The White House hosted the Summit on the United State of Women on June 14, 2016, the first of its kind. The goal of the summit was to rally all women “together to celebrate what we’ve achieved, and how we’re going to take action moving forward," because “there’s a lot that’s been done by and for women and girls, but there’s still plenty to do.” Key topics like violence against women, gender equality issues, and self-empowerment were discussed. Among the speakers were Billie Jean King, Jen Welter, Kerry Washington, Amy Poehler, Patricia Arquette, Connie Britton, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, Vice President Joe Biden, and President Barack Obama.
No generation was left out as Mikaila Ulmer, the 11-year-old founder and chief executive of “Me & the Bees Lemonade,” introduced President Obama. In her introduction, Mikaila told the story of how she created a lemonade stand to raise money to help understand what's decimating the world's population of bees. She did it after being stung twice and leaning into her curiosity instead of being afraid of the bees. There was also Marley Dias, the 11-year-old creator of #1000blackgirlbooks. Her campaign was created to round up titles with protagonists who look like her, and to draw attention to the fact that so few books are written about and by black girls. She recalled that one of her favorite books of the year was Jacqueline Woodson's "Brown Girl Dreaming," because it challenged her and she didn't understand it the first time she read it.
Vice President Joe Biden delivered a passionate speech, which served as a clear rejection of rape culture. He stated that “sex without consent is rape. We have to throw away the mindset that excuses a sexual assault by saying, boys will be boys, it’s just the way it is." He also stated that “there’s not a single, solitary thing that a man can do that a woman cannot do as well, and that’s not hyperbole, I mean that in a literal sense.”
President Obama joked during his speech that “I may be a little grayer than I was eight years ago, but this is what a feminist looks like. Of course, in my household, there’s no choice." President Obama emphasized that “We need to keep changing the attitude that raises our girls to be demure and our boys to be assertive; that criticizes our daughters for speaking out and our sons for shedding a tear; and that the attitudes that punishes women for their sexuality, but gives men a pat on the back for theirs, need to change". He also shed light on the attitudes that prioritize being confident, competitive, and ambitious in the workplace—unless you’re a woman, also need to change, and that “we need to keep changing a culture that shines a particularly unforgiving light on women and girls of color. About how they look, about how they feel, about what they should or should not do."
On the topic of self-empowerment, First Lady Michelle Obama stated that “as women and young girls, we have to invest that time in getting to understand who we are, and liking who we are." This summit was definitely one of empowerment, and should be continued by future White House administrations.
