As Wednesday evening’s storm raged, dozens of women of all ages and backgrounds braved the weather to gather for cocktails and conversation, including a discussion about women’s roles in moving Philadelphia forward, with Citizen Executive Editor Roxanne Patel Shepelavy and Sara Lomax-Reese, President and CEO of the state’s only African American-owned radio station, WURD.
“I think that there is kind of this serious kind of momentum and recognition of ‘I am woman hear me roar,’” said Lomax-Reese. “In the midst of this horrible rain storm you got all of these amazing women who are here and want to network, who want to support each other. I think there is a lot of opportunity to kind of galvanize and mobilize.”
Lomax-Reese acknowledged the work that needs to be done, and the communities that are often overlooked. “I think that there’s a lot of work around racial disparities in this city that needs to be fixed,” she told the crowd, gathered at Location 215 in the Spring Arts District. “Black women are still paid less, the wealth gap is still growing, there’s all of these disparities around education, and public education. So I think that there’s a ton of work that has to be done to create more equity and to create more opportunity that transcends race.”
Still, Lomax-Reese ended on an empowering note: “I really believe women are the answer. Women are really going to be the thing that saves this country.”
The vendors for the event—from Location 215 to Birchtree Catering, Olivia Lucas Design, Norma Michaels Entertainment, Massive Dynamic Productions, Aurora Grace Chocolates, Ampel Wine, Single Prop Rum, Hochstadter’s Slow + Low, and Creative Intelligence—were all women-owned and/or operated.
See photos from the event here:
Photos by Anthony Pezzotti
