Bradley’s chapter of Ladies of Color will host its inaugural Women’s Empowerment Banquet today at 6:30 p.m. in the Alumni Center Ballroom.
The event will include dinner, small group discussions and a speech from alumnae Renee Webb (’74).
LOC President Jamara Bell said she first met Webb at a scholarship banquet and decided she needed to reach out to her to speak at the event.
“Right now, [Webb] is doing something completely different from what her college major was,” Bell, a junior business management and leadership major, said. “A lot of college students get stuck on figuring out what we want our major to be and what we want for our career. It is important for women to know that they don’t have to know everything right now.”
Bell said she hopes the event also provides an answer to the question of what it means to be a woman.
“My definition of a woman is loving yourself and being able to embrace and respect other individuals,” Bell said. “It’s also knowing who you are as a woman, and that comes with time and experience and finding out your morals.”
LOC Secretary Sydney Gresham said she thinks the event will help recognize Bradley women.
“Not a lot of women are recognized on campus for the things that [they] do,” sophomore marketing major Gresham said. “This event will bring faculty and staff together to celebrate how society has changed, and it will empower women.”
Nearly 60 attendees are registered for the event. However, walk-ins are welcomed.
“I just want everyone to come out and have fun and embrace their womanhood,” Bell said. “I also want men to come and appreciate and understand what it means to be a woman.”
The banquet is free to students and $10 for the public.
