International Ladies that Lead Award

April 29, 2020 – Excerpt of a speech given upon receiving the International “Woman That Leads” Award on International Women Day, March 9, 2019.

Thank you to my Links Sisters for reinforcing and illustrating what friendship and service look like every day.

…….In good Hollywood fashion, I accept this award on behalf of all impoverished women throughout the world who lack access and the means to, on their own, change their circumstances.  They toil, however, every day to raise their children, keep their families together, and make their communities a better place.  The majority of these impoverished women are women of color, and let’s acknowledge it, black women.  Every day, these women bring a smile and make life bearable for so many.  For it is a well-known fact that black women have been carrying the world on their shoulders for centuries.

More recently, we have witnessed the women of the Civil Rights movement who sacrificed, often without recognition, to make sure a Southern Baptist preacher could travel the country convincing America that his dream was a moral obligation.  And what about that woman who, after his death, kept his legacy alive and spearheaded the movement that gave us the first and only national holiday dedicated to a black man in America?

What about this beautiful, statuesque woman who, by stepping on stage in 2004 at the National Democratic Convention in Boston convinced the rest of the sisterhood that indeed, we could.  She, most of all, carried him to victory and brought joy to his life allowing him to dare.

What about the sisters of Alabama who, in 2018, stepped up and showed out to deliver a Senate seat to a Democratic Senator in Alabama after decades?

We carry the world and one with God, we make it go ‘round; we have always known that fact.  But now, ladies, the difference is that we are becoming and in doing so, we are writing our own narratives, telling our own stories, and speaking on our own behalf.  As a result, the world can no longer ignore the power of Black Girl Magic.   Through our exhibited excellence and leadership, we are making sure that the world can no longer deny the power of Black Girl Magic.

But, ladies, our legacy, in order to stand solid and withstand the passing of time needs to stand on three pillars; excellence and leadership, although essential, are only two of these pillars.  Service to others and the larger community is what binds these two other virtues to transcend time and effect lasting changes.  And, through technology and the internet, we are no longer confined to a limited geographic area of influence.  The world is our oyster.  These are the times we live in.  And as our influence grows and we are forever becoming, I must make a request of you.  I must call you to action.

Let’s go change the world we live in and make it a better place through excellence, leadership and service and let’s do it as only black women can.

I love you all.