This Social Justice Week, I, alongside my two peers, Lily and Giselle, took on the responsibility of leading the Women’s Empowerment track. My experience as a track group leader was rewarding, enlightening, and at times difficult. It changed my perspective on several topics and allowed me to develop and apply my leadership skills. I ultimately had a lot of fun planning and leading the track, and I’m very proud of myself and my fellow track leaders for pulling it off.
On Tuesday, we began with introductions, icebreakers, and announcements for the week. Later that morning, we had our first speaker, Dr. Sheena Howard, come in. Dr. Howard is a professor, scholar, author, and filmmaker. Before her arrival, we watched her TED Talk, which focused on self-empowerment. She was an amazing public speaker and an all-around brilliant and inspiring presence. After lunch, we had Leslie, a representative from the Philadelphia branch of Days For Girls International, come in to lead us in an activity of packaging sustainable, reusable menstrual products. Days for Girls is an international non-profit focusing on shattering the stigma around menstruation by providing products and education to girls and women all over the world. We worked on constructing their “period kits,” which are built to be reusable, sustainable, and transportable.
The next morning, we had Dr. Lyneshia Dukes come in to discuss her small coffee business, Dukes’ and Co. She talked about her story as a female entrepreneur, her passion for coffee, and her main job as a social worker, and gave us thoughtful and insightful advice. We got to try some samples of her coffee, and it was great! We then went on an excursion to The Ground, a female-owned coffee shop. For lunch, we went to Bridget Foy’s in South Philly and talked with Bridget Foy herself about her experience as the owner of the restaurant. It was really interesting hearing what she had to say. The food was incredible, and after eating, we got to take a tour of the kitchen! On Thursday, we went to the Philadelphia Zoo to speak with the President and CEO, Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman. It was a rare, amazing experience. Dr. Mogerman spoke about her passion for animals, her time in multiple zoos, her experiences as a marginalized individual in STEM, and her prior experience as an educator. After speaking with her, we walked around the zoo and looked at the primates, specifically the gorillas. In the afternoon, we did an activity that helped us have a discussion about our experiences as women at FSS.
On Friday, we had our very own Norman Bayard join us to deliver some self-defense tips. His advice was very helpful. In the afternoon, we had Ms. Tammy, who had been working at the FSS cafeteria for 30 years before recently stepping down. Tammy also has a successful baking career, and we had her come in to discuss her small business. We also had the amazing opportunity to decorate and eat some of her famous cupcakes!
Overall, this week was a complete success. I’m immensely proud of my and my fellow track leaders’ work.
