“Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future” was the theme of Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles’ fourth annual celebration of Women’s History Month.
“You show up for yourself. You show up for other women. You show up for your community every day,” Sayles said at Friday’s event at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown.
According to LaTisha Gasaway-Paul, a leader in the Scotland community in Potomac, for every one dollar a man makes for fulltime work in Montgomery County, women make 86 cents.
“And it gets worse,” she said, noting that Black women make 51 cents, Asian women make 65 cents and Latino women make 36 cents.
“When we talk about equity, we have to think about who is being left behind,” Gasaway-Paul said. “We cannot afford to be complacent.”
The best thing people can do is vote, she said.
Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller encouraged audience members to “always challenge yourself” and “branch out.”
She applauded them “for not just talking about change but really leading it” and also for “having the courage to grow, to rethink what is possible.”
Miller keeps a portrait of Harriet Tubman in her office to remind herself to “really keep building a future for all.”
There were two panel discussions during the three-hour event. The first concerned green businesses and the other was about environmental advocacy.
“I believe that women are visionaries,” said Jon’ll Boyd, cofounder of Boyd Cru Wines, Maryland’s first Black family-owned winery. “We lead a lot of times when there is a need for change.”
Added Claudia Tsas of Kharis Lavender Fields, said, “We are not about transactions. We are about relationships. Success is more than dollars, it’s about relationships.”
To Hanna Sholder, deputy director at Koiner Urban Farms in Silver Spring, said, “Women are great networkers. We love to socialize.” The best way to make change is “through people you know,” she said.
Gale Livingstone, founder of Deep Roots Farm, said, “Every citizen needs to understand what food should look like and taste like,” adding, “A sustainable product is one that is closest to its natural state.” Her farm will harvest one day and sell the next, she said.
When asked what their call to action was, the panelist said, “support local,” “disrupt,” “care” and “put your hands in the soil. It is so empowering.”
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