On March 8th M. H. West & Co., Inc. associate, Sylvie Umuhoza attended Extraordinary Women’s Exchange “Real Conversations” at the University of Richmond. The event was sponsored by the Greater Richmond Chamber and presented by HCA Virginia Health Systems. Guest panelists included: Meredith McGlohon, Owner of Red Salon Organics; Shirley T. Burke, Founder of Esteem Institute; Roberta Oster Sachs, President of Oster Sachs Communications; Tanya Cauthen, Owner of Belmont Butchery and Jessica Simmons, Owner of River City Tattoo & Stronghill Dining Co. The discussion was moderated by Mary Foley and Susie Galvez of the Girlfriend We Gotta Talk! radio show.

The conversation started with an amazing fact: According to the American Society for Training and Development, “by 2015, 60% of new jobs created will require skills only held by 20% of the population.” The discussion then addressed how to prepare for tomorrow’s jobs. Below are some of the key points from the talk.
People are reluctant to have “real conversations” in the workplace due to:

• • Lack of trust in their coworkers
• • Afraid their words will be twisted into something negative
• • Worried their future aspirations are too aggressive

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In 1926, the first Black History Month was recognized. M. H. West & Co., Inc. has put together a tribute to African–American men and women past and present, whose accomplishments are great and historical. We have included biographies of social rights activists, leaders, scientists, actors/actresses, athletes and writers. There is also a Civil Rights timeline and links to resources on African–American history. View the page here.

For almost 30 years, the month of October has been a time to renew our commitment to ending one of the most tragic and senseless crimes in this country. We were honored to be joined today by a diverse audience from big cities and small towns, from tribes, women’s organizations, survivors, domestic violence and sexual assault advocates, fatherhood programs, law enforcement agencies, and faith communities, all joined by a common purpose- to end violence against women.

Children suffer, too. Joe Torre, legendary baseball manager, spoke about growing up in an abusive household; being afraid to come home when he saw his father’s car parked in front of the house; and how he found refuge in baseball.

Issues like this one remind us that there is still work to be done if we’re going to make the promise of America real for every American – including women. That’s why, last year, President Obama created the White House Council on Women and Girls. He gave the Council an important mission – to make sure that all federal agencies consider the needs of women in every policy, in every program and in every piece of legislation he supports. Because of our focus on women and girls across the Administration, we have unprecedented coordination in the fight against domestic violence.

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