United State of Women Summit

The United State of Women Summit was a summit held in Washington, D.C. focused on gender equality in the United States. The summit was hosted by the White House, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Aspen Institute.[2]

United State of Women Summit
Host countryUnited States
DateJune 14, 2016
Venue(s)Walter E. Washington Convention Center[1]
CitiesWashington, D.C.
Websitewww.theunitedstateofwomen.org

Background

The White House first announced the summit on January 29, 2016, with the theme "Today we change tomorrow."[3] Originally scheduled for May 23, the summit was postponed to June 14.

On June 7, First Lady Michelle Obama announced the summit on a video, alongside Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Tina Fey, Laverne Cox, Kerry Washington, Shonda Rhimes, Cecile Richards, and Jessica Williams.[4][5]

Agenda

The summit was dedicated to discussing a number of topics, including economic empowerment, equal pay for equal work, women's health, women's education, violence against women, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement.[4][6]

Mikaila Ulmer speaking at the summit in 2016.

Ciiru Waithaka, a Kenya entrepreneur, was lauded by Michelle Obama. She recognised their common ancestry and said "You Go Girl". Obama noted that Waithaka had doubled her production of school furniture thanks to a loan of 10,000 by Goldman Sachs. Obama recognised her as a woman who was helping other women and families to follow her lead.[7]

Joe Biden at the United State of Women Summit.

President Barack Obama, one of the key speakers at the summit, was introduced by child entrepreneur Mikaila Ulmer.[8] He discussed feminism, violence committed against women by groups such as ISIL and Boko Haram, and the progress made by his administration in supporting family leave and the minimum wage.[9][10] Vice President Joe Biden was another key speaker, citing campus sexual assault as a major issue.[10][11]

Participants

See also

References
  1. "White House United State of Women Summit". The White House. June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  2. "The United State of Women". Aspen Institute. June 14, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  3. "FACT SHEET: New Steps to Advance Equal Pay on the Seventh Anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act". The White House. January 29, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  4. Mettler, Katie (June 7, 2016). "First lady Michelle Obama teams up with Oprah to host 'United State of Women' summit at White House". Washington Post. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  5. Lang, Cady (June 6, 2016). "Michelle Obama Rounded Up an Amazing Squad for the 'United State Of Women'". Time. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  6. Lapowsky, Issie (June 14, 2016). "At the White House's United State of Women Summit, A Call for More". Wired. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  7. "Michelle Obama Shouts Out Kenyan Entrepreneur at the United State Of Women Summit". OkayAfrica. 2016-06-15. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  8. Jeffrey, James (2018-07-23). "The 13-year-old who built a best-selling lemonade brand". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  9. Rhodan, Maya (June 14, 2016). "President Obama at Women's Summit: This Is What a Feminist Looks Like". Time. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  10. Miller, Ryan (June 14, 2016). "Message from women's summit: More needs to be done". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  11. Eilperin, Juliet (June 14, 2016). "At White House staff picnic, Biden says, seven women told him they'd been raped". Washington Post. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  12. Owens, Donna (June 15, 2016). "White House State of Women Summit Focuses on Gender Equality". NBC News. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  13. Emma Rosemurgey. "Trans Latinx Advocate Camila Maria Concepcion Dies By Suicide Aged 28". UNILAD. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
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