Sunset on the Roof – A Real Encounter with Real Women
Daniella, our WSWL Outreach & Special Events Assistant and LEAD Alumna, recaps last month’s Sunset on the Roof event, celebrating our Spring 2022 We Speak We LEAD cohort.
I guess you know virtual love… until the day finally comes to meet that person face to face. You know what feeling I mean, right? A virtual life.
This is exactly what the pandemic has given us – visits, classes, meetings, interviews, even celebrations through a screen. Since the pandemic separated us in 2020, most programs at New Women New Yorkers have been offered virtually. I entered as a participant in this way. My happiness was being able to interact with more people and create a new social circle, even if only virtually, and to find new professional opportunities
And yet, even as another series of We Speak We LEAD, a collaboration between New Women New Yorkers (NWNY) and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), was held virtually this Spring, it concluded with an in-person celebration! Yes, we left the screens, and on June 27, members of the NWNY and MOIA teams, our program’s participants, graduates from previous cohorts, and other guests met under the New York sky with an incredible sunset!
We opened doors for our celebration at 6:00 PM at Cubico’s Rooftop, a wonderful outdoor venue in the heart of Soho, with a great view! Guests, performers, and speakers began to arrive with smiles. They called each other by name and went on to give each other a fraternal hug as if they knew each other from other lives. Many exclaimed: “We finally meet!” “What a joy to see you!”
Within minutes, the Cubico Rooftop was completely inhabited by faces from different countries, multiculturalism was breathed in; there was English with different accents and an energy that added peace. While I was running from one place to another trying to solve all the logistics, participants praised one another, so excited to see each other. They gathered to pose for photos – photos proving that great friendships were born.
The evening had room for everything – to connect with each other, to enjoy delicious food that we savored from start to finish, and to feel moved and inspired by our community members’ live performances of dance, music, poetry, and storytelling. We all listened to María Dicent and Dorothy Onwuemene recounting the challenges and experiences they have had to overcome in New York and more about their journey in becoming a part of New Women New Yorkers. The applause was immediate as they thanked Arielle Kandel, NWNY Founder & CEO, and the whole of our community for the opportunities we were celebrating. We Speak We LEAD has allowed us to recognize and feel that we, immigrant New Yorkers make up a significant proportion of the city’s population, and therefore deserve opportunities.
The feeling of hope and gratitude for Arielle and the entire NWNY team throughout these years is that ray of sun rising in the midst of an indecipherable forecast. We Speak We LEAD strengthens your wings, fills you with confidence, hope, aspirations, and desire to continue living in the city of New York to become one more of those empowered women you see on the street.
Thank you, New Women New Yorkers, and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, for supporting us!
Read more about our performers and speakers in our Event Handout here, and click here to view a few photos from this magical event, taken by talented photographer and LEAD Alumna, Magali Gomez.
