Women in Leadership: How Through Crisis and Uprising Women Stand Tall

Women may be at the forefront of the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic and of the national fight against racism, but they are not always recognized nor acknowledged for their leadership. Women still have yet to be treated, seen, and portrayed as equals to men, with women of color facing even more barriers to equality due to intersectionality.
Globally, women make up only 7% of world leaders. This statistic is also reflected nationally for the percentage of women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, with only one CEO who is a woman of color. Despite being in the margins, women have been responsible for some of the most notable and effective responses to COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. These leaders, including Washington, D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Patrisse Cullors, Germany’s Angela Merkel, Atlanta’s Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen, among several others, have made significant progress in calls to action that should serve as examples for others to follow. At a time when decisions from leadership make the difference between life and death, what can we learn from these women leaders? How can women, and especially women of color, be included in today’s ongoing dialogue of leadership? The discussion focused on the importance of women and of women of color in leadership, and what the future holds for all women leaders nationwide and globally. NYU DC Dialogues Executive Board Member, Gabriel Avalos created this dialogue, and provided a welcome and introduction. Betsy Fischer Martin, Executive Director, Women & Politics Institute and Executive in Residence, Department of Government at American University, moderated the webinar.

source