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The Viola Davis Challenge

A Letter from the Board of the MA Conference for Women

Award-winning stage, television & film actor Viola Davis speaking at the 2017 Massachusetts Conference for Women

Dear 2018 Conference Attendee,

Thank you for helping us make the Massachusetts Conference for Women a vehicle for empowering women to bring about positive change. As we plan for our December 2018 Conference, we are writing to ask for your assistance in further evolving the Conference to benefit professional women, and their organizations, across the state.

At last year’s opening session, Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis observed that when she attends women’s conferences across the nation, she
often sees fewer women of color than she would expect to.

We have turned this observation into a new initiative we are calling the “Viola Davis Challenge:” It is an effort to double the diversity among our conference attendees from 20 to 40 percent.

To be successful in this effort, we need the support of everyone who recognizes that advancing diversity among the ranks of professional women makes for a stronger, more equitable corporate culture and community.

Specifically, for this year’s Conference, we ask that your guest list represent the racial diversity you want your companies to reflect in our highly diverse marketplace.

If you are a multiple ticket holder with available seats and are interested in being connected with diverse members of the business community who would be grateful for the opportunity to attend, Carol Fulp, CEO of The Partnership and co-founding board member of the MA Conference is available to assist. Carol can be reached at [email protected].

We are embracing this challenge as an opportunity to make Boston and its outstanding organizations even better. In doing so, we also hope to introduce you to more candidates, customers, and vendors of color as you consider talent and resources for your organization.

Together, we can make our organizations, our city, and our future stronger.

Warm regards,

The Massachusetts Conference for Women Board