The International Women’s Day Breakfast, long beloved Cape Cod event returned this year after a hiatus thanks to the coming together of Cape organizations AmplifyPOC, Cape Cod Cape Verdean Museum and Cultural Center, Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, League of Women Voters (Cape Cod Area and Falmouth Chapters) and the Women and Girls Fund of Cape Cod Foundation. As Founder and Executive Director of AmplifyPOC stated in her opening remarks, “The United Nations has selected ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ as the theme this year emphasizing the need to tackle economic disempowerment. Concurrently, the campaign theme for this year is ‘Inspire Inclusion’, highlighting the importance of fostering inclusivity.” “Inspire Inclusion encourages everyone to recognize the unique perspectives and contributions of women from all walks of life, including women of color” and she noted “The empowerment of women triggers a ripple effect that benefits everyone. When women are supported, they elevate communities, boost economies, and pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable society.” Following Ms. Vargas Wallace’s introduction, the Invocation was given by Bobbi B., a high school student and activist (picture above) who spoke passionately about the need for positive change and brought the crowd to their feet with thunderous applause.
The event then featured two panel discussions. The first, “Celebrating Women Political Leaders” was moderated by Mindy Todd of WCAI 90.1 and featured Donna Buckley, Barnstable County Sheriff, Melissa Ferretti, Select Board Member of Bourne and Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe Chairwoman, and Onjale Scott Prince, Select Board of Falmouth. The second panel was “Celebrating Women and Girls Making a Difference in Their Communities at the Local Level. This panel was moderated by Erica Tso Haidas of Belonging Books and featured Allanah Boddah, owner Karibbean Lounge; Destinee Powell, 4Cs student and Y-Achiever; Natalia Frois, owner, International Business Relations, Inc; and Henny Monty, Entrepreneur. Many of the speakers mentioned the importance of collaboration among community members, mentoring others and the importance of women in leadership roles.