None Of Us Are Perfect!...Elizabeth Keckley

None of us are perfect, for which reason we should heed the voice of charity when it whispers in our ears, do not magnify the imperfections of others.

--Elizabeth Keckley, Dressmaker

Keckley was the dressmaker for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of Abraham Lincoln.

Gun Violence: It Must Stop...Alicia Caraballo

“The impact of violence in our communities is destroying us; the loss of life and the pain and suffering that families endlessly endure is taking its toll and we must do something about it.”

--Alicia Caraballo, Vice Chair, New Haven Board of Education

http://www.cfgnh.org/LeadingOnIssues/LatinoLeadership/CelebratingLatinoLeaders.aspx#1079133-alicia-caraballo

Happy Mother's Day!

"A mother’s love is like an everlasting bed of roses, that continues to blossom. A mother’s love bears strength, comfort, healing and warmth. Her beauty is compared to a sunny day that shines upon each rose petal and inspires hope."

--Ellen J. Barrier

You Have An Obligation To Do Something...John Lewis

"When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to do something."

--John Lewis

#LeadershipTuesdays: Find Your Voice...Melinda Gates

"A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult."

--Melinda Gates

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Follow @LeadershipTues on Twitter for resources to help you develop your leadership skills and learn from other others who are successful leaders.

Believe In Your Potential...Mary J. Blige

“The important thing is to realize that no matter what people’s opinions may be, they’re only just that – people’s opinions. You have to believe in your heart what you know to be true about yourself. And let that be that.”

--Mary J. Blige, Grammy Award winning Singer, and Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Actress

Give Yourself Some Credit...Tanya Burr

"Don't overestimate everyone else and underestimate yourself."

--Tanya Burr

#LeadershipTuesdays #MotivationalMoment: Embrace The Possible...Edith Eva Ager

Happy #LeadershipTuesdays! Being assertive and seizing opportunity are not celebrated for women as often as it is for men. However, being assertive is a leadership quality that is essential for success. Believe in yourself, be assertive and embrace the possible.

Follow @LeadershipTues on Twitter for resources to help you develop your leadership skills and follow others who are successfully leading.

Fare Thee Well...Barbara P. Bush

"And who knows? Somewhere out there in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the president's spouse. I wish him well!"

--Barbara Pierce Bush (1925 - 2018)
Wife of the 41st President of the United States and mother of the 43rd President of the United States

See more pics here: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh11daNFpim/ 

I Have Chosen...Barbara Bush

“You have two choices in life: you can like what you do, or you can dislike it. I have chosen to like it.”

--Barbara Pierce Bush (1925 - 2018)

Wife of the 41st President of the United States and mother of the 43rd President of the United States

Condolences to the family of Mrs. Barbara Pierce Bush, wife of the 41st President of the U.S., George Herbert Walker Bush and mother of the 43rd President of the U.S., George W. Bush. What an incredible legacy she has left on the sands of time of not only being the wife and mother of Presidents, but also of being completely comfortable with the roles she had chosen for herself as a wife, mother, grandmother.

Sure she was the wife of a politician and businessman and a First Lady, but we always knew that above all else she was the matriarch of the Bush family. She had the love and respect of her family and I'm sure that comforted her. Bush Family you are in the thoughts of the American people and I hope that comforts you.

For more pictures of Barbara Bush, go to: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhtOJoDlfRz/

There Is No Neutrality...

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

– Desmond Tutu


“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

– Elie Wiesel


“Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.”

– Paulo Freire


“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict…[an individual] who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

It Can Be Done...Mary Frances Berry

"The time when you need to do something is when people are saying it can’t be done."

--Mary Frances Berry, Former chairwoman, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Mary Frances Berry, Twitter.com

Nurture and Guard These Seeds...Forest Whitaker

"Nurture the seeds of love, equality, social justice, freedom & human rights that are planted into our hearts & minds but too often neglected."
--Forest Whitaker, Award winning Actor, Humanitarian, Philanthropist

The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) was founded by Forest Whitaker in 2012 to foster peace and reconciliation in disadvantaged and fragile communities in the different regions of the world, including Africa, Latin America and the United States. The non-profit organization working along with other like-minded organizations promote youth empowerment, cultural diversity, continuous learning, capacity building, and access to internet connectivity and digital technologies. Find out more at wpdi.org

I Am...Shirley Chisholm

"I am, was, and always will be a catalyst for change."

--Shirley Chisholm

Present The Best You Possible...Angela Bassett

"Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that's in us."

--Angela Bassett, Actress

IMDB.com

Find One Thing...Tyra Banks

"It is important for women to feel beautiful when she looks in the mirror, and I tell women, 'If you don't feel beautiful, find one thing that you can look in that mirror and say, 'That is beautiful.'"

--Tyra Banks

We Are All Connected...John Gibson

"We benefit as a society when we are quiet, but are listening to what each other has to say. Because I firmly believe there is much more that unites all of us than separates us."

--John Gibson, Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)

To hear John Gibson's entire quote and a clip of his upcoming #LeadershipTuesdays interview: click on the video below.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Creating Change...Shonda Rhimes

“Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.” 

--Shonda Rhimes

Image: James White, Shondaland

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today we present the Queen of Thursday night television, the history making showrunner Shonda Lynn Rhimes. 

Shonda Rhimes is an award-winning American television producer, screenwriter and author. At the helm of Shondaland, her production company, she is responsible for #TGIT (Thank God It's Thursday) on the ABC Network and some of its most watched and popular shows on television today. Her Top 10 shows include Grey's Anatomy (starring Ellen Pompeo), Scandal (starring Kerry Washington), and How To Get Away With Murder (starring Viola Davis). She also produced and wrote the hit show Private Practice (starring Kate Walsh), a spin-off of Grey's Anatomy. 

Rhimes is first African American woman to create and executive produce a Top 10 network series (Grey's Anatomy). She recently made headlines when she signed a new multi-year deal with Netflix signalling an end to her 15 year relationship with ABC Television. The deal does not affect her current slate of shows now airing on the network.

In 2015, released her first book, "Year of Yes" and last year she received one of her most historic awards to date. Rhimes was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2017 and became the third Black woman to receive this honor. Oprah Winfrey and Diahann Carroll were the first and second Black women to receive this high honor before Rhimes. Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to Rhimes at the event calling her "currently the most powerful showrunner in television, period.”

She received her BA at Dartmouth and a MFA from USC. The Illinois native currently resides in Los Angeles, California. For more information on LeadershipTuesdays, go to womenatliberty.com. 

Who I Am...Ken Chenault

“When someone says to me, ‘When I look at you, Ken, I don’t see color,’ I say, ‘Then you’ve got a problem because I’m very proud about who I am. So, don’t deny I’m African-American. Accept me for who I am, engage with me, but don’t deny my heritage. That’s important because we don’t have enough honest discussions about race in this country.’”

--Ken Chenault, Chairman & CEO (retired*), American Express

*On February 1, 2018, Ken Chenault retired as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Corporation after 37 years with the company. He recently joined the boards of the Facebook and Airbnb. He is also now the chairman of venture capital firm General Catalyst.

Following Your Own Path...Pam Oliver

"You don't have to be number one to land in a really, really good spot. The path that's meant for you will unfold. Even though I was a scared...I was a scaredy cat a couple of times. I sort of diverted off my path and then had to get right back on it. ...just don't worry about what other people have or what they're doing or start feeling less than... No one has their stuff as together as they'd like you to think."*

--Pam D. Oliver

Pam Oliver is a veteran journalist and sports reporter who has been with the NFL On Fox since 1995. As a respected sideline reporter, she has interviewed some of the NFL's greatest players and coaches and is one of the most recognizable women covering sports and America's most popular professional sport, the NFL. 

She is a graduate of Florida A&M (FAMU) where she was a broadcast journalism major and a student-athlete. She gained distinction as a NCAA and AIAW track and field All-American in both the 400 meters and the mile relay. Her Alma mater inducted her into the Florida A&M Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2015, she was honored again when FAMU named its production hall in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication after her. 

*This quote is an excerpt from an interview Pam Oliver participated in at FAMU with Jason Joseph of FAMUNOW in August 2015.