NACA supported Atlanta Women’s Foundation 12th Annual Luncheon

NACA sponsored the Atlanta Women’s Foundation’s 12th Annual Luncheon. The Atlanta Women’s Foundation (AWF)’s 12th annual “Numbers Too Big To Ignore” luncheon was held on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at the Georgia World Congress Center. NACA members, led by Chair Lani Wong, and other guests and supporters of AWF from various institutions and organizations joined the event to celebrate the achievement of AWF and support its efforts facing future challenges. NACA has sponsored this event now for three years. The power of role models and leadership was the theme of this year’s ATW luncheon. “You cannot do what you cannot see,” Naomi Tutu cited her father’s saying to emphasize the importance of leadership and philanthropy, especially among women, in order to promote self-sufficiency among women. Liz Abzug, the daughter of famous leader of women’s movement Bella Abzug echoed Tutu’s sentiment and passionately advocated for women’s equal rights. Abzug said the mission that her mother set out to accomplish is still a challenge today. Although women have achieved a lot in the last generation in gaining their voice politically, Abzug still noticed a wide socioeconomic gender inequality in the society. She cited her mother’s famous quote that “our struggle today is not to have a female Einstein get appointed as an assistant professor. It is for a woman schlemiel to get as quickly promoted as a male schlemiel.” The discussion was moderated by Soledad O’Brien, anchor and reporter for CNN. The luncheon also introduced its new chief executive officer Barbara Mosacchio to the community and presented this year’s Sue Wieland Embracing Possibility Award to VOX Teen Communications and Octavia Fugerson. Since its inception, AWF has awarded more than $10 million in grants to nonprofit organizations in the Atlanta area to promote women’s self-sufficiency in the community. Similar to AWF’s mission, NACA is also striving to develop leadership in community and advocate for the participation of Chinese-Americans in the political process. NACA has hosted several mentorship programs, with the goal to provide students the necessary guidance to be successful in their future careers and to be successful future leaders in the global marketplace.