The White House Hosted The First Ever United State of Women Summit, Here’s What You Need To Know

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From the minute I jolted out of my mother’s car two hours before the summit began, I was shocked to already see hundreds of selected women from around the world. They were anxiously waiting to enter the Walter E. Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

It was at that moment I realized that this was going to be a highly stimulating and game changing day, not only for me, but also for every woman in America.

June 14th marked the first ever United State of Women Summit hosted by the White House; a three day convention dedicated to celebrating not only how far women have come, but also how far we need to go.

Leaders from the White House, heads of corporations, and Hollywood stars graced the stage to speak on the popular (and quite surprising) issues women still face today.

Vice President Joe Biden, President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Kerry Washington, and even Warren Buffet were amongst many in attendance, publically declaring their stance on feminism.

They spoke about how they were making a difference in their respective fields to further women equality across the world.

From disturbing rape statistics to economic empowerment, it seemed as if no one issue faced by women went unnoticed.

President Obama said it best, “our country is not all about the Benjamins, it’s about the Tubmans too. We need all our young people to know that that Clara Barton and Lucretia Mott and Sojourner Truth and Eleanor Roosevelt and Dorothy Height, those aren’t just for Women’s History Month. They’re the authors of our history, women who shaped their destiny.”

Inside the summit walls, a handful of exhibitors stood outside the main hall. Planned Parenthood, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, and Women’s Media Center, were amongst many vendors that advocated for the advancement of women.

This event proved that women can and will make a powerful difference in the future. As First Lady Michelle Obama states, “The work always continues… We can never be complacent and think we’ve arrived as women…”

If you missed this game-changing event, here are my top quotes from a few of the most influential women in attendance at the United State of Women Summit:

1.

“If you don’t take accountability of your own time, other people will gobble it up.” – First Lady, Michelle Obama

2.

“People won’t remember what other people say about you, but they’ll always remember what you do.” – First Lady, Michelle Obama

3.

“Spend more time about what’s going on with the world…” – Television Producer and Writer, Shonda Rhimes

4.

“We need to learn how to take advantage of all the money in America that’s already there”- Former President of Entertainment of Telemundo, Nelly Galan

5.

“It’s not the title you have, it is what you do with the title you have” – Administrator of Small Business Administration, Maria Contreras Sweet