September 22, 2022

Network members Alisha Gillespie, Waltrina Blake, and Leona Brown, as well as Network Associate Director Alie Huxta attended Women's Way's inaugural Gender Wealth Summit on Friday, September 16. The summit brought together participants for a day of learning, sharing, and imagining new possibilities and focused on ways to influence and reduce the gender wealth gap. This year's summit focused on three drivers to addressing gender inequity: entrepreneurship, financial education, and reproductive justice. The summit offered members an opportunity to network and connect with other women who share similar passions.

"This was a very awesome and informative event," said Blake. "I was glad to be amongst other women who were unafraid to share their thoughts of their feelings and the passion for what they had set in life to do. It was great seeing young people as well and hearing their intake on the topics shared."

"[It was great] to know it is possible for women from all walks of life to share the same space and see younger people sharing their experiences," said Brown. "My takeaway was that I am not an incubator for capitalism."

"I am grateful for that opportunity to amongst other women that share the same passions and hear them tell their story with no shame," she said. "It was priceless."

Network member Gillespie served as a Women's Way 2022 Change the Narrative Fellow and was part of a panel discussion on why narratives matter and how using personal stories can help make change. The panel highlighted how individuals can build community, strengthen partnerships, and change public and political will through narrative change. Read more about the panel in this recap.

Huxta noted that it was great to be at an event that was, at its core, anti-racist and centered on Black women, and those things we not just an after thought.

"I was happy to be in space that was well facilitated, planned, and very intentional about group participation and interaction," she said.

She added that lot of people opened up and shared intimately about their journeys with reproductive justice, financial education, entrepreneurship, and also the work being done to undo failed systems and build ones that actually support all women and their families. The event provided the opportunity for networking, personal reflection on their financial empowerment journeys, and insight on incorporating more political education into the Network curriculum.