Panel discusses women in emerging democracies

A journalist, a politician and a local activist can all agree on at least one thing: American women today, with their educational, social and political opportunities, have much for which to be thankful. On Wednesday night, Trudy Rubin, the foreign affairs columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, joined former City Councilwoman Happy Fernandez and President of the Federation of State Humanities Councils Gail Leftwich to form a panel to discuss "Empowering Women Leaders in Emerging Democracies." The panel discussion, moderated by Sondra Myers -- an independent consultant for the International Civic and Cultural Projects, an umbrella organization that monitors developing democracies -- brought more than 30 mostly female undergraduates to the Annenberg School for Communication. The panel was sponsored by the Women in Leadership course being offered by Annenberg this semester. The course is co-taught by Management Professor Karen Jehn and former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky. Before opening the floor to the panelists, Myers explained the difficulty in establishing a stable democracy. "Democracy is not a spectator sport. It is hard work and always a work in progress," she said. Rubin, who kicked off the discussion, echoed Myers' thoughts. "Most nations that are making the transition [to democracy] don't have a tradition of trust or a reason to trust," Rubin said. Myers noted that many non-government organizations -- which include Amnesty International and Greenpeace -- that were important in areas of emerging democracy were started or run by women. And Leftwich added that non-government organizations have often developed when women responded to a need in their own family or their own community, which, in turn, led to a "self-empowering aspect" in many nations. Upon discovering that the final result of the class would be a proposed plan to empower women in Vietnam, Fernandez advised the students that empowering others starts with oneself. "Any ways you can, through your own experience, get in touch with yourself?. It can help you empower others," said Fernandez, who is now the president of the Moore College of Art. College junior Sharese Bullock, a member of the class who attended last night's event, said she was "completely impressed" with the course. She called the class the "most hands-on opportunity that could be offered and compiled at the University level."