We are Thriving Through Change

By Nicki Faircloth, Women AdvaNCe Board Member

I am so thrilled to be attending the NC Women’s Summit at Bennett College and to be surrounded by fearless women from all ages and backgrounds. This week I was reflecting on the seven generations behind me, and the seven generations after me. “In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation … even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine.” I must fight for the rights of women living today, and those who will come to be in the future.

We will have female youth who were each a Women AdvaNCe She is Fierce winner in 2017 in the same space that Willa Beatrice Player stood; the first African American woman to be a president of a 4 year fully accredited liberal arts college (Bennett College). Willa supported her students who participated in the Greensboro sit ins, living a life of perseverance. What a better way to celebrate women than to stand in the space of a legend?

There will be breakout sessions that offer a more intimate setting for participants. Are you an agent of social change? Then the break out session “Where Does It Hurt” is the workshop for you. While we are in the midst of building stronger communities, it’s important that one take care of themselves. This session will explore ways that you can stay grounded and centered while creating social change. Do you think you have what it takes to run for political office? Then the breakout session “Ready, Set, Run” is the session for you! This session will help you navigate the sometimes challenging terrain of running for office.

The breakout session “This is not your mothers movement” will focus on addressing how the political landscape has changed and how today we must think outside the box in order to create effective change. Are you a hard working mama, raising the next generation of citizens while also trying to create social change? The breakout session “Mommas making things happen” is the session for you! This session will connect you with other like minded, hardworking mothers.

Many issues affecting women will be discussed, including health care issues, current social movements, education, historical trauma and more. This will be a genuine opportunity for learning, educating, and growing. I could not be more excited to spend a Saturday  surrounded by such phenomenal, powerful women!