Voices of Resilience: A Multicultural Tea Time & Celebration of Women’s Leadership
By: Jasmine Hernandez, Zoe Luce, and Gillian Bennett
On April 10, 2025, the Student Consortium on Women, Peace, and Security hosted an event in honor of International Women’s Day (IWD). This event celebrated the resilience of women leading efforts in advocacy, peacebuilding, and social activism. Three inspiring women leaders spoke on the panel: Dr. Shirley Graham, Director of the Gender Equality Initiative in International Affairs at the Elliott School; Amina Shams, Co-founder and Executive Director of BLOOM Charity; and Iman Awad, National Director of Policy and Advocacy at EmgageUSA.
Each speaker reflected on their personal empowerment experiences and described how perseverance has shaped their leadership. Dr. Graham began by explaining how emotion is an intrinsic part of women’s resilience and gives them strength to lift their voices. She spoke about the treatment of women in Irish history, focusing on the Magdalene laundries, which were institutions where women were subjected to forced labor and systemic abuse. She emphasized that the last of these institutions closed as recently as 1996, reminding attendees that such injustices are not at all far removed from the present. She reflected on her upbringing and the fear instilled by the Catholic Church, but also shared how she drew strength from the goddess that Ireland is named after. This symbol of feminine power, she explained, continues to inspire her resilience and reminds her of the strength embedded in her cultural heritage.
The second speaker, Amina Shams, shared her story about being told once that her ultimate purpose was to be a mother. Shams, however, wanted to be a changemaker. She described adoption as the path she chose to be both a mother and a changemaker at the same time. This experience inspired her organization BLOOM, where they work with early childhood development and mental health. Shams finds her work as a form of self-therapy as she wishes she had resources like these growing up, so in place, she provides them for other children. Shaman talked about the importance of art in the process of therapy and how it helps children express and process emotions and thoughts they might not otherwise be able to communicate. Shahm then spoke directly to the audience about getting involved and shared a quote saying, “You must plant the seed in your hand even if you're taking your last breath.” This was an impactful notion for the audience of young aspiring WPS advocates because it shared the message that our work is important, and we are never alone. What work we start today we may never see the result of, but others will add and carry it on; this work is bigger than our lifetime.
Iman Awad, National Director of Policy and Advocacy at EmgageUSA, then spoke about her personal experience growing up as the only Muslim in school, and the only immigrant family in her community. She said that the discrimination she experienced led her into her work in identity politics, in order to reclaim her own story and cultural narrative. She also spoke about the power of art in advancing social justice, specifically the powerful role that artful depictions of women can play in changemaking. She noted that art can be used as a powerful tool of resistance, to sew and spread hidden socio-political feminist messages. Awad concluded by emphasizing that perseverance is a vital value in feminist movements, because resilience is a traditional tool of women’s survival and is intrinsically rooted in our generational fight for a more equal and prosperous future for all women and girls.
“The work of the Student Consortium on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is laudable. Women have historically been underrepresented in leadership positions in national security and peacemaking related fields. The WPS Consortium is working to correct that by highlighting the incredible work of women in these fields and uplifting women who are rising in their careers. The Voices of Resilience: A Multicultural Tea Time & Celebration of Women’s Leadership is one example of the work that WPS is doing to bring together a community of strong leaders and aspiring future leaders, shining a light on the resilience of these women. I am honored to voice my support of WPS and the valuable work they are carrying out.”