 International
Conference Unites Black Women in Paris
© by Monique Y. Wells
July 1 and 2, 2004 were historic days for Black
women the world over. On those days, women from
Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and North and South
America converged on Paris for the first ever Global Congress of Black Women Leaders.
Held at UNESCO, the Congress
featured prominent women in multiple fields of
endeavor. Its purpose: "to educate and inform
Black Women about their value to the world in order
to develop and promote their economic
participation, stability and influence through
strengthened global connections" and "to evaluate
the direct and indirect, recognized and
unrecognized, qualitative and quantitative value of
Black Women in the world's business and political
affairs and see how their contribution is essential
to the achievement of an overall more sustainable
environment."
The conference was the
brainchild of members of the European Federation of
Black Women Business Owners (EFBWBO), a UK-based
non-profit organization that strives to increase
visibility and provide networking opportunities for
Black women entrepreneurs in Europe. The Zwarte Zaken Vrouwen Nederland (a
business club for Black women in the Netherlands),
the French association Guamayane, and the British Council in
France were partners in the organization
of the event. The Congress also enjoyed the
official support of the City of Paris and the City
of Houston.
 Sandrah Monthieux Pélage,
vice president and co-founder of EFBWBO, served as
Congress president. Pélage is best known for
her laborious, but successful, venture in
publishing an English translation of the six volume
French-language work entitled Hommage à la
Femme Noire, by Guadeloupe writer Simone Schwarz-Bart.
Pélage is currently a resident
of Houston, Texas, where she and EFBWBO president
Yvonne Thompson recently announced the
incorporation of the organization in Texas.
Pélage stressed the
importance of the Internet in the organization
and the promotion of the Congress. Without it,
she said, the economic constraints of
communicating with speakers, arranging the
venues and contacting potential attendees would
have been insurmountable. As an example, she
pointed to a contingent of women from Côte
d'Ivoire who learned about the conference
barely a week before it was to begin. Because
of their use of the Internet, they were able to make the
arrangements to attend in record time. Pélage, as well as
other speakers, stated that it is critical that
Black women everywhere have access to and training
in use of this essential tool.
 The congress was organized
into four modules: Black Women in the Economy, The
Image of Black Women, Historic Diversity, and
Conquering New Areas. Over forty women moderated
panels or spoke on issues ranging from the impact
of violence on Black women to the imbalance of the
distribution of fresh water in the developed and
developing nations of the world.
Without exception, the
speakers were impassioned, eloquent, and
inspirational. They spoke with humor and candor
about the paths that led them to the leadership
positions that they hold today, and discussed the
personal, interpersonal and institutional
challenges that they faced along the way. Business, politics,
medicine, accounting and publishing were among the professions
represented. Benedita da Silva, former Governor of State of Rio
de Janeiro, first Black woman State Senator, and
minister of Social Assistance for the federal
government of Brazil, walked away with the prize
for Speaker of the Congress 2004.
Perhaps more important than
the presentations given was the opportunity that
the conference provided for international
networking. At the opening reception on June 30
and during the lunch breaks on July 1 and 2, over
700 attendees introduced themselves, presented
business cards, and began to forge what everyone
hoped will be a database for information and
assistance that will continue to grow long after
they leave Paris.
UNESCO was the perfect venue
for this historic event, for both philosophical and
practical reasons. The United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization's Section for
Women and Gender Equality promotes and monitors
"gender mainstreaming" throughout the organization,
and assures that this process is taken into account
in UNESCO's initiatives. It is particularly active
in promoting women in science and technology, a
topic that the Congress addressed in excellent
talks presented during the module held on the
afternoon of July 2. Thus, the mission of the
Congress harmonized perfectly with that of UNESCO,
and made UNESCO a natural partner for the
conference.
From a practical standpoint,
UNESCO provided interpreters in multiple languages
for the speakers at the Congress. Most presenters
spoke French and/or English, but there was one who
could speak neither language. This was the
award-winning speaker Benedita da Silva, who,
despite being able to speak only in Portuguese, was
able to fully and passionately convey her message
to the audience through simultaneous translation by
the interpreters.
The closing reception was held
in the splendid reception room of the Hôtel de Ville,
Paris' city hall. George Pau-Langevin, a
Guadeloupe attorney who is a member of the Mayor's
staff, addressed the congress participants and
their guests and then introduced Anne Hidalgo, the
First Deputy of the Mayor in charge of male-female
equality. Hidalgo gave a warm welcome to the
attendees, and then proceeded to grant awards to Pélage and two other organizers of the
Congress on behalf of the City of Paris. This was
followed by the Congress' own award ceremony, a
performance by a Guadeloupe band, and cocktails.
The second annual Congress of
Black Women Leaders is scheduled to be held in
Houston in 2005. The third is tentatively
scheduled to be held in Brazil.
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