The crowd of women was so colorful and diverse at CBS/WPGC studios. I was so happy to see it because it meant the increased possibility of multi-cultural perspectives.

And this event was EXACTLY that.

The panel included:

Poet Taylor – WPGC Correspondent
Janaye Ingram – National Co-Chair of the Women’s March
Cynthia McCabe – Communications Experts & Writer, Triage
Dia Bui – Creative Director & LGBTQ Activist for Humanity in Print
Kersha Deibel – Director of Generation Z, Planned Parenthood
Angela Franco – President & CEO, Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Arnold Fege – Founder & President, Public Advocacy for Kids

One of the biggest messages that I received had much to do with what many women of color were thinking upon initial knowledge of the event.

“Is this march TRULY INCLUSIVE of everyone it is supposed to represent, and our specific issues therein?”

I was very pleased to listen in on the answers given for this question.

One thing I know is that our experiences in this country vary depending on our nationalities.  The concept of different walks and experiences (in my mind) is a beautiful thing.  However, it can be a very hurtful thing when you can clearly see themes that don’t embrace the beauty of diversity.

Janaye Ingram spent time telling us the story of how equal representation of the Women’s March was achieved.  She admitted that there was an initial disconnect with board members, and when the problem was addressed, it was also corrected.  

The other items discussed that touched me were the topics of women being more involved in voting on the local level.  This needs to improve on a large scale when it comes to involvement because local officials affect more of citizens’ livelihood daily. The point was made to continue speaking to skeptics who do not want to participate in politics because of the myth that because issues and inequalities exist, participation is ineffective.

There are also far too many groups of people who are vastly knowledgeable in entertainment news but have little to no knowledge of policies being created or thrown out by politicians each year.

Creating diversity within the teaching force also came up in discussion to aid in building our youth to engage in matters that will shape their world and future.

The last item that touched me dealt with how to properly “weed out” false news and narratives.  In today’s internet world, we are flooded with information and stories that are often the product of a biased agenda.  Or it could simply be to entertain in a hyperbolic sense.  

This subject opened up the dialogue of having qualified teachers and teachings to spread to fellow community members.  We have a rampant culture of the “blind leading the blind”, so tips were given to help with being properly informed such as researching the topic from multiple sources, and confirming facts before sharing a story to Facebook.

There were so many items touched within this discussion, and I appreciate the Alliance for Women in Media for facilitating an event like this.

For more specifics on what was discussed during this panel event, please email me at monika@dclifemagazine.com

[Photos Taken By: Brian Wilson, Brian Adrian Photography — http://photographicbrian.com, info@photographicbrian.com]