BCVoices Inc.

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

We are living through a moment of real peril — and profound possibility.

American democracy is being tested by rising authoritarianism, hate-fueled backlash, and systemic rollbacks of rights.

These questions are at the heart of Looking Back to Go Forward, a panel created by BC Voices and hosted by the 92nd Street Y as part of the Newark Civic Life Series. Featuring visionary activists Loretta Ross, Marlene Gerber Fried, and Ruth Reichard, this conversation explores where we are, what history teaches us about defending democracy — and what the present demands of us.

“What we’re seeing now is the active destruction of democracy.”— Loretta Ross

We’ve faced retrenchment before — after Reconstruction, during the Lavender Scare, in the backlash to civil rights — and we’ve resisted, organized, and rebuilt.

“We are not just in a moment… we are in a long game.”
— Marlene Gerber Fried

Their discussion reaches across generations and movements — reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice — urging us to be clear about our values – truth, integrity and love – and hold fast to them; to find courage in the midst of hard times; and to use our imaginations to see the way forward to create a world where all human beings remember that we are family, we are all cousins.

“It’s going to take courage, and it’s going to take patience, it’s going to take resilience — and we can look to our ancestors… for examples for all of us.” – Ruth Reichard

They remind us that the work of justice is not always fast — but it is never futile.

“They only actually have two things going for them, and that is lies and violence. And on our side we have the truth, we have history, we have evidence, and most of all, we have time.” — Loretta Ross

For everyone who is tired, angry, hopeful, uncertain — and committed to building something better, this conversation is for you. You can watch the full discussion here. It’s a blueprint for resistance. And a reminder that we are powerful when we refuse to give up on our values and each other; when we work together.

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