15th Annual International Women's Day Celebration

Keynote presenter: Leymah Gbowee, Founder & Director, Women Peace & Security Network - Africa

We are pretty pleased with our first IWD sponsorship!

Inspired by the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, The Advocates for Human Rights and the University of MN Women's Human Rights Program have continued "to build on the extraordinary spirit and energy of the conference by bringing together the world community living in Minnesota, USA, to celebrate International Women's Day." The keynote presentation was given by Leymah Gbowee, Founder and Director, Women Peace and Security Network-Africa. The event included music, performances, workshops, organizational display tables, film screenings, visual arts exhibit, arts and crafts vendors, and the keynote presentation.

Rita on the ready to get the word out

It was a long day but we were lucky to have our fabulous and hard-working volunteers (Laaitu and Elizabeth). It was exciting to see some familiar faces and meet new ones. Our goal was to join in the celebration of women everywhere and get the word out about AWC.

Get the word out we did! Overall, people were generally interested in the AWC Concept. We spoke with African college students, professional African women, people who, for one reason or another, wanted to connect with African women/community. Also, people who work with African immigrants and refugees were excited to add AWC to their resource list for women who may be interested.

Laaitu Sabiya tells the AWC story to event attendee

It was also great to meet other vendors. I had a great conversation with one particular vendor who was of Indian descent with organizational mission similar to AWC's. It felt great to not only swap stories but also share experiences that she could relate to and found helpful. It never ceases to amaze me how we (women) have more in common than we realize sometimes.

L-R: Wokie Freeman, Leymah Gbowee, Rita Apaloo

The keynote speaker, Leymah Gbowee, was the icing on the cake--just awesome! Leymah spoke on the topic, “Rebuilding a failed state one woman at a time.” The stories she told about the role ordinary Liberian women played in bringing about peace in Liberia, electing the first female president in Africa and strides in continuing to stay engaged in the processes of democracy and community building were no short of amazing. She talked about how when regular efforts to register women to vote failed because the women had become disillusioned after being let down by the political process so many times before, Leymah's organization took on the challenge of mobilizing thousands of women in a record-breaking period of time, which eventually led to the election of President Sirleaf.

Do you know how they convinced the women to register to vote? They took the time to talk to each woman one on one; sometimes it meant assisting with washing laundry, handing her ingredients while she cooked, burping a baby, accompanying her to the market, etc. Whatever it took to ensure the woman understood how important her vote was and why they needed it. She said that in the past, when a peace agreement was signed, the women came out in the streets, took off their scarfs and wraps and danced with joy. Once the celebration was done, they would go back home to do the cooking and raising children but now they understand that they need to get involved and be a part of rebuilding and keeping the peace.
Inspire. Act. Change!--the theme of IWD 2010. I have to say that I was truly inspired by the event.

Wokie Johnson stopped by to say hi.

To leave you with Leymah Gbowee's advice, get involved--do something to make a change in your community.

It was an honor to be included in the Liberian Women's Roundtable private luncheon with Leymah Gbowee

At AWC, we plan to keep on building relationships one woman at a time!

Strong Start for 2010

We had a great time at our first event for 2010! Thanks to all who attended and made it happen!

The turnout was great, a total of 20 people, and a good sign of what’s to come for the remainder of the year (knock on wood).

Attendees heard first hand some reasons why people get involved with AWC—to meet like-minded people, take a break from the everyday stresses, meet new people, connect with old friends, connect with people with similar background and experiences, become energized, experience sisterhood, recharge, extended family, share information, learn something new, enjoy good food, have fun, etc.

We are always grateful to members and friends who help spread the word about AWC. In fact, 40% of attendees were invited by a friend who was also present. We would like to encourage more people to spread the word and help us grow and become more relevant in the community.

Our #1 goal this year is to grow our membership, which is an affordable, annual fee of $35 for individuals and $75 for small business owners (sole proprietor). Benefits include special discounts on events and services, opportunities to leverage skills and talents, access to members in our professional network and other incentives. Contact Rita if you're interested in becoming a member.

We are so pleased with the result of our first Monthly Dinner and eagerly look forward to the next one scheduled for Friday, March 26, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Mark your calendar and plan to join us!

2009 Numbers are In!

2009 was a good year for AWC. We had a total of ten events, two of which were uncharted waters for us but nevertheless successful--the Community Summit on Leadership held in September and the Mini Business Fair added to our Annual Holiday Celebration. Both events drew a lot of interests and we are looking forward to repeating (at some level) again this year.

The total number of event participants was 132 (79-unduplicated), 62% were new to the organization and 38% returning participants. Average meeting attendance was 13 people and the highest attendance was 36. Participants hailed from 12 different countries; 46% from the West African region, 33% from the East African region, 2% from the South African region, 1% from Central African region and 18% were non Africans.

We view 2009 as a come-back year for AWC and are hoping to keep the momentum going in 2010. Our #1 goal in 2010 is to grow our membership and become more effective.

We appreciate your interest and encourage your support as we strive to provide more opportunities for African Women immigrants to build relationships for success.

Happy New Year is Still in Order!

It is my hope that the New Year has taken off just like you wished and you’re right on track with your goals!

Here at AWC, things are headed in the right direction and with your support, participation and commitment we will achieve some wonderful things together.

Our Advisory Board will be meeting on Feb. 7, to finalize 2010 event dates and goals. We’ve reviewed results from 2009 and I’m happy to report that we had a pretty good year. We will share 2009 results with you in the coming weeks. As soon as the Advisory Board and AWC members have reviewed and provided feedback, you will receive our 2010 calendar of events.
In 2009, AWC members and participants asked for more time to talk and get to know each other better. We are pleased to announce that this year we are incorporating a monthly 4th Friday Dinner. There will be no special presentations, only networking and relationship-building!

Mark your calendar for our first 4th Friday Dinner kick off on February 20, 6 to 8 p.m. Finding a location is always challenging because of AWC event location criteria, which include supporting an establishment that’s small/community/ethnic/minority-owned or operated. We are close to finding a meeting location and will send you that info ASAP. In the meantime, please reserve Feb. 26, 6-8 p.m. on your calendar.

Subsequent 4th Friday Dinner dates are March 26, April 23 and May 28.

Hope you can join us as we kick off AWC 2010 Season.

Here’s to Doing More Together in 2010!