Global Philadelphia Association Promotes Gender Equality During World Heritage Week

Global Philadelphia Association (GPA) continued its World Heritage Week festivities on May 28 by spotlighting Philadelphia’s gender equality initiatives through a performance by local jazz legend Sherry Wilson Butler. 

Opening with a cover of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” Butler’s performance was streamed on GPA’s Facebook account and she encouraged everyone watching to dance and have fun. As an acclaimed music educator and women’s rights advocate, Butler drew attention to GPA’s efforts to promote gender equality, particularly through undertaking the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN launched the SDGs in 2015 as a way to promote international prosperity across all socioeconomic backgrounds while protecting the planet. The fifth SDG revolves around the theme of gender equality, particularly emphasizing the need for people of all genders to have equal access to education, health care, decent work and representation in political and economic decision-making. 

GPA has spearheaded Philadelphia’s work towards the SDGs by launching a campaign to create a piece of public art commemorating each goal. For each piece of public art, GPA has chosen to partner with a non-governmental organization whose work embodies the SDG’s mission as a way to promote the local steps being taken to fulfill each goal. 

GPA officially unveiled the SDG public art project on Oct. 3, 2019, when it installed a public art piece for SDG 5 at the Friends Select School Plaza. Sponsored by the Glenmede Trust Company, this particular piece was created by local artist Barbara Smolen and was made possible through partnerships with New Century Trust, Friends Select School, Mural Arts Philadelphia and Widener University. The public art piece is open to all visitors and can be found online on GPA’s Flickr album.

In addition to Butler’s performance and the SDGs, GPA also celebrated gender equality during World Heritage Week by highlighting 12 of Philadelphia’s women leaders. Each woman shared a piece of advice for the next generation of women leaders. These women included:

Click the below links to read each woman's advice. 

• Angela Val, Chief Administrative Officer of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

• Carol Rollie Flynn, President of the Foreign Policy Research Institute

• Carol Wong, Director of the Chinatown Learning Center

• Dianne Semingson, President and CEO of DLS International

• Jovida Hill, Executive Director of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Engagement for Women

• Judge Reneé Caldwell Hughes, President and CEO of Philadelphia OIC

• Julie Wollman, PhD, President of Widener University

• La-Toya Hackney, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of TE Connectivity

• Lynn Yeakel, Founder and President of Vision 2020

• Margaret O’Sullivan, Executive Director of the Nationalities Service Center

• Patricia Wilson Aden, President and CEO of the African American Museum in Philadelphia

• Siobhan Reardon, President and Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia

Each woman’s advice can also be found on GPA’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts.