The United State for Women was a conference held in Washington D.C. on June15th. The conference focused on women and their contributions in business, entertainment and society. The event was well attended by some of the world’s most successful individuals.
Among the speakers was First lady Michelle Obama as well as her husband President Barack Obama who opened the conference and gave a moving speech, declaring his support for women. As he gave his address, POTUS declared “…this is what a feminist looks like” which was well received by the room-full of women but later gained backlash online.
Nevertheless, the women’s summit was an opportunity for women in the highest levels of industry to celebrate and collaborate with each other in addition to encouraging younger women . The event focused on topics including economic empowerment, education, health and violence against women.
Some of the attendees included media mogul Oprah Winfrey, writer/producer of hit show “Scandal” Shonda Rhimes, Oscar-nominated Meryl Streep, “Scandal” star and activist Kerry Washington and even comedian “Tina Fey”. Other noted persons from business and social reform sectors also attended the event.
Kenyan Ciiru Waithaka received special mention from First Lady Michelle Obama. Ciiru Waithaka started a business called FunKidz to create furniture, accessories and educational tools for children that are based on African stories. According to Capital Business UK-trained interior architect, Ciiru has been at the forefront of encouraging women to get more involved in the building and construction industry. Michelle Obama highlighted the efforts of Ciiru’s firm FunKidz and was gracious enough to give her a hug; affirming that “we are family. ”
Michelle Obama also had an in-depth interview with Oprah Winfrey. The conversation included future plans after the White House in addition to the future generation of women.
Watch the interview below.
