- Title: ‘It’s our time’ – Meet Ms. Dee who’s on a mission to empower women
- Date: 29th July 2019
- Summary: VARIOUS OF PERFORMER AT 'HEY THERE BEAUTIFUL' WORKSHOP
- Embargoed: 12th August 2019 15:20
- Keywords: nonprofit organization U.S. Congress Equal Rights Amendment training equal pay U.S. lawmakers Dailisha Eve Rodriguez Hey There Beautiful motivational speaker women equal rights constitutional amendment
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA002APU100P
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Dailisha Eve Rodriguez, also known as Ms. Dee, runs the "Hey There Beautiful" workshop to empower women and girls in local communities in Brooklyn.
"They're looking for solutions with domestic violence," she says, "they're looking for solutions for jobs and housing, and a lot of them just want to know that their loved."
Her efforts come just as the U.S. Congress is looking once again into the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) that would constitutionally guarantee equal rights for women.
The amendment was introduced in 1923. Congress approved it in 1972, but it fell short of being ratified by enough U.S. states by a deadline set for 10 years later.
Now, with a record 117 women elected or appointed to Congress following last November's midterm elections, and in the era of the #MeToo movement, some hope to lift that deadline or reintroduce the amendment as soon as 2020.
Rodriguez cheers for the broader women empowerment movement.
"Our stories are not being heard. Our stories are not being told," she says. "And it's time. It's our time, and it's our time now." But she also believes change has to come from within.
She came up with the idea to create "Hey There Beautiful" after her grandmother's death in 2014. Just like her, Rodriguez wanted to create a safe haven for girls and women, where they can write down their goals, talk them out with other participants, and receive guidance and support.
"Such a big difference from someone who doesn't know what they want to do with their life, and is living someone else's dream, to someone who is actually living their dreams and supporting others and living their dreams," Rodriquez says.
One such woman is Jada Edmunds, who attended her first "Hey There Beautiful" workshop during her last semester at the Victory Collegiate High School.
"I was already being accepted to a lot of colleges, but it pushed me to go the extra mile, pushed me to be a better me," she says.
Claubentz Diejuste, the principal for the Victory Collegiate High School, says Rodriguez's workshops help fill a void.
"Our kids have been in desperate need of social, emotional support," he says. "And having someone who has roots in the community, who can come in and relate to the kids, so that, when they are going into their academic classes, they feel that they have that support that they need in order for them to be successful."
Ernee Peppers decided to participate in the "Hey There Beautiful" workshop after having Rodriguez as a guest on her own TV show.
"She makes you believe and pours into you that you all the best, you are fabulous, you are beautiful," she says. "You got to do the work, though."
Educator, speaker, and coach Kerry-Ann Elliott-Totten says she came to the workshop to get clarity.
"The way she twists some of the activities, it turns into something that's so empowering," says Elliot-Totten, "and you get to speak power and speak life into yourself. She's amazing."
Rodriguez says her drive to empower others comes from her own trauma.
"I tried to commit suicide three times," she says. "I was raped over the course of two years by a family member, and I knew that, if I was suffering, there were other young girls, and even women, who were suffering with their trauma."
For the time being, Rodriguez teaches in Brooklyn, but she wants the message of "Hey There Beautiful" to reach people around the world.
(Production: Aleksandra Michalska) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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