A global embassy dedicated especially to women? A place where lady leaders can speak up unabashedly and let their voices be heard? Yes, girl! This is really happening. On Thursday, May 5, Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international organization that invests in women leaders, will open the doors to its brand new Global Headquarters for Women’s Leadership, which will also serve as the world’s first Global Embassy for Women.
A Powerful Presence and the Founding Legacy
The grand opening celebration will be attended by none other than the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton. She needs no introduction. But just in case you didn’t know, the former Secretary of State co-founded Vital Voices with the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 1997 while she was First Lady. Clinton will deliver special remarks following the ribbon cutting.
“It is our hope that women and their allies from around the world will come to this building to expand their networks, share their stories of success and hardship, highlight their bold visions for progress, and recharge so that they can go back out into the world and make real change happen,” explains Clinton. “Madeleine was so excited about the creation of this Women’s Embassy and, in opening it, we’re honoring her vision and legacy.”
Change Has A Beautiful, Sustainable New Home
Located in the center of downtown Washington, D.C., at 1509 16th Street, NW, the building stands among other high-profile institutions and think tanks, just minutes from The White House and Black Lives Matter Plaza along the city’s new “Equality Corridor.” This first-of-its-kind physical and digital space will be the epicenter of activity for global women leaders and their allies. It will also serve as a collaborative and inclusive space for all women – everywhere.
With seven floors of environmentally-friendly features, the building boasts a rooftop garden and a podcast studio made from reclaimed California redwood trees after the devastating wildfires that ravaged the West Coast a few years back.
A Word from the CEO
“Vital Voices was created to make space for women to be heard,” says Vital Voices President and CEO Alyse Nelson. “Over more than two decades of investing in women leaders on the frontlines of change, we have seen firsthand how women lead differently, and that difference is precisely what our world needs to solve the challenges ahead of us. Now is the time to put a stake in the ground and create a permanent, physical, and very visible space for these leaders to come together. We believe this Headquarters will spark creativity, trust, and the kind of bold ideas that will transform and improve communities and nations around the world.”
Nelson has been with the organization since its inception.
How You Can Join the Celebration
A three-day festival will welcome Equality Corridor’s newest neighbor in the nation’s capital. Activities start with a Thursday morning march of hundreds of girls and allies from the White House to the Vital Voices Global Headquarters. Following a ribbon cutting, the Vital Voices Global Headquarters for Women’s Leadership will open its doors for three days of exhibits, panels, luncheons, and other activities to bring women together and celebrate the launch of the Headquarters. On May 7, the building will hold an open house as part of Passport DC’s popular “Around the World Embassy Tour.”
You can register for the open house here.
In Good Company
In addition to the Honorable Hillary, confirmed guests (although rockstar lineups are usually subject to change) include: fashion designer and Vital Voices Board Member Diane von Fürstenberg, marketing executive and Vital Voices Board Member Bozoma Saint John, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad, Ukrainian human rights activist Oksana Horbunova, former Deputy Trade Minister of Afghanistan Muquadessa Yourish, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, climate activist Sophia Kianni, recording artist MILCK, actors and activists Amber Tamblyn and Angelina Spicer, and more.
Can’t Make It? Watch Online!
The whole shebang will stream live worldwide at: www.vitalvoices.org.
A note on how we are all inter-connected:
Glow Stream TV’s founder Markette Sheppard is a past fellow of the Vital Voices Grow program.
She now works to market and promote the organization.
