YWCA speaker hopes to ‘set women ablaze’
The YWCA Columbus and local activists are working together to unite women behind social change through the second annual Activists and Agitators event.
Achea Redd, a mental health and social activist, will be the keynote speaker at the Oct. 17 event at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Columbus drag queen Nina West will perform.
Redd said her goal is to “set women ablaze” on the trail of self discovery.
“Once they put the oxygen mask on themselves to find out who they truly are, then encouraging them to go out and blaze the trail for other people,” Redd said.
The theme for Activists and Agitators is “Find Your Voice, Let It Out” to encourage women to learn how to become an ally in creating social change, said Kate Manofsky Anderson, marketing and communications director of the YWCA Columbus.
Manofsky Anderson said Redd’s work aligns with the mission of the YWCA to support girls and women in the community.
After being diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder in 2016, Redd, wife of former Ohio State and NBA basketball star Michael Redd, started a blog to record her struggles and triumphs and what she has learned about mental illness. She also wanted to empower other women who had mental illnesses to share their stories and support one another.
Support for her blog inspired her to start her organization, Real Girls F.A.R.T. (Fearless. Authentic. Rescuer. Trailblazer.) in 2017. Her organization is working to change attitudes about mental and behavioral help by having discussions online or at events in Columbus.
All the proceeds raised at the October YWCA event will go toward two of the YWCA’S leadership programs: Leadership for Social Change and Bright Futures.
Leadership for Social Change is a 10-month program to engage young women at the beginning of their careers. The program helps women understand how discriminatory practices, policies and beliefs can cause inequity.
Bright Futures has been a part of the YWCA for 20 years and will be relaunched in the fall to help girls ages 11 to 14 gain access to leadership, confidence building and empowerment training.
The YWCA noticed the most under-resourced neighborhoods in Columbus don’t offer programs for girls about social constructs for race and gender, Manofsky Anderson said.
The YWCA decided to restructure Bright Futures and partner with the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department to create a neighborhood based program set for Barack and Glenwood community center in the fall.
“We believe that we have the responsibility to educate and empower the next generation of women leaders,” Manofsky Anderson said.
The Activist and Agitators event will begin with a networking and cocktail reception at 5 p.m. and will include a marketplace featuring women and minorityowned businesses. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased for $50 each before Sept. 23, then will increase to $60. Tickets are also available for $150 that include preferred seating, Redd’s book “Be Free. Be You.” and access to the After Party.