Last week, a graduate student roundtable and town hall titled “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, deserve so much more,” featuring CNN political analyst and author Sofia Nelson was held. As March is Women's History Month and Social Work Month, the event partnered with the Center for African American Public Policy (CAAmPP) and Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work.
The message threaded through both events was the importance of intergenerational connection, knowing your value and self-care for women, particularly African American women as they must deal with the intersectionality of racism and sexism. Nelson, who authored The Women Code, says sisterhood is needed on the journey and to lift each other up as you climb. She says, “When you build a relationship and not a transaction, it lasts forever.”
The former attorney gave insight into how she ventured through the corporate ladder and the importance of financial literacy and understanding racial politics. When talking to students specifically, she stressed the many tools needed once they graduate from NSU and navigate today’s society. “As a generation that already leans well into their emotional intelligence, they know what they want and don’t want,” says Nelson, “However, I think they also need to be more open to other points of view and perspectives to journey through today’s climate.”
As the author of Be The One You Need: 21 Life Lessons I Learned While Taking Care of Everyone but Me, she advocates for everyone to see themselves as a human being rather than a human doing and to ask themselves: What do I want? What do I need? What am I feeling?
See more photos of this event on Flickr.