Fashion Brand: Lafayette 148 Presents: 9 Unordinary Women

On Thursday, May 7th at 6pm EST, I watched and listened to this spectacular event and, in doing so, I learned about and embraced these amazing women who have made a difference. There was an end note from Diedre Quinn, founder of Lafayette 148. The brand is led by women, for women. As I watched on Zoom and enjoyed a glass of red wine, I savored every minute of the event, which closed with America’s Talent, 14-year old, Jayna Brown singing Rise Up. In these dark and uncertain times, such an inspirational night.

Photo by @sophieelgort. Style by @meredithkoop.

1. Julissa Are Raya: is an immigrant rights advocate and author, whose 3rd book, Rejecting Assimilation, is coming out. She believes there needs to a change for immigrants. Julissa mentioned that “[t]he Pandemic is now going on 60 days, and the US economy relies heavily on immigrants. The backbone of our country … [is those workers] with jobs as nannies, picking fruits and veggies, and … [engaging in] construction labor. … [They are essential workers but … [may be] illegal. And, many are not getting help from the government.” Julissa, who has worked her way up on Wall Street, created the Ascend Educational Fund to help immigrants go to college.

2. Christina Lowery: co-Founder of Girl Rising, uses the power of storytelling to tell girls to change the way the world values them and their education. Christina has decades of experience in documentary film and television, having contributed to and/or produced films for CNN, ABC, Bill Moyers, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, among others. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Brown University and a master’s degree in International Community Planning from the University of Texas, Austin. She lives in New York’s Hudson River Valley with her husband and three children.

3. Peggy Whitson: is an American biochemistry researcher, retired NASA astronaut, and former NASA Chief Astronaut. Peggy spent 665 days in space, which more time in space than any other astronaut. As the world faces a state of quarantine, Peggy spoke about going into space and the isolation and the sense of the unknown she experienced. “Isolation is something we can do,” she explained, “but it’s important to have the bigger picture in mind. For space it’s exploration.” For now, with COVID-19, it is important to save lives by adhering to social distancing, “but we don’t have to be disconnected.” Using Zoom and a phone, we “can look outward, reach out to people that might be struggling.”

4. Meena Harris: Attorney and founder of Phenomal Women Action campaign, has her first book coming out. By getting the official “Phenomenal Woman” t-shirt, you're not only making a bold statement in support of women everywhere, you're also supporting the critical work that's being done for women's rights on the ground by fearless organizations every day.

5. Maria Brito: is a Venezuelan born art advisor, art consultant, and Curator, who is associated with @GirlRising. Girl Rising ensures that girls around the world are educated and empowered. Her published works include Out There: Design, Art, Travel Shopping, published by Pointed Leaf Press in 2013, and Greek Gotham, published in 2016. As Maria mentioned at the event, “Look at other female leaders in other countries. Female leadership in a crisis.”

Check out some examples of female leadership in various countries and their response to COVID as discussed in Forbes Magazine:

Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, stood up early and calmly told her countrymen that this was a serious bug that would infect up to 70% of the population. “It’s serious,” she said, “take it seriously.” She did, so they did as well. Testing began right from the get-go. The country’s number of infections is less than its European neighbors, and there are signs that Germany may start to loosening restrictions relatively soon.
Back in January, at the first sign of the new disease,Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan introduced 124 measures to block the spread without having to resort to the lockdowns that have become common elsewhere. She is now sending 10 million face masks to the U.S. and Europe. Tsai managed what CNN has called “among the world’s best” responses, keeping the epidemic under control, reporting only six deaths.
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister in New Zealand was early to lockdown and crystal clear on the maximum level of alert she was putting the country under—and why. She imposed self-isolation on people entering New Zealand astonishingly early, at a time when there were just 6 cases in the whole country. She also banned foreigners from entering the country soon thereafter. Clarity and decisiveness are saving New Zealand from the storm. As of mid-April, they have suffered only four deaths, and when other countries are talking about lifting restrictions, Ardern is adding to them, making all New Zealanders returning to the country quarantine in designated locations for 14 days.

6. Brittany Packnett Cunningham: is an activist, @nbcnews/@msnbc contributor: She is an expert on education, executive leadership, diversity, equity, justice, public accountability and social change. Brittany is co-host for Pod Save The People. https://brittanypacknett.com

7. Anne Pasternak’s: is the First woman Director at Brooklyn Museum. The museum has become a model for inclusivity & promoting the work of women artists. At the event, Anne stated, “the museum has been hit hard and is seeking to build community partnerships. Bringing on art projects helps everyone mourn, release pain, experience joy, engage in human creativity, and see human resilience.” The purpose is to learn and celebrate as we see what great things artists are doing in the “NEW COVID WORLD”. Included among the work she has overseen at the museum is “Tribute in Light” with NYC’s iconic 9/11 memorial.

8. Amy Sherald: is an American painter based in Baltimore, Maryland. She did a portrait of Michelle Obama. At the age of 30, Amy needed a heart transplant to survive, and, while waiting for the transplant, she focused her passion and time on her art. She pursued her work without pausing and thinking she would have an expiration date.

9. Siqi Mou: is founder & CEO of HellAva, a tech-enabled beauty personalization startup founded by leaders & experts from Stanford. The company’s customers interact “with us via a conversational UI and messaging bots, and we recommend products based on each person’s unique skincare needs.” Siqi wants to raise her child just like her mother raised her, “strong and independent.” At the event, Siqi stated, “COVID teaches us: we are 1 planet, global community; everyone is the same; the disease is non-discriminatory.”

Article by Alison Hernon, Editor-In-Chief, PhotoBook Magazine.

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Fashion Brand: Lafayette 148 Presents: 9 Unordinary Women

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