Yahoo Lifestyle Diane Von Furstenberg’s Annual International Women’s Day Event Amplified Female Voices on the Power of Kindness
To mark International Women’s Day, Diane von Furstenberg hosted her annual InCharge celebration in partnership with YouTube. Led by YouTube creator Cleo Abram at YouTube’s NYC space at Pier 57, Furstenberg began the day of conversation by saying, “Kindness is a currency. Generosity is an investment.”
Following in the legacy of DVF’s International Women’s Day events, “InCharge & The Power of Kindness” brought together women across industries to discuss issues in a series of panels and performances. The audience was taken through the InCharge platforms (Connect, Expand, Inspire and Advocate) to take the conversation a step further this year in exploring their relationship with the power of kindness.
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The day’s first panel called “Being InCharge Is Owning Who We Are,” featured actress and activist Sophia Bush and Aurora James, founder of Brother Vellies. The conversation took a deep dive into how to make morals and money meet and what it means to be in charge while highlighting the collective power of women in business and society. Both women emphasized the importance of community and empathy.
“I think it’s pretty clear that women have been amassing power, that we know we’re stronger together, that we are opening businesses in record numbers,” said Bush. “We are investing in each other. We’re changing the way money moves in the world. We’re voting to protect women’s bodily autonomy in record numbers as well […] I don’t think they were prepared for our collective power, and so I think that they’re really doing everything they can now to rip it apart.”
As the conversation moved into the continued fight against inequity, James advised others to not “lose sight of your own communities, because that’s really where the power can happen.”
Empathy continues to be a big part of James’ playbook as she creates economic change with the 15 Percent Pledge. She added that “being able to talk in numbers is a big part of it as well, because a lot of people, they can’t do it unless they can track it.”
“I think one of the reasons the pledge was so successful is because we were able to put data to a really complicated emotional feeling that corporations have also really been struggling with,” said James. “It’s always hard negotiating with people who just are marrying one track about things and I think in this climate, it’s especially tough, you know. But I’ve also always said, like stumbling is evidence of momentum.”
Later in the day Alicia Menendez, cohost of MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” moderated a panel called “The Multiplier Effect.” Speakers included Shiza Shahid, cofounder of Our Place, Malala Fund and Now Ventures; Nelle Miller, co-chief executive officer of the New York Region, J.P. Morgan Private Bank; and YouTube creator Kinigra Deon. The discussion looked to explore the power of women’s leadership in action and how innovation, finance, storytelling and entrepreneurship have been used to drive economic growth.
The conversation highlighted the challenges of securing venture capital as a woman with less than 2 percent of venture capital currently going to women. The group also shared the importance of consistent effort and diverse leadership in building successful businesses.
Shahid shared that she was rejected in many investor meetings when starting Our Place and that one reason for it may have been her business’ mission. “When we went into meetings with investors, we got over 100 ‘Nos,’ and that was for many reasons. We all know the stats, less than 2 percent of venture capital goes to women. That capital itself goes to women who have more access. So there were many reasons why we got rejected, including being seen as niche.”
In addition to businesses being rejected for being seen as niche, Menendez added that there is also a piece where women are pushed toward nonprofit spaces.
“We push women towards this idea that somehow wanting to make money is not evident or is not in the best interest of everyone,” said Menendez. “Once you have capital, you can choose how you have a powerful thing. And that is why I’m interested in, given I am in media, and we sort of enter this like a centrifugal conversation, we talk about why we don’t have more creators of color, why our stories are not accurately represented, and part of that is the ownership question.”
Miller said that there is a clear element of curiosity when she looks at how both Deon and Shahid started their businesses which she has seen in meetings with many successful founders throughout her career. She championed their “founders’ gut.”
Furstenberg ended the day with a panel called “Redesigning Our Lives: Masters of Bold Reinvention,” with Tina Brown, Ms. Tina Knowles and Cindi Lieve, chief executive officer of The Meteor. The group shared stories of embracing uncertainty and discussed how they have redefined what it means to be a matriarch.
Looking at what she has taught her daughters, Knowles said that among the most important lessons is that family comes first, to be strong in hard times and to always be true to yourself. Furstenberg said, “you are the children you have,” adding “I guess you’re pretty good,” at Knowles.
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