SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Education and female empowerment were the themes of the day as the Rho Gamma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority hosted an Oct. 4 symposium at the South Orange Public Library in honor of United Nations Day, which is Oct. 24.
The panel, which was moderated by South Orange resident Shawn Grain Carter, featured three female participants who hailed from various cultural and generational backgrounds, but were united by one firm belief: Women are capable of anything and that society must work to remove any barriers that hinder their progress.
Grain Carter organized the event in response to a sorority initiative, set in place by the current international president, which focuses on making a global impact with the organization’s community service and educational outreaches.
In order to honor both that initiative and the recent convening of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, or CSW, Grain Carter was inspired to hold a mock symposium to explore three issues of high importance to the CSW: prevention of violence against women, women’s equality and women’s empowerment.
The CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council, it was established by a council resolution June 21, 1946.
“This panel is an opportunity for women of color to celebrate the triumphs and address the challenges being faced around the world,” Grain Carter said in a recent interview with the News-Record. “I don’t think that the conversation has to be an ‘us vs. them’ dialog because empowering women doesn’t have to mean that you are against men, but that’s the way the conversation is always framed.”
Grain Carter, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, recalled moderating a similar symposium during Women’s History Month in March, and having mixed feelings about her students’ knowledge of the struggles of women’s rights.
“Many of the students expressed surprise at the professional and personal barriers that used to be the norm for women. Women previously were not allowed to have their own credit cards, bank accounts or property without a man to sign off on it,” she said. “Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — millennials are used to seeing women in powerful positions and they think that these gains were much easier than they are. We have to tell our stories across the generational divide so that people understand.”
The panel featured two fellow FIT professors, Mercy Aghedo and Geetanjali Mehra, as well as Seton Hall University student Jordan James.
Grain Carter began the discussion by asking each panelist to describe what has influenced her work ethic.
Mehra, a Maplewood resident who was born and raised in India, identified her working-class but forward-thinking parents as the catalyst for her own personal successes.
“I grew up learning to work hard for everything that I wanted,” she said. “The principles of working hard and obtaining an education are deeply ingrained in my cultural background.”
Mehra’s professional background is in textiles and production, a sector of the fashion industry she said is largely male-dominated.
“I have to uphold my values, I know that there are people looking up to me,” she said. “Somebody tells me girls don’t study STEM subjects, I’m going to do it. Little things make big changes. My family today, my neighbor’s family tomorrow.”
Similarly, Aghedo cited her cultural heritage as a Nigerian-American as a major driver in her work ethic.
“In my family, there were no handouts or free passes,” she said. “Everything you got was because you worked for it, and you worked hard. I learned at an early age that I wanted to be more than a pretty face and a firm backside.”
James, who is a senior at Seton Hall, credited the decision of her mother placing her in an all-girls school at an early age as a significant factor in her personal and professional development.
“The school was all-girls and focused on engineering, the sciences and mathematics,” James said. “Exposing yourself to something new and uncomfortable is sometimes the way to grow.”
Grain Carter also addressed the topic of violence against women with the panel, eliciting a variety of responses about safety both in the community and on college campuses.
“Awareness and education about human trafficking are key,” Aghedo said. “We also need more mentorship among women. Volunteerism is the responsibility of every woman.”
Mehra added that the education must include both men and women if any real progress on the issue is to be made.
“Violence against women is deeply cultural. I feel that it is rooted in every country’s fabric, whether it is a traditional or modern society,” she said. “If we don’t also educate our sons, this problem will never go away.
“We have to educate not just women but also their families,” Mehra continued. “We can’t just trim the branches, we have to look at the root and then we can have a cultural and a generational shift.”
The conversation then shifted to a question-and-answer session, with attendees asking everything from how the panelists would use a nonprofit organization to empower women to how they would link their local community with the United Nations.
Mehra spoke about educating women in developing countries about theories of microfinance and its application for their own economic situations, while Aghedo advocated for an international mentorship program that would teach women personal and professional skills.
James advised that she would further promote Alpha Kappa Alpha’s ASCEND program, which holds simulated United Nations trials for high school students.
“We have to teach girls to practice being fearless,” James said.