar
Minallah Khan is a Pakistani Pashtun filmmaker and anthropologist who has
devoted the past decade of her life to ending “Swara,” a devastating Pakistani
practice in which girls are given away to settle family disputes. Samar
collected countless footage throughout Pakistan and, in 2003, presented her
documentary on Swara. Samar caused widespread awareness of this horrific
tradition and in 2004 Swara was made illegal.
Manal
Alsharif is a Saudi Arabian woman who defied longstanding tradition when she
drove on the open streets of Saudi Arabia and posted a video of her act on
youtube. In Saudi Arabia, women are prohibited from driving, by custom. While
there is no law against female driving, Manal was imprisoned after her video
went viral. She was instantly named “the Rosa Parks of Saudi Arabia,” and began
a social media movement called Women2Drive.
The
ceremonies were an amazing way to jumpstart my experience at Vital Voices. I
quickly realized that I have mounds to learn about all of the social abuses
across the world and the amazing women who have devoted their lives to helping
others. I went home that night and browsed the Vital Voices website until I
fell asleep.
In
the office, I am assisting with the follow up from the Awards Ceremony and
helping my supervisors to prepare for an upcoming conference in South Africa.
On my first day, I attended an all-staff meeting in which the president of
Vital Voices herself thanked an intern for her work at the ceremonies. The
energy in the office is palpable and my supervisors are constantly checking in
on the interns with new assignments.
During
my down time, I have wandered the streets of DC, which also happens to be my
childhood home. I went to the gay pride festival last week, snuck up to the
roof of St. Albans this weekend (which parallels the National Cathedral and
offers an amazing view of the DC skyline), and hiked Great Falls today. It has
been a great start to the summer, and I will check back in soon!!
