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UPF-USA Celebrates International Women’s Day
Written by Tomiko Duggan, Senior Vice President, UPF-USA
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Washington, DC, USA—This year the United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day (IWD) was globally organized under the theme “DigitAll: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” recognizing and celebrating the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education.
The Universal Peace Federation, USA, and the National Center for Women Entrepreneurs and Children Development Center (NCWE) co-sponsored the celebration of IWD on March 8, 2023 at The Washington Times building’s Beech Room. Over fifty women professionals, business, media, civil, and faith leaders gathered for this International Women’s Day observance. The program at the Washington Times aimed to uplift and build a network of women leaders to work together and create more inclusive, safer, and caring communities.
The International Women’s Day program began with a brief introduction to the vision and the work of UPF. Tomiko Duggan, senior vice president of UPF-USA, welcomed the guests and shared excerpts from a speech by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, UPF Co-Founder, delivered in October 2012, in which she emphasized that 21st-century women must play a significant role in world history by serving as one of the wheels of the engine pushing and pulling the construction of a peaceful world forward.
NCWE was founded in 2018 and endorsed by Mrs. Yumi Hogan, the First Lady and wife of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. Aisha Khan, president of NCWE, warmly greeted the participants and spoke about the first official National Woman’s Day, held in New York City on February 28, 1909, as the day that set the future for all women in the world. But it took the USA seven decades to acknowledge women’s full rights. She spoke about becoming role models for future generations and the vital need to teach girls to be strong in maintaining their inherited morals and values, encouraging women to work together in building better communities. and to be bound together to move forward to a world that is better for all. She spoke of the example of Mother Moon’s mission for women’s empowerment in building a peaceful world.
An essential part of the program was the UPF USA appointment of outstanding community leaders as “Ambassadors for Peace.” Larry Moffitt, secretary general, UPF-USA, appointed the following distinguished individuals to contribute their skills, experiences, and wisdom in building a better world:
- Karina Hou: A renowned artist, musician, and educator. She is also a successful businesswoman, owning 14 restaurants in VA, DC, and MD.
- Surinder S. Gill: Secretary General of Sikhs of USA.
- Julius Salik: A Pakistani Christian and activist for minority rights, nominated by former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto for the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Mrs. Anjana Bordoloi: Executive, Commissioner of Maryland Governor’s Commission of South Asian American Affairs, and renowned singer.
- Jabeen Malik: Working with the Maryland Howard County School Board to change current policies that affect children, such as gender issues, bullying, and work schedules that affect women.
Other talented women in the audience were recognized and asked to introduce themselves, their life, and their efforts to help others. They were asked to network with other attendees to develop future programs and projects.
Rev. Belina Wimbish-Hale, Belina Ministry, contributed songs to entertain and brighten the audience’s spirits.
The conference concluded with some guiding words from Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon:
“With the current popularization of gender wars, men and women do not need to confront or be in fundamental conflict with each other. They do not need to imitate the characteristics, dispositions, or roles of each other. Or covet each other’s successes or disparage their achievements.
Instead, by giving what they have to the other with true love and completing the other, they can unite as a greater whole and share in a relationship of joint ownership.
Ultimately, the problems afflicting humanity can only be resolved through the ideology that we are ‘one family under God’ – sisters and brothers with a recognized universal shared Parenthood.”
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