The Morning After… JOY
The morning after—after gathering almost 400 people to our International Women's Day festivities, after the riotous Holi Hai! runway and goal-shattering paddle raise, after the soul-searching summit and the warm hospitality of new friends; after spicy cocktails, tasty samosas, tantalizing dance numbers; after stories that make your heart rise up; after two days of extravagant joy—a woman I hardly knows sits in my living room, coffee in hand, and weeps.
Having traveled from DC to see her friends from India honored at our gala, she has felt the ground shift under her feet. I had just been tasked with scrubbing a work website of any words implying justice or joy, equality or support. My world had grayed to a new normal. I thought no one cared anymore.
And then I came here. I walked into a room of women and men dressed in joy, raising their paddles to care for others, floating over the runway in freedom and global flair. I felt my heart expand again, like taking a deep breath. I saw new work being done that makes a real difference. I saw Ibu reaching far and forgotten places. You have no idea what a gift this is. No idea, she said. But her tears told me, clear as the morning sky.
Across the living room, one of our Global Champions confessed, This experience has been like taking a pep pill. I cannot wait to return to my work in the villages with the support and light of all of you behind me.
Another said, it is astonishing to feel the human connection here, the genuine interest, the thoughtful questions, the heart of the people who gathered. I've worked in craft and non-profits for years, but have never felt anything like this.
Spandita Malik; Anita Reddy, Hema Rangaiah, and Bhagya Jyothi; Arushi Chowdhury Khanna
As I step back from our impactful week together, I want to share a few sparkling highlights for me, which include . . .
~Lifting up three inspiring Global Champions crafting change
for women in India: Anita Reddy, Arushi Chowdhury Khanna, & Mamta Varma
~ Listening to visionary Spandita Malik speak about her ground-breaking collaborative artistry with women in India
~ Learning from 16-year-old Veda Patel as she bore witness to her great-grandmother's involvement in Gandhi's swaraj movement
~ Cheering as Ibu designer, Deniz Roth, debuted her Spring Collection on a drum-pounding, smoke-thrilling runway
~ Hearing enthusiastic cheers rise as CEO Austin Walker announced an exciting partnership with Savannah College of Art and Design
~ Netting an unprecedented $435,000 to source our new artisan grants and fund our emerging Artisan Alliance platform to serve exponentially more women
~ Being spellbound by beauty crafted by stylist Alexandra Howard, executed by Jacqueline Lawrence and the @inventivEVENTS team, and overseen by event co-chairs, Mosmi Naik-Patel & Sandra Smith
~ Sharing gratitude with the generous Presenting Sponsors from Bank of America Private Bank, and Premier Sponsors, Alicia and Wayne Gregory
NCA Indian Dancers at the Gala; Mosmi Naik-Patel, Veda Patel, Varsha Naik; Anita Reddy and I embrace at the end of the evening.
The Ibu Team and Board gave everything to dream this joy, to make real this hope. I am enormously thankful for Lasley Steever, Chief Grants Officer and Artisan Support, for coordinating the entire festival of color and love. Getting our Global Champions across the globe through the war-shattered skies of the mid-east made for a nail-biting weekend.
Our dear friend and Global Champion, Mamta Varma, after three days at the Delhi airport attempting to board any flight to the US, was ultimately thwarted by the thousands of canceled flights. We missed her terribly, and celebrated by stitching together our threads of human connection with a sense of urgency, her absence a reminder of how important is this work… crafting a world where Joy can live.
My wonderstruck tears will continue to flow from it, the morning after and after and after… ever living my days in gratitude. For this work. For the beauty of doing this work together with you.
To Joy ~
Susan Hull Walker