WOMEN: Our Empowerment is Up to Us. #W.O.K.E.

Hello ladies.  Hope you had a pleasant week!  W.O.K.E. – Women of Knowledge & Empowerment, created by published author, trainer/coach,  and entertainment editor, L. Renee’ Chubb kicks off August 31st! Be sure to check out this inspirational spin off of DemWords, dedicated specifically to women each month, and join the conversation.  

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 “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” — Madeleine Albright

Malinda, my best friend of 20 years, came to see me the other day after not having been in each other’s presence for almost a year.  We do that sometimes. We fall out of touch, but when we are back together it’s like we never had any time apart. We can have conversations by looking at each other, we give each other silence when we can feel it’s needed, and we give a shoulder when that’s appropriate, too.  

After she left my house, I sat on my front porch, tipsy from the wine, but sober enough to get caught up in some pretty in-depth retrospection.  What if there are women out there, who don’t have a Malinda of their own? When we have a Malinda in our lives, someone we know has our back at all times, would go to war for us, and is quick to inspire and motivate and not tear or destroy, we are virtually unstoppable.  That’s when it hit me. There ARE women out there who are deprived of the “Malinda experience,” and I instantly knew that I had to use my writing to bring all of the Malindas to the L. Renee’s of the world.  

Hence, the birth of W.O.K.E. — Women of Knowledge & Empowerment, a weekly inspirational blog series. Now, don’t let the acronym scare you.  I know the term “woke” has been completely overused lately, and I promise this blog is about empowering ALL women, of all ages, from all walks of life.  

Sad to say, we have wasted enough time in the past, and especially these past 2.5 years, repeatedly bashing each other and ripping each other to shreds, over nothing, with no reprieve in sight. That ends now.  I realized at that moment, while sipping on my glass of wine, that I’ve matured gracefully. I’m not bragging. I say that because I recognize that empowering other women isn’t a challenge; it’s the trait of a truly remarkable and compassionate woman like my Malinda. 

Women need to empower each other for a myriad of reasons. We need love, companionship, and uplifting. We all need knowledge, we all need empowerment. In standing tall together, we learn to appreciate our differences and our strengths and equip ourselves with the courage to draw from the best parts of one another. That’s where I see W.O.K.E. making that change. We as women are going to make this happen.

I want to uplift you, and you, and yes, even you, the Republican woman whom I may not agree with politically, but who shares many of the same values, beliefs, and fears as myself.  Send me stories of courage, women leading change, and people who need to have a brighter light shone on their story. I’ll gladly tell it. Follow me @MizzLRenee on Twitter and DM me your story.  Here’s this month’s blog article, and I start with the need for empowering ourselves. 

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It’s been a year full of ups and downs, wins and losses, tragedies and triumphs, but one thing that has remained consistent is the increasing and record-breaking number (close to 75 million to be exact), of women speaking out and running for local/national races, starting boots-on-the-ground activist organizations and literally changing the world.   While I paint a pretty picture of how far we have come, it’s important to note that we still have a long way to go in terms of equality and public perception. Or, as Chuck Todd likes to say, “optics.”  It’s not just about gender equality for us who are here in the present. It’s making sure that future generations don’t have to fight the same struggles. 

“Progress isn’t just slowed — it’s stalled.”  It took the combined efforts of multiple high-profile celebrities, united by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In Campaign, to draw attention to this issue and the need for women to empower each other.

The truth is there will always be other women that are prettier, taller, skinnier, or fitter, who have things that we don’t possess, but at the end of the day, we are all women here. So, why are we the ones making it harder on ourselves?

We aren’t going to grow as women if we are the ones always tearing each other down. We need to eliminate the jealousy, gossiping, and cattiness to create a more supportive culture among all women, instead of making enemies with other women.

As women, we understand the struggles of other women more than anyone else does. Therefore, we must be better with each other because we know how difficult things can be for us. We need to work hard to remain on the same team. We need to connect with each other to make the world a better place. We need to build a community of strong women, who will help each other succeed. With the current events that are happening in our country, I believe that it is imperative for us to come together. We must stand united and help one another, no matter what.

Empowerment, in general terms, is developing or building the power one needs to accomplish one’s goals. Women’s empowerment, in particular, is about providing women the full capacity to engage socially, economically and politically as an equal to our male counterparts in society. The idea that women demand empowerment derives from the fact that there is a perception that women are more vulnerable than men and that we frequently have a harder time achieving our goals. I look forward to inspiring each of you each week as we continue on this W.O.K.E journey together.  We as women need to lead by example. We need to show men how we must be respected and treated. We need to show our daughters how we need to act towards other women. We need to show our son’s the proper way to behave towards women and how they should be treated.

Until next time, stay W.O.K.E.! Be sure to send me your nominations and story ideas for the next W.O.K.E. piece.  There will be ~2 per month. 

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Written by: L. Renee' Chubb

Originally Published On DemWritePress.com