Sarada Peri, speechwriter for President Obama & Vinca LaFleur, speechwriter for President Clinton spoke to the WLP community over Zoom. They are both natural storytellers and they easily situated us in the immediacy of their work and their White House worlds. The conversations were riveting. Below are excerpts from Melissa who reflected on Sarada's experiences:
The experiences that Sarada Peri endured were very relatable. Being the only woman of color in the room can be a very challenging experience. You can sometimes feel alone in the room and you sometimes feel unmotivated to speak. You feel like your voice doesn’t matter or is inadequate. It can make you feel less than or that your opinions are incorrect. However, history has changed the game and reality that we live in. Every voice matters regardless of our race or gender and we have seen through the course of history that this accomplishment is possible. From witnessing the first black president to women becoming well known names for themselves, which 100 years in the past would have seemed impossible, our voices have the power to change the course of history.
Sarada Peri’s words were thus very inspirational because it encourages and assures me that my voice does matter and my voice opens a creative opportunity to express my thoughts and beliefs. Our voices tell a story. They share our experiences and perspectives on different topics and notions. It creates comfort in our own ideas and it fights back against those who hurt and downgrade our opinions regardless of whether they are right or wrong. Peri’s words taught me that our voices are more powerful than we think and it has the power to change and shape our lives.
-Melissa Davies-Cole