Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd gave an inspiring speech at the 2018 Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference Technology Recognition Luncheon.
The annual event, which was sponsored by Abbott, The Boeing Company, Kohler Company, and World Wide Technology, recognizes young women who are helping to shape technology for the future, and accomplished women of color from mid to advanced stages of their careers who have demonstrated excellence in the workplace and in their communities.
As chair for the Career Communications Group (CCG) Alumni Committee, Boyd leads hundreds of scientists and engineers who have received awards at CCG conferences such as Women of Color in STEM.
Below are excerpts from Dr. Boyd's speech.
Welcome to one of the largest multicultural gatherings of women in STEM in the nation. I want to call your attention to our conference theme, which is: 'Press for Progress: It's Our Time!
Our luncheon theme today tells us to “Stand for a Stronger STEM,” because if we don’t stand, who will?
How many of you in our audience have daughters? Please raise your hands. This has been a year of profound headline-making personal stories, and I must ask you this question: How many of you have experienced your own “Me Too” moment? Again, please raise your hands.
This is a pivotal time in our country for young women…for ALL women. I believe that too many decades of our blind acceptance…of thinking, this is what we must put up with—whether in our personal or professional lives—have made women somewhat numb to the rights and respect we deserve.
I also sense that because of what has been revealed in recent months, we are more in touch with our sensitivities, values, and priorities…as “Me Too” moments became a MeToo movement.
That's why gathering here… gathering now…. continues to be so vital to remind us of who we are as women, what we have accomplished, and the glory that lies ahead.
So, sisters, let us continue to mentor one another… encourage one another… applaud one another…and take good care of one another.
Dr. Boyd is the first female president of Alabama State University. In addition to serving as president of Alabama State, Boyd has served on the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African-Americans and as the 22nd National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an organization of 250,000 members.
An ordained itinerant elder in the AME Church, Boyd was awarded the Doctor of Ministry and Master’s degrees from Howard University, as well as a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University. She has also chaired the Johns Hopkins University Diversity leadership Council.
The 23rd Women of Color STEM Conference is a multi-cultural event hosted by Consumers Energy in partnership with Women of Color magazine, Texas Southern University, and Oakland University, and sponsored by General Motors and Lockheed Martin Corporation.
