BCVoices Inc.

We hope you are enjoying the exuberance of spring. Thanks to your ongoing partnership with BC Voices, we had a great time celebrating Women’s History Month in March, connecting with almost 21,000 people at Lush Cosmetics stores in Manhattan, and attendees who watched our Looking Back to Go Forward panel at the 92nd St. Y, or joined screenings of our Stand UP, Speak OUT short documentaries with Connect the Dots and Columbia Votes.

All the while, we are working on the next installment in the Stand UP, Speak OUT Docuseries, Episode 4: To Marry Whom We Love, or, Not At All – American women’s fight for agency and choice in singlehood and intimate relationships and the unprecedented lives we’ve created over the past 50 years with the opportunities, independence and freedoms we gained in the 1970s.

And, we could use your help to raise the next $135,000 to finish To Marry Whom We Love, or, Not At All as well as to remain engaged in the ongoing fight for women’s full equality through conversations on social media and get-into-action events with human rights organizations.

We’re applying to several foundations for grants to support our work. If you know anyone affiliated with these funders, or if you know of any other potential funders, please email us.

• Creative Capital
• Dudley Dougherty Foundation
• First Flights Short Film Fund
• Leonard-Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation
• Mama Cash Resilience Fund
• Mary’s Pence Foundation
• Nonprofit Collective Foundation
• Spreading Love Through The Media
• Teravarna Artist Grants
• Wilhelm Family Foundation

With gratitude,
The BC Voices Team:
Katherine Brewster, President
Kathy Galvin
Rhonda Nunn
Susan Shapiro Metz
Carol Santaniello Spencer
Cheryl Weiner

P.S. Thanks for your continuing support. We hope you will stay engaged with us in this critical effort to document and preserve American women’s 200+ years and ongoing struggle for full equality, and continue your partnership with BC Voices in 2025 with a donation.

Laila Alawa (b. 1991), a Syrian-American advocate for media equity, racial justice, and the inclusion of Muslim voices, began her advocacy work in 2011 while researching social bias and perception at Princeton University (2009–2013).

In 2015, she founded a digital media magazine, The Tempest, serving as its CEO until it folded in 2021. Created by and for women and nonbinary people from diverse racial, religious, and economic backgrounds, The Tempest was one of the first U.S.-based media publications to center the lived experiences of  Muslim women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of color.

By amplifying the voices of marginalized people, The Tempest disrupted traditional media narratives, created a space where intersectional stories could be told on their own terms, and sparked dialogue on identity, power, and belonging in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.

During 2016, the final year of the Obama Administration, Alawa also served as a Senior Fellow in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. There, she worked to improve federal outreach to marginalized communities and advised on policies that protect civil liberties, focusing on issues affecting American Muslim communities – discriminatory surveillance practices, barriers to civic engagement, and the rise of Islamophobic rhetoric and hate crimes.

In an era marked by rising xenophobia, Islamophobia, and social polarization, Alawa’s work highlights the ongoing struggle for human rights and equitable representation in media, reminding us that stories shape societies — and who gets to tell them matters.

This Women’s History Month, BC Voices was proud to bring women’s stories into the spotlight.

Across generations and communities, approximately 20,800 of us came together to reflect on the history of women’s rights, the challenges we face today, and the power of collective action and storytelling to drive change.

Here’s a look at what we accomplished together in March:

🎙️ Democracy in Peril: Looking Back to Go Forward
In collaboration with the 92nd Street Y and the Newark Civic Life Series, we created a powerful panel featuring activists Loretta Ross, Marlene Gerber Fried, and Ruth Reichard. Together, they explored how history can guide us in defending democracy, advancing justice, and staying hopeful in the face of political backlash. 20,426 people watched it on March 26th.

🛍️ Lush In-Store Activations
We partnered with Lush Cosmetics at stores across New York City and sparked meaningful conversations with close to 300 people about the history of women’s rights — and how policies around equal pay, voting rights, and bodily autonomy continue to shape our everyday lives.

🎬 Connecting the Dots: Film + Dialogue
In partnership with Connecting the Dots, we hosted a virtual event featuring clips from our docuseries Stand UP, Speak OUT: The Personal Politics of Women’s Rights, followed by a thoughtful conversation among the 15 participants led by BC Voices Founder and President Katherine Brewster.

🎓 Campus Screening + Q&A with Columbia Votes
We joined forces with Columbia Votes for a screening and conversation on voting rights, civic action, and personal power with 20 Columbia and Barnard students.
These events reminded us of the power of stories to connect, inspire, and activate.

When we link our lived experiences to history — and to one another — we build the momentum we need to move forward.We’re deeply grateful to every partner, speaker, and participant who joined us this month.

Thank you for standing with us in honoring women’s history — and shaping its future.

With gratitude,
The BC Voices Team
Katherine Brewster, President
Vicki Breitbart
Kathy Galvin
Rhonda Nunn
Susan Shapiro Metz
Carol Santaniello Spencer
Cheryl Weiner

PS:  If you haven’t already made your 2025 donation to BC Voices, please do so now and add your voice to those in the BC Voices’ community who are Standing UP and Speaking OUT for women’s full equality