Honoring Outstanding Women and Storytellers

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Last week The White House Project celebrated outstanding women and storytellers at its annual Epic Awards dinner. The awards honored individuals who are making a difference in the way women and girls view themselves, and the way they are viewed by decision makers.

Activist, philanthropist, and event-chair Mahsa Peloski opened the evening saying, “When women are at the peace making table, the corporate boardroom, and the halls of Congress, they bring a different perspective and change the conversation.”

By honoring the individuals who are changing the conversation about women, The White House Project hopes to increase the numbers of women in positions of power as well.

Celebrating Leading Women

Tiffany Dufu, President of The White House Project explained that her life’s work is advocating for women and girls. “It’s why I’m on the planet,” she said. Currently the US ranks 72nd in the world for women in political leadership. To put that in perspective, as both Dufu and Peloski pointed out, Rwanda is currently number one.

Dufu added, “What kinds of perspectives are not in the room as we work through the economic crisis?”

One way to encourage more women to aim for positions of leadership is highlighting role models from the very beginning, said Stephanie Cota, senior vice president for Barbie marketing at Mattel, who presented the evening’s first award – the Barbie “I Can Be” award.

She explained, “Barbie has had 150 careers.” Cota said with a laugh, “She designed her own dream house, and Ken didn’t design or pay for it!”

The “I Can Be” award was presented to Gabi Wilson, a 13 year-old singer and musician. Wilson said, “I want to inspire my peers to be creators, and not just critics.” Wilson continued, “Back in the day there was a song that said ‘I am woman, hear me roar.’ We need a new slogan that goes, ‘I am woman, here we stand, and we’re not going anywhere.’”

Next, Dufu awarded the organization’s Impact Award to The White Hose Project’s Founder and President Emeritus, Marie Wilson. “She has shaped and inspired the public’s perception of what a leader should look like,”

Wilson replied, “There’s nothing better than having something you love turned over to someone you love.”

Remarking on the importance of authenticity, Wilson recalled a story from one of the first “Take Our Daughters to Work Day,” an event she co-created. She remembered hearing the story of one girl who had accompanied her parent to work in an office. Afterward the company gathered the participants in an auditorium for questions, and a girl raised her hand to ask a question of one of the high-ranking women on stage, saying, “I noticed your job is boring.” After some back and forth, the woman said that at one point in her life she had wanted to be a singer, but gave it up.

Wilson commented, “Our daughters are watching us and they are asking ‘what have you cut off to go into work today?’”

She continued, “We need authentic leaders who bring all those songs back.”

Honoring Storytellers

The organization also presented awards to members of the media who are changing the perception of female leaders – by telling the stories which might otherwise go unnoticed.

Dee Rees, Writer and Director of Pariah received an award for her film on the story of a young black woman realizing she is a lesbian. Rees said, “We made this film to have the courage to be ourselves and encourage other girls to do the same.”

The next award was presented to Duane Baughman for his work directing and producing Bhutto, a documentary film on Benazir Bhutto’s life. “To be the first man allowed up on this stage really makes me proud,” Baughman said.

Baughman, who was able to interview Bhutto’s family shortly after her assassination for the film, continued, “Benazir Bhutto was a large woman in history who changed everything.”

The next award went to Ben Houser, Senior Producer at ESPN E:60 for his work on “The Chelsea Baker Story.” Baker, who was also presented with an award said, is the best little league baseball pitcher in the United States and recently had her jersey hung in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Geena Davis, who presented the award remarked that Baker is “in a league of her own.”

Houser said, “At the end of the day my favorite baseball player in the world is Chelsea Baker.”

The last award winners of the evening were Doug Liman, Director, and John Schreiber, Executive Vice President, of Participant Media for their work on the film Fair Game, which tells the story of the CIA operative Valarie Plame, whose identity was allegedly leaked to the press after her husband publicly criticized the Iraq war.

Referring to his mother, Liman joked, “I know first hand how strong and effective a woman can be.”

Liman, who worked directly with Plame for the right to make the film said, “This honor really goes to Valarie Plame, who had the courage to stand up and do something that was a challenge for her. Even scarier, she allowed film makers to tell her story.”

He recalled that, although Plane regularly encountered arms dealers during her work with the CIA, she told him that “the shadiest people she ever met were people Hollywood.”