On March 24, 2021, New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) presented the panel discussion “Representation Matters: Ensuring Inclusive Leadership in Politics and the Media.” Originally planned to be hosted at the United Nations in March 2020 as part of the Commission on the Status Women Forum, the event was postponed and viewed online this year.
Thanks to the vision of NYWIFT’s executive director Cynthia Lopez, and NDI’s senior associate & director for Gender, Women and Democracy Sondra Pepera, we organized this incredible panel to discuss the importance of representation and strategies for equity at the intersection of politics and media.
One of the highlights for me was getting to hear from H.E. Hanna Tetteh, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union who left us with some closing thoughts:
“Media needs to help the public believe that women are where they belong. Lupita Nyong’o said, “No matter where you are, your dreams are valid.”
Own your ambition. Men have been doing that for centuries.”
This partnership holds special significance for me because my first job out of college was with NDI, where I helped organize workshops for women in politics in Argentina and Jordan all the way back in the 90s.
Being virtual made it a truly a global presentation – from 4 different time zones. Our participants were in Los Angeles, New York City, Stockholm and Addis Ababa and our audience tuned in around the world. You can read more and watch the recording of the event at the link below.
Busy K Blog 