Launch of the Howard University Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership
About Our Launch
On October 20, 2021, the Howard University Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership hosted its inauguration alongside Howard faculty, students, and global leaders. The hybrid event took place within the Louis Stokes Library, which officially houses the Center in suite 220. The launch of the Center was a wonderful opportunity to recognize all the work that has gone into founding a space for the empowerment of women as well as recognition of the legacy of women in leadership within our society. The Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership was established as an interdisciplinary program with a vision to be a Center of Excellence for Black women and Black feminist consciousness, activism, and global leadership. Thanks to the support from administration and the generous gift from Trustees Jim Murren and Heather Hay Murren, the Center is now a visible part of Howard University.
The Inauguration hosted several speakers from the university and beyond. Opening remarks were provided by J. Jarpa Dawuni, Esq. Ph.D., Founding Director of the Center. Following was a call to prayer by Reverend Dr. Bernard Richardson, the Dean of Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. The administration was present and showed support by providing remarks; President Wayne A. I. Frederick presented the administration’s welcome, followed by Provost Anthony Wutoh and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Rubin Patterson. Kylie Burke, the president of the Howard University Student Association provided remarks as a representative of the Howard University student body. The Founding Donors, Jim Murren, and Heather May Murren both spoke on the necessity of such a center and their involvement in its conception. Interlude performances were provided by the Howard Players, the theatrical organization on campus. The performances included a spoken word element accompanied by a dance and a vocalist who sang “I’m Every Woman”. The Vice President of the Republic of Costa Rica Epsy Campbell Barr also made a virtual appearance to pledge support for the Center and its launch.
The keynote speaker of the event was Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA). She was introduced by James Rhee, entrepreneurship professor at Howard University and John H. Johnson endowed chair. Brown Duckett leads TIAA as a Fortune 100 Company and is just one of two Black women to head a Fortune 500 Company. Her leadership within TIAA as both a woman and a Black woman highlights the values of global leadership that the Center upholds. During the inauguration, Brown Duckett alongside moderator Dr. Tashni-Ann Dubroy, Chief Operating Officer of Howard University, engaged in a fireside chat to discuss Brown Duckett’s journey to leading TIAA and the experiences that formed who she is today.
Brown Duckett spoke on how her upbringing and her parents spurred her on to achieve her goals and passion in retirement funds and homeownership for minority demographics. As to her motivation, she stated, “My purpose in life was not to be a CEO, but… to inspire and make impact...I believe through my faith that platform is there for me to... perform, because I love business.” She also told the audience that in her journey she makes an effort to never lose sight of the impact she is making. She also remarked on how her experiences as a Black woman have contributed so much to what she has completed in her life, and of the importance of Black women to continue being authentic to themselves in their work within the world. Thasunda Brown Duckett and Dr. Durboy’s fireside chat provided an engaging look into the life of a Black woman within C-suite.
Following the chat, Dr. Durbroy and Dr. Dawuni presented Brown Duckett with the Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership’s inaugural Leadership of Women award for exemplifying the mission and values of the Center and for her continued efforts in the upliftment of Black women. Following the presentation of the award, Dr. Dawuni provided closing remarks in thanks for all the support toward the establishment of the Center. Dr. Dawuni implored, “Hold my hands and let’s build this partnership of sisterhood, not just at Howard, but globally. That is how we can get things done.” She said, “The Center is just a representation of what Black women at Howard, in the African Diaspora, and around the world have always done… If there’s any time that we should put this on the center stage of national discourse, global discourse, I think the time is now.” It very much is.