Independent Women's Forum - Research Areas > Woman of Valor Award

Independent Women

info@iwf.org (Allison Kasic) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:20:00 EDT

Forbes just released its annual list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. Former IWF Woman of Valor Condoleezza Rice clocks in at number seven.

Check out the full list here.

Nancy Brinker Makes Time 100

info@iwf.org (Allison Kasic) — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:47:00 EDT

Last year's IWF Woman of Valor award winner Nancy Brinker recently made Time magazine's Time 100 list. Check out the tribute to Brinker here.

Remarks of Michelle D. Bernard as Prepared for Delivery

info@iwf.org (Michelle D. Bernard) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:25:00 EDT

View photos from Woman of Valor 2007 here.

Remarks of Michelle D. Bernard

Prepared for Delivery

at the

Independent Women's Forum's

Fourth Barbara K. Olson Woman of Valor Award Dinner

October 9, 2007

Distinguished and honored guests and members of the Board of Directors of the Independent Women's Forum, good evening, and welcome to our fourth Woman of Valor Award Dinner.

For those of you who have been here before, welcome home. For those of you who are joining us for the first time, we welcome you to our family - and we are truly a family.

I would like to take a moment to recognize publicly our dinner Chairs, Ambassador Jeanne Johnson Phillips and Ambassador Bonnie McElveen-Hunter. Thank you so much for your help in making tonight such a beautiful evening.

I would also like to recognize and thank the members of our honorary host committee and a few of our very special guests:

•· Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn

• Secretary Michael Chertoff

• The Honorable Cari Dominguez

• The Honorable Naomi Earp

• The Honorable Phillip English

• The Honorable Kay Granger

• The Honorable Michael McCaul

• The Honorable Jean Schmidt

• The Honorable Connie Morella

Finally, we would like to recognize Justice Clarence Thomas. Later this evening, you will hear more about the very special friendship between Ricky, Judge Silberman, and Justice Thomas, and the Justice's unintentional role in the formation of IWF fifteen years ago.

Justice Thomas, we thank you for joining us this evening.

Each year, we come together to honor a woman of valor. This year, we honor two women: Ambassador Nancy Brinker, and IWF's beloved Ricky Silberman.

Prior to January 1, 2006, there were only three women with whom I spoke every day - my mother and my two sisters. That all changed when I became president of IWF in 2006. That year, I inherited a second mother, Ricky Silberman, also known as IWF's "Mother Superior."

Ricky and I spoke just about every day. She would call to ask me if I had found a new nanny yet. She would call just to ask how my husband was doing. Once, she even called to tell me that she thought my childbearing years were behind me! Ricky was a trip!

A year ago, the night before our last Woman of Valor Award Dinner, Ambassador Jeanne Johnson Phillips, Ricky Silberman and I were having dinner at the Willard Hotel. We were drinking fine wine, enjoying the very elegant décor, and speaking about an extraordinary woman - Nancy Brinker. At dinner, Ricky spoke with great admiration for Ambassador Brinker, telling us that she herself was alive because of Nancy Brinker. None of us ever imagined that just nine months later, Ricky would no longer be with us.

In thinking about our 2007 Woman of Valor Award, we knew that we had to honor both of these women, who have spent their lives supporting individual freedom and achieving women's liberty at home and abroad.

This week's Time magazine asks why breast cancer is spreading around the world. At the Independent Women's Forum, we are not only asking this question; we are asking what we can do to stop it from killing so many women and men every year.

This year, the IWF family lost two women to breast cancer, and a member of our staff was diagnosed with the breast cancer just a week ago. Last Saturday, Congresswoman Joanne Davis lost a two-year battle with breast cancer. Tonight, we pay tribute to all each of these women, and we thank you and the members of our honorary host committee for joining us. In doing so, you help bring national awareness to the fight against breast cancer.

At the Independent Women's Forum, one of the many reasons we love Nancy Brinker is because she is no shrinking violet. Recently, the New York Times quoted her as saying, "As the American public and both political parties did when launching the war on cancer more than three decades ago, we need to summon the will to make cancer a national priority again." We couldn't agree more.

Finally, as president of the Independent Women's Forum, I want to express my sincere thanks to each of you for the roles you continue to play in assisting IWF in advancing economic liberty, personal responsibility, and political and economic freedom.

To the Silberman and Brinker families, we thank you for sharing these extraordinary women with us. The world is a better place because of them.

In the News: Inside the Beltway

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:30:00 EDT

Saluting women

Friendship brought Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, where the Independent Women's Forum's (IWF) Woman of Valor award was given posthumously to R. Gaull Silberman, known as "Ricky," an IWF founder and board member who died of cancer in February.

Elizabeth "Liz" Cheney, daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, presented the award to Mrs. Silberman's husband, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Senior Judge Laurence Silberman.

"Ricky gave real hugs in a town where people give air-brush kisses," Mrs. Cheney praised.

Inside the Beltway is told that Justice Thomas will write a "long, personal reminiscence" about Mrs. Silberman in the IWF's forthcoming newsletter. IWF's president and CEO, Michelle Bernard, explained that Justice Thomas had "inadvertently" contributed to the decision by Mrs. Silberman and others to found IWF, because during his stormy Supreme Court confirmation hearings the founders felt that the women interviewed by the press for a "women's view" did not represent mainstream America.

In addition, the newly appointed chief of protocol of the U.S., Ambassador Nancy Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure, also was awarded the Woman of Valor award at last week's gala. The award was presented to Mrs. Brinker by former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson. Each year, the award is given in honor of Mr. Olson's late wife, Barbara K. Olson, who was killed during the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Remarks from Woman of Valor Dinner

info@iwf.org (Allison Kasic) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:12:00 EDT

The remarks from IWF's Woman of Valor dinner are now online:

Read Ambassador Nancy Brinker's remarks here.

Read The Honorable Judge Silberman's remarks here.

Read Robert Silberman's remarks here.

Remarks by The Honorable Nancy Brinker: "The Character of Our Country"

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:05:00 EDT

Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker

Independent Women's Forum

Woman of Valor Award Dinner

Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium

Washington, DC

Tuesday October 9, 2007

Remarks Prepared for Delivery

"The Character of Our Country"

Thank you, Ted [Olson] and Bonnie McElveen Hunter, for your very generous words, and thank you Ted for your life's work-your service to country and your incredible sacrifice.

Members of Congress, Justice [Clarence] Thomas, so many distinguished guests.

On any occasion, it would be an honor to be recognized by the Independent Women's Forum-a bold voice for women led by a brave band of women: Michelle Bernard, Heather Higgins and all the IWF founders and Board of Directors.

But it is a high honor indeed when the award bears the name of Barbara K. Olson. And although I only had the privilege of meeting Barbara a few times, I got a glimpse of her spirit, which was unforgettable, and her courage, which was indefatigable.

As Ted has said elsewhere, Barbara "saw no limits in the people around her, and she accepted no limits on what she could accomplish." That is not only a description of Barbara Olson's character, it is a charge to us all, and one-as I accept this honor-that I pledge to keep.

And it is humbling, deeply humbling, to accept this award as we remember and salute a woman of great courage and a generous friend to Susan G. Komen for the Cure-Congresswomen Jo Ann Davis.

And we pay loving tribute to another friend and visionary who accepted "no limits" in her life. Judge Silberman and entire the Silberman family, through you, Ricky is here with us tonight, and I thank you for sharing her courageous spirit.

In this world, no one stands or survives alone. And tonight, I am honored to recognize loved ones and friends without whom I would not be standing here today:

My son, Eric, who through my decades of advocacy tolerated more pink ribbons than any young man should have to endure.

My mother, Ellie Goodman, who always taught my sister Susan and me to be stewards of the world around us and who teaches me still at 87 years old.

And my extended family from Susan G. Komen for the Cure: from our national headquarters team in Dallas; from our national board-Alexine Clement Jackson; from our local Affiliates in Arlington, Richmond and Roanoke, and; the wife of our former chairman-the legendary Dr. LaSalle Leffall, Jr.-and a great friend of Komen in her own right-Ruthie Leffall.

And I want to dedicate this award, first, to Susan, whose love, courage and strength in life-and death-have always inspired me in my life.

Second, to my father, Marvin Goodman: a fierce patriot, who taught us that each of us has the responsibility to give back to our country; and a man of humble origins who believed in personal responsibility and became a successful entrepreneur, always saying, "With perseverance and courage, you can overcome anything-except stupidity!"

Several months ago-just short of his 91^st birthday-Dad passed away. And on one of his final days, he looked at me and said, "Nancy, I want you to make a promise to me-that you will return to public service to serve this country and this President."

So it is with great pride-and love-that I fulfill that promise and now serve as U.S. Chief of Protocol.

There's an old story about the legendary Clare Booth Luce. She used to give her women reporters the following advice for how to succeed in Washington of the 1940s and 50s:

"Get dressed up and come into the office late...after you come from your hairdresser."

"Come in, see people, go to lunch and leave early."

"This way you won't irritate the men too much."

"You can't get too aggressive."

Well, about 25 years ago in my living room in Dallas I recruited a handful of volunteers who had been touched by breast cancer and we decided to "get aggressive!"

We decided to change the culture and end the silence and shame of this disease. And as our small local effort grew to a global movement of millions, we weren't afraid to "irritate the men too much."

Then, about 18 years ago, the women of Washington decided to "get aggressive." Inspired by pioneers like Betty Ford and galvanized by the struggle of women like Sandra Day O'Connor and Carolyn Deaver, they created the National Race for the Cure: "Founding Mothers" like Marilyn Quayle, Rae Forker Evans, Ginger Pape and others, and allies on Capitol Hill like Tamra and Ken Bentsen, who we are proud to call the new chairman of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

And the great progress we've seen-the new culture of awareness and early-detection, revolutionary new drugs and treatments, more than two million breast cancer survivors alive today-it is because individuals, first a few, then more, then millions, embraced a principle long championed by IWF: personal responsibility!

And I suggest to you tonight that this same spirit is exactly what we need today to confront a growing crisis now facing our country, indeed the world.

When cancer kills more than 560,000 Americans every year-almost as many Americans as died in all the wars of the 20^th century...

With the baby boom generation about to unleash an unprecedented cancer boom...

When racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, the uninsured-including women right here in Washington, with its shocking breast cancer death rate-are less likely to receive quality cancer care and therefore more likely to die...

And when it takes a high-profile diagnosis-a Tony Snow or an Elizabeth Edwards-for cancer to make the headlines...

Then we are facing a national crisis-not only of cancer, but of complacency!

And when I travel the world, hearing women in the Middle East say that losing their breasts could mean losing their husbands...

When the survivors at our first-ever global advocate summit in Budapest say that for so many back home-from Latin America to Africa to Asia-diagnosis is still a death sentence...

When cancer kills some seven million people every year around the world-more than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined...

When the number of new cancer cases in expected to double in the coming decades, with devastating social and economic consequences for entire countries...

And when a Palestinian oncologist in the West Bank tells me he fears being overwhelmed by this coming "cancer tsunami"...

Then we are also facing a global crisis!

But we need not-and we cannot-retreat in despair! Because with increased awareness and with screening and treatments already available today, the majority of these cancers can be prevented or treated, saving millions of lives every year!

As the wealthiest, most medically advanced nation on Earth, we-the United States-not only have the opportunity to help, we have a moral obligation! Because if America does not lead, if we do no act to avert this "cancer tsunami," the lives of millions will be lost.

My friends, this is not a problem of politics. When it comes to cancer, there are no Republicans or Democrats, no conservatives or liberals. The historic doubling of the NIH budget occurred under a Republican Congress and two presidents-one Democrat, one Republican.

Nor is this simply a problem of money. Even with recent cuts, federal funding for cancer research-in historic terms-remains at record highs.

No. I say to you tonight: this is a matter of national and global will-whether we can summon the will, as a nation, as an international community, to make this killer-cancer-a national and global priority!

I believe we can.

And I believe that those of us in this room-the leaders in government, business, academia, health care and media-we must be the ones to summon that will!

And I believe we will.

Why? Because in these thirty years-as an advocate, as an ambassador-I have seen the character of our country, the patriotism, the passion to serve, the pursuit of justice and equality.

I saw it in a father named Marvin Goodman, in a daughter, sister and mother named Susan G. Komen and in the millions who have carried on her fight.

We all saw it in leaders like Barbara Olson, Ricky Silberman and Jo Ann Davis who inspired so many with their voices and their valor.

And I see it here tonight, in patriots who remind us-whether it's fighting cancer or spreading freedom-there is no substitute for American leadership rooted in American values.

Thank you so much for this great honor. And thank you for showing-as Alexis de Tocqueville observed more than two centuries ago-that "America is great because she is good."

God bless you all.

Robert Silberman honors his mother, Ricky Silberman, as a Woman of Valor

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:01:00 EDT

Thank you Heather for that kind introduction.

Thank you Liz and thank you Dad for both of your warm remarks about Mom.

And finally, on behalf of my entire family, I would also like to thank Michelle Bernard and the IWF Board of Directors for this wonderful evening which I know Mom appreciates so much.

My mother loved this organization. She imbued it at its founding with the same sense of energy, confidence, optimism, and love which she bestowed on her own children; my sisters and I.

As many of you here in this room can attest, when my mother set her mind to something, she had an ability to focus all her energy, confidence, optimism, and love in a way that was truly irresistible. She was often described as a benevolent force of nature. This made perfect sense to my sisters and me. As kids, we would literally pity the poor, unlucky obstacles which happened to be caught in my mother's cheerful way.

More importantly, if you were fortunate enough to find yourself adopted into my mother's orbit, she also made you believe in yourself. She made you believe you could do anything you set your mind to, that somehow the stars would align, the winds would shift, or the tides would change in your direction, allowing you to eventually accomplish whatever you had set your heart to. Optimism was a part of my mother's soul. Faced with what seemed to be an unsolvable problem, she would always say, "Don't worry, it will all work out," and somehow, it always did.

I cannot adequately articulate how valuable her love and confidence was to me as a son. However, I am sure that all of you here tonight who knew her and loved her, know exactly that feeling that I am unable to find the words to describe.

I wanted to share with you tonight one quick personal vignette which I thought might help illustrate the values which both defined my mother's life, and which she brought to this organization. It happened on a family summer beach vacation some 15 years ago. My wife, Tina, and I were there with our four young children. My sisters Katie and Annie were also there with their families, as well as, of course, Mom and Dad.
Mom loved the ocean and she loved to walk on the beach. She and I were taking such a walk one day while the rest of the family played in the sand and the surf. The sun was shining, the waves were breaking; it was one of my mother's perfect days, and she was taking great delight in it. And to top it all off, a pod of dolphins, her favorite animals, even swam in towards the shore, and were playing right in our view.

Now, in addition to our family, I also had a close friend from college visiting that day, and he was paddling a kayak off the beach as Mom and I walked. My friend was actually trying to paddle the kayak out to the dolphins, but every time he got within 100 yards or so, the dolphins would just swim away.

So Mom and I were getting a real kick out of the show, and we watched for a while, laughing, until my friend gave up and started to paddle in. At which point Mom turned to me and said, "What a shame, Bobby, J.B. didn't reach the dolphins, you should try."

Well, I patiently explained to my mother that my friend J.B. had been captain of his college crew team, that he had been selected for the U.S. Olympic Crew Team, that both his father and his grandfather had won Olympic Gold Medals in rowing, and therefore, that if he couldn't paddle hard enough to reach those dolphins, there was no way on God's earth that I was going to be able to.

I thought my explanation had been both articulate and persuasive, but Mom just looked at me and smiled and said, "Oh Bobby, YOU can do this." Now I am sure some of you have been the recipient of similar exhortations from my mother, and if you have, you know there was only one response. So I grabbed the kayak, muttering to myself how stupid and futile this whole exercise was, and started to paddle out to sea.

Of course, each time I thought I was getting closer to those damn dolphins, they just swam away. So when I'd concluded that I had kept up this charade long enough that I could quit and legitimately face my mother, I stopped for a second to catch my breath before paddling in. But as I floated for a few moments on the gentle swells, rehearsing in my mind the various excuses I would use to explain to my mother why I had thrown in the towel, I looked up, and miraculously at that point the dolphins had started swimming in TOWARDS me.

In just a few seconds they reached me, and as I stared in wonderment, they swam all around my kayak; they splashed the water and swam on their backs just as you would see at Marine World. It was truly magical, and then, as suddenly as they had arrived, the dolphins just swam away.

Now to this day I am certain that somehow my mother convinced those dolphins to swim into me. If you knew her, it just wasn't that much of a stretch, it was certainly within her capabilities. And I will always remember the sight, as I was paddling in to shore that afternoon, of my mother standing on that beach bluff, laughing and waving, and the sound of her voice, happily calling out to me, "Wasn't that Fun!"

Mom brought that same sense of joyful purpose to the founding and operation of IWF. She believed in providing women, particularly young women, with the energy, confidence, and optimism to succeed in life. She believed that it was critically important that the work of IWF not be confined only to public policy debates here in Washington, DC, but more importantly, that the ideals of IWF take root in college campuses throughout the country.

And so, it is with great pride tonight, that on behalf of the Silberman family, and with the gracious support of so many people here in this room, I have the honor of announcing the establishment of the Rosalie Gaull Silberman Center for Collegiate Studies at IWF.

My mother was an educator for her entire life. Not merely a teacher, although at times she was certainly that, but more importantly, she was a provider of wisdom. Through the example of her actions, and her love, she taught us all how to live. I know, that through this center, Mom's memory, and her good works, will continue to live on where they will have the most valuable impact, in the hearts of future generations of young women.

I want to thank all of you for coming tonight, and thank you on behalf of my mother, for your support of the Independent Women's Forum.

The Honorable Judge Silberman's Remarks for Honoring Ricky Silberman

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:58:00 EDT

JUDGE SILBERMAN'S REMARKS

FOR

IWF DINNER
HONORING RICKY

October 9, 2007

Ricky and I were happily married, indeed blissfully happily married, for almost fifty years. I have spoken of our love affair at her funeral. Tonight she is honored as a woman of valor, so I will focus on her courage.

She fought breast cancer with hope and optimism and determination for seven years. I sometimes thought she was in denial, but towards the end I realized she knew how sick she was - perhaps had always known - but she did not want me and her children to know that she knew. In her last months, she even blithely described how my life would proceed after she died.

But everyone faces death - her courage in that context was not unique. There were, however, a number of occasions when her behavior richly merited this posthumous award.

When we were married, Ricky did not think of herself as brave - nor, in that era, did she regard bravery as a particularly important characteristic for a woman. At college I wanted to enter a parachute jumping contest for first-time jumpers. She was so frightened she threatened to break the engagement. As an indication as to how much she changed after twenty-five years, she bought a parachute jump for my 46th birthday. To be sure, at the time, there were associates of mine who speculated that her motivation was not benign, but I knew she was telling me that she had conquered her fear.

And a good thing it was because a few years later, as she embarked on a career in public service, her courage was repeatedly tested and she never flinched.

As the Vice Chairman of the EEOC, she tangled with a formidable Washington lobby, the AARP. She believed that workers should have the right, so long as they were not coerced, to accept early retirement packages. The AARP strongly disagreed and attacked her mercilessly. It attempted to stop her confirmation when she was renominated for her second full term as a Commission member. I advised her to make a courtesy call on Orin Hatch, then the ranking member of the Labor Committee. She did, but then took the opportunity to upbraid him for supporting the reappointment of another Commissioner that she and Clarence Thomas opposed. I gently pointed out that her approach was not the most diplomatic for one seeking confirmation, but that did not faze her - and she was confirmed unanimously.

Perhaps her most public demonstration of courage was her indefatigable support for her dear friend, Clarence, in his Supreme Court confirmation struggle. She appeared almost every day on TV (after getting up very early in the morning - which for her was the ultimate sacrifice). She defended him against horrid and false accusations. She vouched for Clarence again and again, disregarding the cost in broken personal relations and the attacks on her own integrity. And, as you know, this organization was created by Ricky and several women she enlisted to help in the confirmation fight.

Towards the end of her second full term as a Commissioner, she was recruited from the EEOC by Glen Nager to be the first executive director (the senior full time employee) of the new Congressional Office of Compliance. The office was created by legislation applying EEO and labor laws to Congress. Despite the fact that the legislation was the first item in the famous "Contract with America," she found herself rather quickly in a struggle with the Republican leadership - particularly Bill Thomas, the Chairman of the House Administration Committee. Thomas, not well known for his gentle approach, let it be known that she was to regard herself as a private and he as the general. She sweetly replied to his emissary that she regarded Congressmen as the regulated class and she was the regulator. Rather quickly she gained the sobriquet as "that woman," but again she was not fazed.

In a particularly cruel twist of fate, the very month she retired in 2000, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As she was struggling with her treatment, a disgruntled IWF employee, apparently seizing the opportunity, led an insurrection that targeted the leadership of this organization. I begged her to resign as Chairman of IWF and devote her energy to fighting her disease. She would not hear of it; the IWF was simply too important to her. She would not leave the post of Chairman until long after the revolt was defeated, the IWF regained its prominence, and she could pass the chairmanship on to Heather.

Ricky never looked for fights - political or otherwise - she was really a gentle, compassionate soul who hated strife, but she would not turn tail and run no matter the threat or pressure; she was a woman of valor.

Women of Valor

info@iwf.org (Allison Kasic) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:36:00 EDT

Well, we had a grand time at last night's Woman of Valor gala dinner. In case you haven't already noticed the links on our homepage, I wanted to highlight the tribute videos of our two honorees, Nancy Brinker and R. Gaull (Ricky) Silberman.

The tribute to Nancy Brinker is available here.

The tribute to Ricky Silberman is available here.

If you weren't able to join us for our 2007 dinner, we hope to see you in 2008!

A Tribute to Ricky Silberman

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:47:00 EDT

A beloved IWF founder is remembered.

A Tribute to Nancy Brinker

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:31:00 EDT

...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accepts IWF's Woman of Valor Award

Sun, 14 May 2006 00:00:00 EDT

On May 10, 2006, Secretary of State, Dr.Condoleezza Rice accepted the IWF 2006 Woman of Valor Award. Below are her remarks:

SECRETARY RICE:Well, thank you very much. I cannot thank you enough for this tremendous honor. I want to thank all involved with it and all of you for coming. That was quite an extraordinary little film. I have to get that and show it to my family. They'll like it. (Laughter.)

I want to thank Ted Olson for that kind introduction as well as Jean Johnson Phillips, my good friend who was so involved in putting this together. I know what a force Jean is and I can see that Jean did a terrific job. Thank you for that.

The Independent Women's Forum is stronger than ever today and much of its success is due to the inspired leadership of my dinner partners, Heather Higgins and Michelle Bernard. I can't believe that Michelle just had kids. Thanks so much for coming and thanks so much for your leadership of this great organization.

This is an organization that is promoting individual responsibility and economic liberty and democracy and it's making a true difference in the lives of women around the world, especially the women in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. And I want to acknowledge the work that this organization has done on Iraq, where the Iraqi Women's Educational Institute, founded just two years ago, has grown into a hopeful force for women's inclusion in the new Iraq. I thank you all for this important work in these exciting times.

There are members of Congress here and distinguished guests and good friends, many familiar faces, thank you for joining us tonight. I'm deeply honored to receive this year's Woman of Valor Award and this honor is all the more meaningful to me personally because it carries with it the name and the memory of Barbara Olson, who was a beloved friend to so many of us: Barbara's loss was not only felt personally by Ted, though of course it was felt most expressly by Ted, but widely by those who knew her charm and her intelligence and her grace.

The attacks of September 11th robbed us of much more than just our sense of security, they robbed us of many of our fellow citizes, people who were contributing to this country, people who were the very definition of patriot, people like Barbara who were making a valuable contribution to our society.

America has honored those who were lost by moving forward with purpose and with valor. From a day of terror, I think that this country has indeed summoned a vision of hope and President Bush has forged a foreign policy that rejects the false dichotomy of ideals and interests and recognizes that security is only achieved when people, especially those on the margins of society, gain freedom and justice and opportunity within their countries and when democracy is on the march.

We understand, of course, that different peoples will build democracies that reflect their own cultures, of course they will. They'll build democracies that reflect their own traditions and their own experiences, just as we in America did. America is not trying to impose democracy. Indeed, you don't have to impose democracy; you have to impose tyranny. Democracy lives and breathes, liberty lives and breathes, in the heart of every human being. (Applause.)

President Bush has called these aspirations the non-negotiable demands of human dignity and he has defined them as the rule of law and limits on state power, free speech and tolerance of difference, freedom of worship, equal justice and property rights and finally, but not last, respect for women. It is that last point that I'd like to speak to tonight here in the presence of this great organization that is doing so much to promote the rights of women.

When we talk about respect for women, we are referring to a moral truth. Women are free by nature, equal in dignity and entitled the same rights, the same protections and the same opportunities as men. This is a standard that, quite frankly, we in the United States have fallen short of in our history. It took our country 130 years before we interpreted the phrase "All men are created equal," flexibly enough to let ladies vote.

We Americans are, to be sure, an imperfect people, but we are fortunate to be guided by ideals that summon us to become even nobler and indeed to pursue our perfect union. Those same ideals lead America into the world to combat the dehumanization of women in all its forums, especially the international evil of human trafficking, a modern form of slavery for millions of women.

I know it sounds impossible, slavery in the 21st century, but it's very real. And the stories of young girls preyed upon and smuggled as freight, beaten and bought and sold for sex are stories that are tragic enough to break even the hardest of hearts. And under President Bush's leadership, the United States is leading a new abolitionist movement to eradicate human trafficking worldwide. (Applause.)

In a few weeks, I'm going to release our annual Department of State Report on Human Trafficking and that report probes even the darkest places, calling to account any country, friend or foe, that is not doing enough to combat human trafficking. Though many complain, the power of shame has stirred many to action and sparked unprecedented reforms. Defeating human trafficking is a great moral calling and we will never subjugate it to the narrow demands of the day.

This call of conscience also leads us to help the survivors of the genocide in Darfur, many of whom are women. I have visited Darfur. I have spoken with the women in the Abu Shouk refugee camp. They've told me their personal stories of rape, of beatings and of other unspeakable horrors that no human being should have to endure. Many of these women are widows charged with raising their children by themselves, and it is the fate of Darfur's children that moves us most because no boy or girl should live a life in a refugee camp.

The United States is doing more than any nation to help the mothers of Darfur build lives of hope for their children. We provide nearly all the food that now sustains the people of Darfur and we are offering care and counseling to many women who have survived violence and rape. The signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement last week now offers a hope for peace.

Yesterday in New York -- I think it was yesterday -- (laughter) -- I addressed the Security Council and urged them to get UN peacekeepers into Darfur to help implement this agreement. We have a momentous opportunity to bring real peace to the men and women of Darfur and we will not let this pass.

Whether it is assistance to women in Darfur or the fight against human trafficking, the United States champions respect for women because it is morally right. But we also recognize that respect for women is a prerequisite for success of countries in the modern world. In the dynamic 21st century no society can expect to flourish with half its people sitting on the sidelines, with no opportunity to develop their talents, to contribute to their economy or to play an equal part in the lives of their nations.

Last year a group of Kuwaiti suffragettes sent me a T-shirt and it makes that point very well. It says, "Half a democracy is not a democracy." That was the slogan that the women of Kuwait used to demand and to win their right to vote. (Applause.)

In all my travels as Secretary, I've had the opportunity to meet women around the world who are leading in fields of human endeavor. Two that I've met recently are literally leading their nations, Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the new President of Liberia, the first woman head of state in African history. I was honored to attend both of their inaugurations this year. They are empowering their countries, not just the women of their countries.

And tonight, I would like to talk about some names that perhaps you do not know as well, who are also empowering their countries. In Mexico, I met with women entrepreneurs who are transforming their businesses with U.S.-backed loans. One of these women is a seamstress, named Maria Theresa Rojas.

In years, Maria Theresa could not find a bank to loan her money. She wanted to do more than stitch school uniforms. All that recently changed. As a part of a U.S.-led effort to triple the amount of credit available to small and medium-size businesses, Maria Theresa finally got the loan she needed. And she's investing in new technology and expanding her business and making nicer clothing for profit. This will create jobs in the Mexican economy and make life better for Maria and her family and her village.

In Afghanistan, I met the young players of a girls' soccer team. It was quite a striking contrast from the Afghanistan that just four years ago -- in which four years ago the Taliban turned soccer stadiums given to them by the international community into killing fields and condemned women to death for learning to read.

You know, when they want to suppress people, they always go after the right to read. Slaves were not allowed to read, because if you can read, you know what your horizons are. And so that women in Afghanistan are now being taught to read openly and supported by their government is an amazing fact and shows that Afghanistan is progressing. (Applause.)

Finally, in Iraq, I had the opportunity at the end of last year to meet women political leaders who are active in a group called Ahd al-Iraq, or fittingly, Iraq's future. These women have seized freedom's opportunities and created the first issue-based organization in Iraqi history. They are working to ensure equal rights and equal opportunity for all Iraqis, men and women. The Iraqi people understand the role that women can and must play in their country's future. Iraq's democratic constitution which Iraqis freely wrote and ratified last year, accords women respect and equal rights. The challenge now for the Iraqi people is to build institutions that can protect those rights and make their new democracy effective. At this crucial time in Iraq's history, it is important that there are also courageous Iraqi women who raise their voices for tolerance and for moderation. And I want to thank the Independent Women's Forum for helping them do that. (Applause.)

When I meet women like Maria Theresa or Afghan soccer girls or the women of Ahd al-Iraq, or for that matter when I see Kuwaiti women gain the right to vote or when a country like Morocco sets an example for its entire region by passing landmark reforms of family law, as it did recently, granting women basic legal rights like the ability to divorce and inherit property.

When I see these kinds of events and meet these kinds of women, I believe we are witnessing something very extraordinary indeed: the unfolding of moral progress. We must not be reluctant to speak of moral progress. I would do so in this way. Progress is humankind's ability to view more and more of our differences, whether of race or religion or ethnicity or agenda, not as a license to kill or as a cause for repression, but as a source of strength. Progress never unfolds in a determined way or on its own accord. It requires human agency, always and everywhere dedicated individuals who are committed to helping others, men and women alike, to secure the basic human rights that define our common human nature.

And it requires something else. It requires optimism and it requires a sense of historical perspective. I know that there are times when we view on our television screens the violence in Iraq or in Afghanistan, or when we read the reports of the trafficking in women or of the camps in Darfur, that it must seem that this world is making no progress at all. But when I have those moments, I think back on other historical times when it must have seemed quite impossible to imagine human progress.

I spent my summer reading the biographies of America's Founding Fathers. They, of course, were quite fortunate, most of them, to have founding mothers alongside them, but of course the biographies have been written mostly of Jefferson and Adams and Hamilton and Washington. And when you read those biographies, you think that there was no earthly reason that the United States of America should ever have come into being. From Washington's failure after failure after failure as a military commander; to the tremendous rivalry between Jefferson and Hamilton that led Jefferson, thinking Washington too influenced by Hamilton, to spread rumors that Washington was indeed senile -- (laughter); to the fact that our Founding Fathers, trying to create a perfect union for We the People, couldn't quite find a way to deal with slavery. And so instead, they left my ancestors to be three-fifths of a man.

But some hundred plus years later, I stand before you as a descendent of those people who were three-fifths of a man and I ask, "Would anybody have thought it possible?" (Applause.) Now, perhaps in some number of years, we will think it just inevitable. Time and time again, historical events -- our own Civil War, World War II, the end of Communism, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the freedom of Eastern Europe -- seemed like impossible dreams. A day when France and Germany would never fight again seemed like an impossible dream. A democratic Japan, a democratic Korea, seemed like impossible dreams. And now, we take them for granted; we think of them as inevitable.

I do believe that with enough moral courage, with enough optimism and with enough human agency by people like those who make up the Independent Women's Forum that there will come a day when we will look back on Iraq and Afghanistan and Sudan and troubled spots of the world, and we will ask, "Who could have ever doubted that liberal democracy would take hold there?" Indeed, what sometimes today might seem impossible will seem quite inevitable. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

IWF Celebration Dinner and Woman of Valor Award

Fri, 27 May 2005 00:00:00 EDT

The Independent Women's Forum honored Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao as our second Woman of Valor at our annual gala dinner, held on May 24.

Speaking to a packed ballroom at Washington's Fairmont Hotel, IWF president Nancy M. Pfotenhauer hailed the event as "a very special evening for us as we honor the memory of one remarkable woman and the achievements of another."

The award is given to honor the memory of Barbara Olson, an IWF founder, who perished in the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon. Last year's recipient was Lynne Cheney.

Heather Higgins, chairman of the IWF board, spoke about IWF's rising profile with the media. She also praised the organization's high quality of publications and its ability to draw people to the website for serious policy debate.

Higgins also mischievously noted that IWF is a women's organization where the women actually like men!

"We searched the world over for the person best qualified to kick off our evening with a few well chosen words about our honoree," Pfotenhauer said. "We thought there could be no one better than the man she describes as a brilliant political strategist, incredibly loyal -- particularly to his football team -- and her soul mate. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the senior senator from Kentucky, the assistant majority leader of the U.S. Senate, and (most importantly) Elaine's husband...Sen. Mitch McConnell."

Senator McConnell proudly recalled his wife's achievements, noting that she had come to the United States from Taiwan as a child who spoke no English.

Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson was on hand to honor his wife's memory and to present the award to Secretary Chao. Olson noted that Barbara would be proud of IWF's recent achievements, including its leading role in the U.S. government's Iraqi Women's Democracy Initiative, for which the IWF received a grant from the State Department.

Olson praised Ricky Silberman, IWF chairman emeritus, for her vision in helping to found the organization before reciting Secretary Chao's distinguished resume. Secretary Chao joked that she'd had so many positions that everybody in the room was going to think she couldn't hold a job.

Chao recalled that her father had worked several years in the U.S. before he was able to send for little Elaine and her mother to join him. She movingly said that, when she and her mother passed the Statue of Liberty, they had high hopes but that they could not have guessed that Elaine would one day be a cabinet member.

On a sadder note, Olson praised Dr. Amal MaMalchi, as another woman of valor. She was one of the courageous Iraqi women who have participated in the democracy education programs led by IWF senior vice president Michelle Bernard. Dr. MaMalchi was assassinated in November 2004.

Chairman of the gala committee was Gloria Dittus, whom Pfotenhauer praised as a "person of boundless energy and ability possessing the two crucial components to putting together an evening like this: a phenomenal sense of humor and a phenomenal team. They say the sign of real talent is when someone can do something difficult and make it look effortless."

More than 350 Washington movers and shakers attended the gala at the Fairmont Hotel. Among those in attendance: Rep. Deborah Pryce, Rep. Mark Foley, Meryl Chertoff, Rep. Paul Ryan, Rep. Trent Franks, Ed and Cathy Gillespie, Grover Norquist, Kellyanne Conway, Barbara Comstock, Karl Rove's assistant Susan Ralston, Susan Allen, Rhonda Keenum (soon to be head of White House liaison office) Cari Dominguez of the EEOC, Ambassador Steven Steiner, and Judge Laurence Silberman.