International Women’s Day at 30 Rock
It’s a chilly winter morning at 30 Rock. I take refuge in the lobby while my colleague Diana McHugh, WPA’s Director of Communications, waits outside to greet a graduate of the Women’s Leadership & Media Project (WLMP), WPA’s new trauma-informed media training and public speaking project. As I wait, I observe three types of people: tourists, suits, and security. I don’t stand out. I’m here to visit some suits myself, specifically Deloitte, WPA’s longstanding corporate partner.
We were invited to speak at a breakfast the Deloitte Women’s Initiative hosted in honor of International Women’s Day. At this breakfast, women and their allies in Deloitte’s consulting business have the opportunity to network, learn more about WPA, the Women’s Leadership & Media Project, and hear from a woman who has experienced the justice system firsthand.
Brunilda, graduate of our first Women’s Leadership & Media Project cohort is our guest speaker. She has been clean for 17 years, has regained custody of her son whom she lovingly calls her “angel,” and now works at a retail craft store. Today she is representing WPA, the Women’s Leadership & Media Project, herself, and all justice-involved women.
And she is running a little late. Later I find out it’s because she didn’t know what to wear. Figuring out the right outfit when you have limited work experience and desperately want to leave the best impression on your audience can be crippling.
Despite initial nervousness, Brunilda is a compelling speaker and the audience listens intently. When asked about her motivation to join the Women’s Leadership & Media Project, she takes a deep breath, repeats the question (both are practices she learned over the 12 weeks) and says:
“My mission is to help people better understand the criminal justice system and to help other women realize that they are not alone. We are in this together and I will fight for them.” — Brunilda, formerly incarcerated advocate and Women’s Leadership & Media Project graduate.
The audience asks thoughtful questions:
· What was it like to reintegrate into the community?
· How did you become involved with WPA?
· Do the different government agencies talk to each other to help women when they leave prison?
My favorite question comes at the end: What can we (Deloitte employees in New York City) do to support WPA and women like Brunilda? The three of us — Brunilda, Diana, and I—all have our own ideas.
I challenge the group to contact their Human Resources department and ask for Deloitte to expand its matching gift program to include matches to human service organizations like WPA. Deloitte, like many businesses, limits employee gift matching to colleges. Diana asks those who know lawyers to talk to them about diversion and the benefits of alternatives to incarceration. Brunilda asks for a second chance. She jokes that she is going to apply for a job at Deloitte, but she is serious when she asks to be judged by the quality of her work and not her criminal record when she or another woman applies for employment.
Afterward, Diana and I stick around to chat with the group, but Brunilda makes a speedy exit because she has to work soon and her supervisor specifically scheduled her shift around this speaking experience. It doesn’t surprise me that Brunilda’s boss made this special allowance for her; it’s hard not to be inspired by her energy and positivity.
We invite our new friends to attend WPA’s In-Justice Documentary Film Series at Fordham School of Law and to select WPA if Deloitte accepts our proposed volunteer project for their dedicated day of community service on June 9. WPA has hosted Deloitte Impact Day projects since 2011.
You can read about our partnership with Deloitte in WPA’s Spring/Summer Newsletter, and you can learn more about WPA’s corporate partners here.
Rebecca Pak is the Director of Institutional Giving at the Women’s Prison Association.
