Category Archives: Culture

FGM Walkathon Fundraising Award Winner

The Annual Walk to End FGM was held on Saturday, October 19, 2019 by the Global Women PEACE foundation. The fundraising event was a huge success raising over $4,000 dollars toward education and awareness.  The walk was held in Washington, DC from the Sylvan Theater at Georgetown University to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and back.

Maria was the Walkathon First Prize winner for the individual contributing and raising the most funds for the event.  We want to congratulate Maria and thank her for her hard work and diligence!  To the left is a photo of the plaque presented to Maria at the event.

Walk to End FGM

FGM is the intentional removal of either all or part of the external female genitalia and is not religiously mandated.  85% of maternal and infant mortality in Africa is the result of FGM.  Presently, FGM is being practiced here on American soil, as well as the UK, and the EU.  We want it stopped in the world!
 
200 MILLION girls and women are alive today who have had their genitals cut off.  Maria will be participating in the 6th Walk to End FGM (Female Genital Mutilation). Somalia has a 98% cut compliance rate!
 

Money raised from this event will be used to support the “Lisa C. Bruch Scholarship Fund to help pay for the education of girls in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea which also have high cut rates.  Their parents are asked to sign a legally binding document that states they will not allow their daughters to be cut.  This is enforced by an annual physical exam.
 
 

Join us for this 2-day Event!

GLOBAL WOMAN AWARDS CEREMONY – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019
6:30 PM (1830) EST, Friday 10/18/19
Awards and Silent Auction
Milken Institute School of Public Health
George Washington University
950 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20052
WALK TO END FGM 2019 – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019
Pre-Walk Program: 12:00 Noon EST, Saturday, 10/19/19
High Profile Keynote Speaker, Prizes & Recognition
National Sylvan Theater
Washington Memorial Drive, SW
Washington, D.C. 20024
 

WALK-A-THON STARTS
1:30pm on Saturday, October 19th
Walk Route: Begin at the Sylvan Theater and we will walk to the Lincoln Memorial and back to the Sylvan Theater.

American Psychological Association Convention

The American Psychological Association (APA) held it’s Annual Conference in August in Chicago.  This year’s keynote topics included Deep Poverty, Suicide Prevention and Gun Violence.

Maria was in attendance and appeared as a panel member.

Deep poverty affects more than 18.5 million people in the United States. For many, it’s a condition that persists generation after generation. Psychology can help lift people out of this vicious cycle. The 2019 APA President shared her powerful first-hand experience, about APA is transforming to have more impact on critical issues like this. The audience was inspired by nationally acclaimed advocates for the underserved.

There is no single cause or cure for the growing issue of Suicide, but there is hope. Psychologists from all areas of expertise are working to move the dial on suicide. In a multi-disciplinary keynote session, a survivor shared his experiences linking advocates and providers, and leading researchers who shared the latest information on neurobiological indicators and the technologies to intervene at scale.  Experts discussed research breakthroughs and priorities, and an authority on suicidal behavior explored the healing power of community to build resilience within one of America’s most vulnerable populations: African American men.

Whether it’s living with the threat of a school shooting, or a factor in everyday life, every American has been affected by Gun Violence. The problem can seem intractable, yet this keynote speech indicated that every psychologist has an opportunity to better prepare their communities to reduce and prevent violence. 

Michael Steel, Political Analyst for MSNBC

Divisiveness in America: Is There Any Hope for Common Ground? This week we are honored to have the former Chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), Mr. Michael Steele as our guest. Michael Steele is an American conservative political commentator and Chair of the from 2009 – 2011 and served as the lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003-2007. Mr. Steele’s ability as a communicator and commentator is showcased through his current role as a political analyst for MSNBC. He has appeared on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. Additionally, Mr. Steele can be heard weekly on his radio program ‘Steele & Unger’ on the POTUS Channel on Sirius XM. Please join us and hear Michael’s views on our current political polarization and how we may be able to bring America back together!

Dr. Christian Claxton Gregory

We are honored to have Dr. Christian Claxton Gregory, eighth child of Dick and Lillian Gregory, as our guest! Dr. Gregory served as Dick Gregory’s business manager, adviser and confidant and currently serves as the sole executor of the Estate of Dick Gregory. He is the founding partner of Legends and Legacies Entertainment, Director of the Dick Gregory Foundation/Society, Author, Board Certified Chiropractor, and Medical Director of Washington Spine & Disc. We’ll be talking about the new play TURN ME LOOSE, a play about Comic Genius Dick Gregory at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.. Maria and I will be attending the play & Champagne Reception on Friday, October 12, 2018 – the 86th anniversary of Dick’s birthday!