Not being invited to take “a seat at the table” will not be a problem for the young women of Girls Hub — they built their own chairs.
Shirley Chisholm is known for being the first African-American woman in Congress and the first woman and African-American to seek the nomination for President of the United States. But she is also known for her quote “If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” an adage known to inspire the creation of one’s own space and destiny rather than waiting for invitations to do so.
“Our mission at Women of Toledo is to educate, engage, and empower women, but today we are spending some time empowering our young girls,” said Kathryn Tucker, the president of the Women of Toledo board. “These young women built these chairs because we’ve taught them that you have to build your own seat at the table.”
Women of Toledo unveiled its Girls Hub exhibition, "A Seat at the Table," during a news conference Monday in the Macy’s wing of Franklin Park Mall in West Toledo.
Girls' Hub, a division of Women of Toledo, is a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) program for girls and young women ages 12 to 17.
Led by woodworking instructor Julia LaBay, a group of young female "builders" met for two weeks of hands-on training to learn how to safely use power tools to build and design a chair.
“We teach them all about power tools. I'm talking like legitimate power tools where they're sanding, cutting, and nailing,” said Mary Brucker, a Women of Toledo board member.
“But that isn't really the whole point of that. We’re also teaching them different power tools, which is self-confidence. We're teaching them how to walk into a room and be present and how to tell their story,” she said. “We just use the chair as an outlet to be able to allow them to show who they are and what they believe in.”
The girls learned that their chair represents their identity and what they care about. The table represents the place where decisions are made, the organizers said.
“Julia LaBay selected the chairs that the young women created throughout the past two years, and we put them on display to celebrate Women's History in the making,” said Sierra Ortiz, associate director at Women of Toledo.
“We teach young women how empowering it is to use a saw, to drill a hole, to use a hammer. And through our partnerships, we're also able to give toolboxes to young women at graduation so they can continue advancing their skill set,” she said.
With March being Women’s History Month, the exhibit’s unveiling served as the kick-off for the group’s week-long “International Women's Day Experience,” which features several events leading up to a celebration luncheon Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton in downtown Toledo.
With Rhonda Sewell, the Toledo Museum of Art‘s director of Belonging and Community Engagement as emcee, the luncheon will feature six women storytellers sharing personal stories to foster a sense of belonging and empowerment.
Following the luncheon, the group is set to host a Think Tank on Allyship from 2 to 5 p.m., followed by an International Women's Day Soiree until 9 p.m. at TolHouse, 1447 N. Summit St.
Other events include a month-long “HerStory” campaign banners on the first floor of the Secor Building, 425 Jefferson Ave., featuring the impactful, historical journeys of women in the greater Toledo area, organizers announced.
The chairs made by the young women of Girls Hub will remain on display through March 28.
“We're proud of it,” Ms. Ortiz said. “We wanted to make sure that we have not only a way to empower them by having their chairs on display so they can see that they're capable of creating beautiful art, but we're also giving an outreach opportunity to ensure that we have more young women coming to the summer program to learn empowerment.”
More information about Women of Toledo and events can be found at https://www.womenoftoledo.org/.
First Published March 5, 2024, 1:17 a.m.
