Photo credit: E. Brady Robinson Studio Lighting
“We’ve had some changes in a very different, unique way in the Senate and that is that Tammy Duckworth became the first woman in the history of the United States Senate to give birth while in office,” said Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar at TheWrap’s Power Women Breakfast in Washington, DC who kicked off opening remarks at the W Hotel.
Senator Amy Klobuchar
“She is a decorated Iraq War Veteran who lost both of her legs and is this incredible pillar of strength every single day for all of us. She had a child and then she was pregnant with a second one, at age 50. She came to me and said: ‘I already have one child and we always voted at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning and it would be much easier if I could bring the baby with me every so often to vote.’ So I thought and I said to her: ‘No problem, oh yeah!’ I go back and I realize that they have not changed the Senate Rules for over 200 years. And the only time they changed access to the Senate floor was in 1987 when they allowed a dog on the floor. So I started working on this and I never thought I could reveal what happened except that then the day it passed, Senator Hatch actually said to the media, ‘Well, it’s okay, you know, if we had one baby at the floor, but what if we had 10 babies?’ And I said, ‘We already have 10 babies!'”
Masih Alinejad, Rep. Debbie Dingell, Susan Goldberg and Sharon Waxman (R)
In addition to Klobuchar, the event featured a panel of award-winning photographers, a panel on how Hollywood is leading the #TimesUp movement and an interview with Iranian feminist and author Masih Alinejad.
Susan Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of National Geographic, moderated a discussion of “The Female Gaze: Photographers, Storytellers and Explorers” with filmmakers and photographers such as Asha Stewart, Beverly Joubert, Erika Larsen and Hannah Reyes.
Masih Alinejad and Sharon Waxman
“The Wrap, which I founded nine and a half years ago after 20 years as a reporter for The Washington Post and The New York Times, is based in Los Angeles, and we cover media and entertainment,” said Sharon Waxman. “And for years before the #MeToo and the #TimesUp movement, and before Harvey Weinstein, The Wrap has made women’s leadership a priority, despite being a small start-up focused on breaking news in Hollywood. And now we feel that our work in this area has become truly essential, that we have to create not only a forum where women who have been suffering for decades in silence now have a place to be heard, but where we actively work together to work on changing the environment for women who are the heart and soul of our popular culture and beyond.”
Sharon Waxman, Sharyn Tejani – #TimesUp Legal Defense Fund Executive Director; Amber Tamblyn – actress and activist; Hilary Rosen, American Communications and Political Consultant
“I am honored to welcome the Iranian author and feminist Masih Alinejad to speak about her new book with Michelle Flournoy, a veteran national security policymaker,” Waxman added. “And #TimesUp is here. The women who are blazing a trail to help those who’ve been abused and harassed in our society finally fight back and get justice.”
“I believe that you can work across the aisle. Courage is not whether you are giving a speech by yourself, it’s whether you’re willing to stand next to someone you don’t always agree with for the betterment of this country. That no matter where you are politically, you should want a democracy that works. You should want people who are able to participate, and you shouldn’t leave out half the sky. And also this is what this is about. And that’s all.”
