While
there does seem to be incredible chaos in the world right now, there is still
cause for celebration. Last month was
Women’s History Month and we are coming up to the centenary milestone of
women’s right to vote – ratified in America on August 18 2020. There’s a lot to be happy about.
We
take this opportunity to look at three of the amazing women in our very own
communities: T. “Ayo” Alston, Siobhan Summers and Katy Winge.
T.
“Ayo” Ashton is today known
for the Ayodele Drum and Dance Community that she established in 2009 This
educational body was made for women to help them with their own self-confidence
and to in turn, create strength in their local communities.
Born in Brooklyn, Ashton first found her love for Orisha culture and West African dance as an adolescent and since then she has focused her journey on exploring art, development techniques and growing in these areas. Some of the artists she has worked with include: Baba Chuck Davis, Dierdre Dawkins, M’Bemba Bangoura and Mouminatou Camara.
Supervising producer at Chicago’s video production
firm Bottle Rocket Media, Siobhan Summers started her career on Oprah Winfrey’s show in the
production team. Since then she has
developed her skills to successfully create meaningful tales with powerful
messages. This involves the supervision
of all productions from A-Z. Her love of
storytelling creates interpersonal connections that she has helped grow among
her local community.
Katy Winge was the very first female analyst hired to cover the
Nuggets for Altitude TV. Getting to that
role was not easy. She began her career
as a sports anchor, producer and reporter for KTTC/FOX 47 and at some point
faced a fork in the road – carry on with her role or take a break and pursue a
Masters degree in Journalism. She opted
for the latter and studied at Northwestern University, IL. Even though she was advised by many to
continue in her role as getting experience would be preferable to getting an
education for career development, she went with her “gut” and does not regret
that decision at all. She explains that
she got so much out of the education, including the people she met, the things
she learned and the network she created which all played a big role in where
she is today.
Today she tells everyone to “go with
their gut” which obviously is different for everyone. We all need to find our own journey.
So, in these trying times, let’s look at
what we’ve achieved and how much more there is to do, no matter what situation
we currently find ourselves in.
